On March 3rd, 2023, Family Service Association was presented with a $35,000 award for the launch of its workforce development program designed to increase the number of low-income children that can be served in its child development centers, while providing meaningful opportunities for local residents to build careers in early education. This pilot initiative is funded by The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of California, which presented a check of $25,000 to support the cost of fees and tuition for students to receive their licenses in early childhood education. In addition to the $25,000 investment, Bolton awarded FSA $10,000 to support its critical services provided for families and children.

***Seen Above from Left to Right:*** Assemblymember Corey Jackson; FSA Board Chair, David Demers; Molina Healthcare’s Associate Vice President of Growth and Community Engagement, Ruthy Argumedo; FSA Board Vice Chair, Jane Adams; Molina Healthcare’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Cameron Smyth; FSA CEO, Cheryl-Marie Hansberger, and Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh.

The pandemic disrupted nearly all facets of the early childhood education sector. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the childcare sector lost almost 80,000 employees, or about 7.5% of its workforce, due to the pandemic. Like many organizations, FSA has found it overwhelmingly difficult to locate skilled candidates to fill vacancies at its child development centers, despite strong demands for services in the region. Sadly, a shortage of qualified staff directly impacts local families who are already struggling to keep up with high cost of housing and run-away inflation rates.

***Seen Above from Left to Right:*** Bolton Insurance, Jeanie DeLaura and Brandon Burroughs; FSA Child Development Administrator, Janet McDonald; FSA Board Vice Chair, Jane Adams; FSA Board Chair, David Demers; Bolton Insurance West Region President, Steve Brockmeyer; and FSA CEO Cheryl-Marie Hansberger.

“Parents and guardians need access to quality childcare to build strong economic foundations for their families,” said Dr. Cheryl-Marie Hansberger, CEO of Family Service Association. “As one of the largest childcare providers in Riverside County, we feel a strong obligation to push through staffing challenges, as we know families and local employers count on us for economic recovery.”

***Seen Above:*** *Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh spoke at the ceremony and shared why she selected Family Service Association as her 2022 Nonprofit of the Year.*

Senator Ochoa Bogh spoke at the presentation and shared a heartfelt message on the importance of this workforce development program. As a mother herself, she understands how greatly this funding will impact our communities and families. We appreciate her continued support.

FSA provides quality care for more than 700 infants and young children each day throughout its 10 child development centers in Riverside County, and with appropriate staffing FSA has the facilities to serve 500 additional children. FSA’s centers are in high-need areas and give working parents or those pursuing education, who qualify, with access to either low- or no-cost quality care for infants to preschoolers. Most caregivers with children enrolled at FSA centers are employed and require two incomes to support their family.

As a part of the workforce development program, participants will be hired to work at Family Service Association while pursuing the college courses needed to achieve state level certification as a Classroom Assistant or Associate Teacher. With this increased staffing, FSA will expand enrollment for infants and toddlers at its centers. We are happy to announce we are now accepting referrals for those who are eligible. Each scholarship ranges from $500 to $1650.

Eligibility:

If you are interested in participating in FSA’s Workforce Development Program, you must show proof of enrollment in at least two required (core) ECE courses at a local college or university. While attaining certification courses, students must work at one of FSA’s 10 Child Development Centers for at least 6 months.

In addition to tuition assistance, scholars will receive support to create an individualized plan for their long-term success.

You can begin your early childhood educator career by filling out this interest form below!

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