Grants
Foster and Kinship Care Education Program
The Foster and Kinship Care Education Program is sponsored by the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges. The program offers trainings to those who are interested in becoming foster parent as well as to current foster and kinship providers. The trainings reflect relevant topics that focus on out-of-home placed children. The range of training is from specific topics such as the court and legal process to the more general topics of working with children with special needs.
The kinship component of the program is focused on providers who take care of a relative or close friend who is not determined to be a foster child. The special topics of this unique family dynamic are the focus for the trainings. Santa Barbara City College through the Early Childhood Education Department offers a variety of classes that meet the needs of these families. Several times a year, conferences are offered spotlighting nationally known speakers. The trainings are free and open to the public and agencies that support foster and kinship families.
For more information, contact Judy Osterhage at 965-0581 X3433
Early Childhood Mentor Program
Santa Barbara City College through the Early Childhood Education Department is a member of the largest mentoring program for child care professionals in the United States and one that links improved compensation with the Mentor's professional development. Founded in 1988, the Early Childhood Mentor Program has provided advanced training for experienced child care workers who wish to become Mentors to new practitioners. Following the completion of an initial course in mentoring, interested candidates make a formal application to the local Mentor Selection Committee. Selection is based on professional qualifications and a quality review of the candidate's classroom. Those who are selected as Mentors are paid stipends for continuing in-service training and for the supervision of student teachers who are assigned to the Mentors' classrooms. Those who are selected as Director Mentors are paid stipends for guiding and offering practical help to less experienced ("protege") directors or site supervisors.
For more information, contact Beth Rizo
Child Development Training Consortium
Administered through the Yosemite Community college District, the Child Development Training consortium is a program funded by the California Department of Education, Child Development Division (CDE/CDD) with Federal Block Grant Child Care and Development Quality Improvement Funds. The program was created to address the critical shortage of qualified child care workers in the state of California. The demand for qualified workers continues to grow.
To be eligible for reimbursement, you must be employed in California by an eligible child care program, and work directly with young children and families, and be seeking a new or maintaining a currently held Child Development Permit. In attending classes in the Early Childhod Education at Santa Barbara City College, you must complete a Participant Profile and submit it to the Consortium Coordinator in the ECE Department. You will be reimbursed according to the local campus' reimbursement policies. Funding is limited.
For more information, contact Julie Smith
