See you next week!

Everyone has heard the phrase “consistency is key,” but it takes on a whole new meaning for youth in foster care. At this week’s LearnTogether, we heard from Whitney Finlinson, a CASA volunteer, who spoke about how meaningful it is for the teens she works with to have someone who shows up for them consistently—not just a few times before disappearing.

At TriTogether, our goal is to stay with a student through the entire school year. Our tutors can vouch for me when I say that I ask numerous (probably too many!) times during the interview whether or not they can commit to that full year. These children experience so much trauma and instability, and we have the opportunity to be one steady, reliable presence in their lives.

Instead of rambling on about why consistency matters (because, duh, we all know it does), I’ll let the numbers speak for themselves:

“Near­ly 40% of fos­ter chil­dren and youth expe­ri­ence more than two place­ments each year, mean­ing their liv­ing arrange­ments change at least three times a year.”

– The Annie E. Casey Foundation

“In FY 2023, 15,590 youth aged-out of foster care. Each year this number reminds us of the failures of our child welfare system to help achieve permanency for our youth.”

– National Council for Adoption

“It has been documented that children involved in the foster care system are more likely to have low school engagement, and when these youth experience numerous school changes, they are less likely to develop supportive relationships with school staff and peers.”

– Somers et al., 2020

At TriTogether, we know we can’t fix every broken system—but we can show up, stay the course, and remind every student that some people keep their promises. Consistency might seem simple, but for these kids, it’s everything—proof that someone genuinely cares.

So if you’ve ever thought about volunteering as a TriTogether tutor, remember this: your time matters most when it’s consistent. One steady person can make all the difference.

You can sign up to volunteer with TriTogether here, or join us for our upcoming virtual Tutor Open House on Monday, October 20th at 8:00PM EDT to hear about the role from previous tutors and learn more about why we do what we do.