As experts at the Arizona Department of Economic Security point out, not many adults understand budgeting and money management techniques, much less teenagers. Without them, young adults just leaving the foster care system can quickly find themselves in credit trouble from which they never seem to recover. Getting money management life skill training can educate young people on how to open checking and savings accounts, make a budget, and use credit cards responsively. This training may be the difference between a good economic start and a lifetime of debt.
Housekeeping skills like cooking, cleaning and good personal hygiene are essential tools for creating a healthy, balanced life. Foster kids who've been in multiple foster homes may easily miss out on being taught these crucial skills. Kids who know the basics of healthy meal preparation, how to shop for food, and good techniques for keeping their living space hygienic and organized have a head-start on organizing an independent living space of their own. Those without basic housekeeping skills put their health and safety at risk.
Parents typically teach their children about seeing a doctor for illnesses and a dentist for oral healthcare. Foster kids need basic instructions on healthcare, and even how to secure proper healthcare benefits as an independent adult. Young adults can mistakenly think they don't need healthcare or regular checkups because they're young and healthy, but good life skills training includes understanding the importance of preventive care, as well as where and when to seek medical help.
Children in the foster care system don't often have the luxury of adult mentors who can help them investigate their career and job options. Good life skills training in job preparation, career advancement and educational training are the stepping stones for helping them structure a career that will provide them financial independence and personal fulfillment. They need training on what education and basic career skills they'll require to succeed in a job and where to go to get further training or educational financial aid.