CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

97

CHAPTER 121

Statutes of 2026

Introduced by Assembly Member Ahrens

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Alvarez, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, DeMaio, Dixon, Elhawary, Ellis, Flora, Fong, Gabriel, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Johnson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Macedo, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Ramos, Ransom, Rivas, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Stefani, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, and Zbur)

April 30, 2026

Relative to Foster Youth Awareness Month.

Fiscal committee: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

This measure would proclaim the month of May 2026 as Foster Youth Awareness Month in California.

WHEREAS, California’s children and youth are our hope for the future, and all children deserve a safe, loving, accepting, stable, and nurturing home; and

WHEREAS, Preserving families is the primary goal of the child welfare system; and

WHEREAS, A child’s success is best supported in a child welfare system that is family-focused, child-centered, and community-based; and

WHEREAS, Kinship families, foster families, foster family agencies, and short-term residential therapeutic programs play a critical role in supporting children in foster care and making family reunification possible; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 100 times per day, a child is placed in foster care in California; and

WHEREAS, One-third of all the nation’s unaccompanied homeless youth are in California; and

WHEREAS, California has over 43,000 children in the foster care system, disproportionately from Black and Native families; and

WHEREAS, The proportions of Black and Native youth in foster care are around four times larger than the proportions of Black and Native youth in California overall; and

WHEREAS, One-half of all children in foster care have endured four or more adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, and abandonment, which can negatively impact their health and development; and

WHEREAS, Numerous national studies have documented that children involved with the child welfare system have increased rates of chronic health problems, developmental delays and disabilities, mental health needs, and substance abuse problems; and

WHEREAS, Research indicates that foster youth experience rates of homelessness ranging from 11 percent to 38 percent, inclusive, which is disproportionately higher than that of the general population; and

WHEREAS, In California, while 93 percent of foster youth say they want to attend college, only 4 percent of former foster youth obtain their bachelor’s degree by 26 years of age, compared to 50 percent of their peers; and

WHEREAS, For children and youth in the foster care system, we must continue finding them loving homes, provide them with the resources they need, and deliver safe and supportive permanent homes; and

WHEREAS, California further recognizes the strength, resilience, and leadership of foster youth and former foster youth, who contribute meaningfully to their communities, lead advocacy efforts, inform policy, and drive systems change through their lived expertise; and

WHEREAS, Foster youth continue to challenge and redefine traditional measures of success by pursuing education, careers, healing, community leadership, and personal growth on their own terms, despite systemic barriers and disparities reflected in outcomes data; and

WHEREAS, California recognizes the enduring and valuable contribution of relatives and foster and adoptive parents who open their hearts, families, and homes to vulnerable children and youth; and

WHEREAS, California recognizes the numerous individuals and public and nonprofit organizations that work to meet the needs of current and former children and youth in the foster care system, including helping to provide vital connections to siblings and launching young people into successful adulthood; and

WHEREAS, California is engaged in a tiered rate structure intended to improve the experience and outcomes of children and youth in foster care by making more informed and appropriate initial placement decisions, emphasizing home-based family care placements of children, adequately supporting these placements with needed services, adequately supporting foster family agencies and short-term residential therapeutic programs for youth whose needs cannot be met safely in family settings, and increasing transparency and accountability for child outcomes; and

WHEREAS, California is further engaged in building a comprehensive behavioral health system for youth and families impacted by the child welfare system that is responsive to the trauma inherent to family separation; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates the month of May 2026 as Foster Youth Awareness Month in California; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.