Our Approach

At the Table matches students in foster care with long-term 1:1 tutors and advisors who meet with them virtually on a weekly basis.

We work with students to break down barriers to their educational goals, providing homework help, organization strategies, test prep, and fundamentals practice in any subject where the student identifies a need for support. Our tutors are also adept in navigating the educational system, assisting with college applications, financial aid and scholarships, course scheduling, and locating resources to meet challenges outside the classroom.

At the Table’s work is relationship-focused and we make long-term commitments to our students: tutors continue working with students until they graduate and remain available as a resource even afterwards. Tutors are full-time staff of At the Table and typically work with 15-17 students each.

Our Philosophy

The name “At the Table” reflects our collaborative approach to working with students. In a conventional classroom setting, students sit at desks and are taught by an adult standing at the front of the room - but in individualized tutoring, the student and tutor work through challenges together at the table.

We believe that the equal partnership created in tutoring is particularly meaningful for students currently and formerly in foster care, who often face disempowering experiences both inside and outside of school. The majority of our board of directors has lived experience of foster care, and we are accountable to a deeply-held set of values that affirm the agency, voice, and choice of our students.

Why This Matters

There are nearly 8,000 young people in New York City’s foster care system, and tens of thousands more who have experienced foster care. 

In New York City and beyond, young people in foster care experience educational outcomes that fall short of what they desire and deserve.  Less than half of young people in care in NYC go on to graduate from high school, and nationwide, just 3% of adolescents in care earn a bachelor’s degree by age 26. 

We know that these statistics do not result from our students’ aspirations or potential, but from the barriers they face during and after foster care, including home and school disruptions, the impact of trauma and structural racism, and a profoundly unequal educational system.

By equipping students who have experienced foster care with information, resources, and connections to skilled, dependable educational allies, we intend to break down these barriers and create a more equitable society.