AdvoCasey, the Annie E. Casey Foundation's policy magazine, devotes this issue to youth in transition from foster care to adulthood and the problems they face. Feature stories examine both model programs and gaps in services for this vulnerable population.

Many youths in foster care are hardworking, dedicated and determined, but because of stereotypes, their good qualities go unnoticed. In this essay from Foster Care Youth United, Venetta Dent describes how she has striven to become successful and productive.

Human service professionals and others can find timely information, training, technical assistance and more through this University of Oklahoma project. The site features an online library of information on youth transitioning out of foster care and an online map that identifies state initiatives to help foster youth move on to higher education.

Every year more than 25,000 kids "age out" of foster care. The goal of the Orphan Foundation is to help parentless teens as they transition from foster care to young adulthood, with particular emphasis on helping these young men and women attend college and vocational school.

From May 2000 through December 2003, the Casey Family Programs National Center for Resource Family Support (CNC) operated as the national information and referral arm of Casey Family Programs.

For nearly four years the CNC was a one-stop source of information, technical assistance, written materials, and referrals.

In 2003 Casey Family Programs undertook an internal shift to better focus on its work in permanence, transition, prevention, disproportionality, and Indian child welfare. As a result of that shift, the CNC as a separate entity and name was phased out on Dec. 31, 2003. The National Center for Resource Family Support publications are archived on the Web site of the National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning, based at Hunter College of Social Work.

College is tough enough without having to worry about tuition, health insurance and living expenses--but what if you don't even have a family to return to during the holidays? For kids aging out of foster care, getting through college means more than just maintaining good grades.

What is it like, stepping out on your own as a young person, when the last "family" you knew was the state? Bills to pay, choices to make, temptations to resist. Kathryn Hunt explores one young woman's experience.

The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 boosted federal funding to ease the transition out of foster care. Writer Susan Kellam and Terry Harrak, a former foster child herself, explain how the funds are being used for programs in Washington state.

In December 1999, President Clinton signed legislation doubling funding for state Independent Living Programs and providing resources to youth who have already "aged-out" of the foster care system. Susan Kellam explores what Maryland is doing to create appropriate new programs.

Many children who aged out of foster care don't get to experience the classic American dining room scene during the holidays. Find out how you can help during the season of giving and all year long.