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The Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program (FYSCP) is designed to meet the mandates under AB854 to improve the educational outcomes for foster youth. Foster Youth Services Coordinating (FYSC) Programs provide support services to foster children who suffer the traumatic effects of displacement from family and schools and multiple placements in foster care. FYSC Programs have the ability and authority to ensure that health and school records are obtained to establish appropriate placements and coordinate instruction, counseling, tutoring, mentoring, vocational training, emancipation services, training for independent living, and other related services. FYSC Programs increase the stability of placements for foster children and youth. These services are designed to improve the children's educational performance and personal achievement, directly benefiting them as well as providing long-range cost savings to the state.

With the passing of numerous bills related to education, foster children and youth have many rights, including: 

• Support of an identified Educational Liaison within each school district 
• Ability to remain in the school of origin despite moving out of the attendance area
• Credit for full or partial coursework satisfactorily completed by the student
• A waiver of district graduation requirements if the youth transferred schools after the second year of high school and is unable to graduate with his/her class due to credit deficiency
• Transportation to the school of origin when determined by the educational rights holder to be in the best interest of the youth, and no other transportation options are available

FYSCP also provides technical assistance regarding foster children to the County's twenty school districts. Beginning in November 2003, VCOE organized a Homeless/Foster Educational Liaison Council (recently renamed the Executive Advisory Council, or EAC) with a representative from each of the school districts. The purpose of the EAC is to advocate for and to meet the educational needs of children and youth living in foster care and homeless situations as well as to eliminate the educational barriers faced by these students. We must ensure that students in foster care and homeless situations have an opportunity to meet the same challenging state academic performance standards to which all students are held.