The Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice & Research

Double Your Impact for National Foster Care Month!

In honor of National Foster Care Month, The Field Center is excited to announce a gift matching program for the entire month of May! This month is a special time to acknowledge the children in foster care as well as the family, community members, and child welfare professionals who support them.

A generous donor will match all contributions made to The Field Center by members of the YPC, up to a total of $500. Can we count on your support to help us reach our $500 goal?

Donate Now: https://giving.apps.upenn.edu/fund?program=SSW&fund=600891

Please check “Special Reason” in gift options and add a note about National Foster Care Month to ensure your donation is matched!

“Pennsylvania has made a lot of great strides in the last 10 years, and that’s everything from the passage of our unique foster education legislation to the launch of campus support programs at public, private and community colleges...But we have a long way to go, and I think as a professional community, we can do more to support young people with experience in foster care and succeeding in higher education.”

These programs can help foster care youth succeed at college Foster care youth are oftentimes less likely to receive an education beyond high school than their peers. These Pa. programs can help to change that.

This , please consider making a gift to The Field Center of Children’s Policy, Practice & Research at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Field Center engages in interdisciplinary research, policy, advocacy, and education to promote best practices in creating and sustaining a child and family welfare and support system that is responsive to the needs of diverse families and communities.

Help strengthen the systems that support children, youth, and families; give to the Field Center today.

https://fieldcenteratpenn.org/support-us/ways-to-give/

Philadelphia-area announcement!

We are thrilled to share an invitation for an upcoming Community Symposium later this fall - don't miss dynamic speaker L. Patty Flores joining us for an in-person event at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice and the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice & Research!

Learn more and register here: https://fieldcenteratpenn.org/event/save-the-date-field-center-fall-community-symposium/

📢Help us get the word out! Youth experiencing homelessness (or aged out of foster care) often face huge barriers to getting IDs and vital documents. The I Am Here: Vital Document Legal Hotline from National Network For Youth and Baker McKenzie for Youth has free, state-specific legal guidance.
Call 1-888-870-DOCS (1-888-870-3627) on Wednesdays, 12–8 PM ET
Learn more👉https://nn4youth.org/programs/vital-document-legal-hotline-for-youth/

🎧 New Podcast Episode Alert! 🎙️

In our latest episode of The Aging Out Podcast, we had the honor of speaking with Fritzie Saintoiry, President and CEO of Genesis Hopeful Haven in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Fritzie shares a deeply moving story about transforming the grief of losing her son into a powerful mission to uplift youth aging out of foster care. Through Genesis Hopeful Haven, she’s helping young people find stability, connection, and hope for the future.

This conversation, led by our incredible MSSP intern Liya Cha, is full of insight, resilience, and heart. 💛

Don’t miss it—listen here: https://fieldcenteratpenn.org/2025-field-center-aging-out-podcasts/

2025 Field Center Aging Out Podcasts - The Field Center 2025 Field Center Aging Out Podcasts Other Preparing Foster Youth for Adulting Episode 3: Interview with Fritzie Saintoiry from Genesis Hopeful Haven (Miami, FL) In this July 2025 episode, MSSP intern Liya Cha interviews Fritzie Saintoiry, the CEO and President of Genesis Hopeful Haven in Miami-Dade...

🎧 Episode 2 of “The Aging Out Podcast” is now live! We are so excited to share these conversations with our listeners!

Listen now on our website or any major podcast streaming platform!

New Podcast Announcement!

The Field Center is honored to take on stewardship of the Aging Out Podcast, recently transitioned from the Aging Out Institute, to share critical conversations with professionals shaping the future of child welfare and address resources and strategies to support youth aging out of foster care.

Episode 1 features Lynn Tonini, the original developer of the series and founder of AOI. Listen now on our website or on all major streaming platforms! (Apple, Spotify, etc.) Stay tuned for new episodes every month.

The Field Center's Aging Out Podcast - The Field Center project The Field Center’s Aging Out Podcast Current Projects The Field Center’s Aging Out Podcast The Field Center’s Aging Out Podcast shares critical conversations with professionals shaping the future of child welfare. In 2025, the Center assumed stewardship of the long-standing podcast pro...

Our team is grateful for the opportunity to have presented at and attended the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Conference in Uppsala, Sweden!

Managing Faculty Director Dr. Johanna Greeson and Associate Director Sarah Wasch presented two posters and Faculty Directors Prof. Kara Finck and Dr. Cindy Christian presented a workshop. We also extend our congratulations to former intern Kewen W. who is pursuing a PhD and presented her poster at the conference!

We submitted our session idea to PanelPicker! Vote to see our session on "Closing the Dream Gap: Foster Care to College" on the SXSW EDU stage March 3-6, 2025.
30% of the voting on the over 1,400 proposals is determined by the public, so your vote is very important! To vote for our session:
1. Go to website: https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/148410
2. Create a SXSW account
3. Cast your vote for the Closing the Dream Gap workshop by using the UP arrow button on the right-hand side of the screen
4. Leave a comment about why you’re voting for this workshop (OPTIONAL)
Thank you!