[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FOSTER CARE MENTORING ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 8, 2005

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, tonight I'd like to talk about 
legislation that I recently introduced--The Foster Care Mentoring Act 
of 2005 (HR 822).
  Adopting a child is a life long responsibility, but let me be frank, 
the way we care for our children, especially children in foster care is 
a direct reflection of who we are as a society.
  The Administration has boldly stated that they will ``Leave No Child 
Behind.'' I want to take them up on this pronouncement and extend this 
idea to the 523,000 children who are in foster care programs throughout 
this country.
  These children cannot be left behind and must be given every 
opportunity to succeed.
  The Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2005, will support the 
establishment, expansion and operation of programs using a network of 
public and private community entities to provide mentoring for children 
in foster care.
  Specifically The Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2005, does the 
following:
  Provides $15 million in grants to States to develop or expand 
statewide academic mentoring programs for children in foster care.
  Authorizes States to use this funding to help recruit, support and 
train volunteers to serve as a foster youth's academic and personal 
advisers.
  Authorizes $4 million to fund a national coordination and media 
campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the need to get involved 
in the life of a child waiting for foster care placement.

  Engages college and graduate students by making them eligible to have 
their student loans discharged up to $2,000 for every 200 hours they 
serve as mentors to children living in foster care. A total of $20,000 
in student loans incurred by participating college or graduate students 
would qualify for forgiveness.
  My legislation is a good first step in approaching how we can better 
transition children into loving, supportive homes. But we must do more.
  As I stated earlier, there are over 523,000 children in foster care. 
One in three of these children has been in care for over 5 years. Of 
the 25,000 children who leave the foster care system each year, they do 
so without ever having the promise of a permanent family fulfilled.
  This is shameful! We must do better. Children in this country need to 
have a stable adult they can rely on and turn to for support while 
growing up. Mentoring is an excellent way to meet some of these 
children most basic needs.
  The life experiences of children in foster care put them in a 
precarious and vulnerable situation. Children in foster care are more 
susceptible to; drug addiction, depression, delinquency, and pregnancy.
  What's more, the constant turnover in placements for children in 
foster care makes it difficult for these young people to succeed in 
school.
  Mentoring can make a difference in the life of young people in foster 
care and provide a lifeline to academic success and better life skills.
  Traditional mentoring programs often do not include the type of 
training and recruitment necessary to equip mentors with the tools they 
need to most effectively serve the needs of these young people. Those 
that do yield amazing results:
  Current statistics show that for young people who are mentored; 45 
percent are less likely to begin using illicit drugs; 59 percent do 
better academically, and 73 percent set and attain higher life 
achievement goals.
  The need for mentors for children in foster care is clear, however, 
few states have programs aimed at serving the special needs of this 
vulnerable population. I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 822 `The 
Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2005.'