Smart Start Post-Secondary Education Supports Help Youth From Care Succeed In Post-Secondary Education

Post-secondary education (PSE) is a critical driver of long-term economic stability, health, and social mobility. Higher education increases lifetime earnings and builds resilience, while reducing long-term reliance on public systems such as income supports, emergency services, and the criminal justice system. For youth in and from care, however, access to post-secondary pathways remains severely constrained — even when high school outcomes have improved.

Since 1995, the Children's Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC) has supported youth transitioning from care to access and pursue post-secondary education through their PSE Program offering various financial awards including scholarships, bursaries, and graduation awards. In 2024–25, CAFC invested approximately $2 million annually in these supports, reaching close to 600 post-secondary students across the country.

A review of scholarship recipient data from 2015 to 2024 found that just over 200 students left before finishing — and 84% of those early exits occurred within the first year. Check-ins and evaluations with students identified four interrelated factors driving early withdrawal: financial stress, mental health challenges, difficulty navigating an unfamiliar and complex post-secondary environment, and academic struggles.

The Smart Start Post-Secondary Education venture was designed to strengthen retention of scholarship recipients through their first two years of PSE by addressing each of these barriers directly. Scholarships and an Educational Support Fund for emergency and unexpected expenses provide the financial stability students need to stay focused on their studies and have an economic safety net for when times are most tough. Two new relational supports, a PSE Coach and peer mentor network, offer social-emotional support and help students navigate post-secondary systems and policies while providing academic coaching as needed. Together, these layered supports aim to keep students engaged through their most vulnerable years and on track to successfully complete their programs.