Los Angeles County is home to one of the largest populations of foster youth in the nation, with 18,000+ kids in its child welfare system (DCFS, 2025), but the existing system has service gaps. As a result, thousands of foster youth are aging out of the system annually with troubling shortcomings in literacy, work readiness, and life stability. The Academy Project steps in to offer vital support to foster youth in our communities.
The Academy Project was founded in 2015 by Executive Director Lauren Costa after spending a decade working in the child welfare system and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster youth in Los Angeles.
From the bench, I have witnessed our system’s gaps first-hand, including a lack of consistent care and support for our middle school children. The Academy Project fills this need like no other organization. I have seen their safe, loving, and educational environment turn around the lives of middle schoolers for whom previous services simply didn’t work.
- The Hon. Sherri Sobel, former LA juvenile court referee and California Juvenile Court Judge of the Year
Our services are completely free of charge and are designed to meet the long-term needs of each child – nurturing academic achievement, emotional resilience, and a deep sense of community and belonging and equipping foster youth with the skills, relationships, and confidence they need to thrive, in both school and life. Research, including studies conducted by Princeton University specifically for TAP, indicate that centering education as a point of stability and establishing connections to consistent, caring adults are key factors in promoting success for foster youth. TAP’s model focuses on providing holistic, education-focused support that can help youth overcome systemic challenges. We place special emphasis on supporting foster youth as they transition into and through middle school, when the achievement gap between them and their peers widens beyond recovery. Data show focused support, now, can significantly lessen the need for later support and increases the likelihood of high school graduation and a stable adulthood.
