The association between length of stay in residential care and educational achievement: Results from 5- and 16-year follow-up studies

Research on the relationship between length of stay in out-of-home residential care and educational outcomes is scant and has yielded mixed results. This study investigates this issue by examining the relationship between length of stay in family-style residential care and education achievement. Participants belonged to one of two cohorts that were part of a larger follow-up study designed to measure functional post-departure outcomes. Cohort 1 had departed care 5 years earlier whereas cohort 2 had departed 16 years earlier. Findings for both cohorts reveal that longer lengths of stay are predictive of obtaining at least a high school education. Older admission age was also found to be a predictor in the 5 year cohort. Results do not support the notion that longer lengths of stay are counterproductive. On the contrary, these results suggest that longer lengths of stay in quality residential care may benefit not only the youth and their families, but society by reducing the societal cost (e.g., lost wages, crime) when an at-risk youth does not receive sufficient treatment.