Impact of COVID-19 among young people currently and formerly in foster care

Abstract Background COVID-19 continues to have devastating impacts across the United States, causing high levels of unemployment and disconnection from work and school. Furthermore, some communities are at higher risk for adverse outcomes due to the pandemic, including transition age foster youth. Transition age foster youth report negative impacts on their employment, educational attainment, ability to meet basic needs, and their connection to work and school. Objective The current study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on key young adult outcomes including education, employment, financial well-being, and disconnection from work and school. Methods Young people from the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative complete a survey every April and October. This study focuses on a subsample of 2,117 young people who completed 8,004 surveys. Utilizing an interrupted time series design, we examine changes in outcomes at six time points pre-pandemic onset (April 2017 – October 2019) and two timepoints post-pandemic onset (October 2020 and April 2021). Results The pandemic slowed the declining school enrollment rates but did not reverse the downward trend that started before the pandemic. The pandemic decreased the number of young people who were employed and increased the number of those who were disconnected from work and school. The pandemic increased the number of young people who reported having savings. Conclusion Transition age foster youth need access to employment and educational opportunities, which were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional resources are needed to ensure young people are connected to work and school.