This handbook was developed for you, the parents and caregivers of children and youth in the child welfare system. The children and youth in your care face many challenges, and school is one of the greatest. While many children and youth do well, many do not. In fact, some have substantial problems learning and, in order to achieve, need to be enrolled in special programs or receive supplemental services from the school and district. Therefore, it is very important that you know the rights of the child or youth in your care, as well as your rights as parent or caregiver, and how to exercise those rights under the federal and state education laws.

Throughout the rest of this handbook we have used "parent" to refer to any individual who is the holder of education rights. The information in this handbook will help you better understand the education system and how schools operate. You will be better informed to make important decisions about your child's or youth's education, and better able to play a larger role in his or her schooling. This handbook provides answers to the most commonly asked questions. Please refer to the Table of Contents to find information you need. If you have further questions or need more information, you should ask the school or your social worker for assistance.

We wish to acknowledge the following resources for information we used to help put together this handbook: the website of the California Department of Education http://www.cde.ca.gov the website of Protection and Advocacy in California www.pai-ca.org, and Educational Advocacy, by Elizabeth Calvin (2004). We are grateful to Elaine Mac Leod and Joseph Staub who read earlier drafts of this handbook and provided us with helpful comments.

We hope this guide will help you work with your school and district to ensure the most appropriate education for the child or youth in your care.