Frequently Asked Questions

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When a child is placed in your home, you will have a Best Interest Determination (BID) meeting with your case specialist to discuss school enrollment options and transportation to and from school. The BID will consider the wishes of the parent, caregiver, and child; the school’s distance from where the child is placed; the child’s age, personal connections, social, and emotional state; academic, developmental, language, and socialization needs; and the effect a school change will have on the child's learning, academic strength, and grade placement.

Caregivers are expected to communicate with the child's teacher, other education personnel and the child’s case specialist on a regular basis in order to monitor the child’s progress.

Children in DCS care may have their child care fees covered depending on the child care provider that you choose. Child care providers will receive payment up to the maximum reimbursement rate negotiated by the Department of Economic Security. There is no copayment for child care services. However, there may be additional charges that caregivers are responsible to pay if the provider’s rate exceeds the maximum reimbursement rate.

Children in foster care who are between 3 and 5 years old are also eligible for Head Start.

Your DCS Specialist will help you identify an eligible child care provider by doing the following:

Refer you to the Child Care Resource and Referral: 1-800-308-9000 or https://www.azccrr.com/ and

Assist you to verify the identified provider has a current DES registration agreement and has a vacancy.

ESSA is a federal law designed to ensure educational stability for foster children. ESSA states that foster children must remain in their original school if it is in their best interests to do so. If it is determined the child should enroll in a new school, ESSA allows the child to be enrolled immediately with just a Notice to Provider.

Federal law requires schools and child welfare agencies such as DCS to help children in foster care remain in the school they attended prior to coming into care. 

Your school district liaison will work with the DCS specialist to determine school selection, enrolling the child, and a transportation plan.

You can find contact information for your school district's liaison here: https://www.azed.gov/fostercare/foster-care-liaisons. 

If it is decided that the child will not remain in their school of origin, you can enroll the child in any local public or charter school. You can also discuss with your DCS specialist if it is appropriate to enroll the child in an online school, private school or alternative school if those options meet the child’s educational needs.

According to federal law, schools must enroll foster children whether or not the foster parent has all of the required documentation. You should be able to enroll the child with the Notice to Provider that was given to you by the DCS specialist. You do not have to have the child's birth certificate, immunization records, or prior school transcripts to enroll the child in school.

If you experience any trouble enrolling the child in school, please contact your school district's ESSA liaison; you can find contact information for your school district's liaison here: https://www.azed.gov/fostercare/foster-care-liaisons