To the Editor:
Thank you for featuring our GAIN/CalWORKs program in the Roundup edition of October 3, 2007. I hope that the information contained in the article will reach eligible Pierce students who are not aware of our services as well as their qualified family and friends.
Please permit me to add additional and/or clarifying information: The two elements comprising the Los Angeles County welfare system are
a. CalWORKs (the public benefits component, including cash aid, Medi-Cal and “food stamps”) and
b. GAIN (the welfare-to-work component, including education and employment.
Students must be receiving cash aid (CalWORKs) and have a child under the age of 18 years at the time they enter our program. This requirement applies whether students self-refer to us because they are already enrolled at Pierce or they are referred to us by their GAIN Services Worker.
The program provides both on-campus and off-campus work-study opportunities for participating students.
We participate in the TANF-CDC program, a state-wide initiative to educate CalWORKs participants to be early childhood teachers. This program assists students to obtain California Associate Teacher and Teacher permits.
Finally, our move to the Village has been postponed, so come and see us in our current location next to the field house near the stadium!
Thank you again for the article highlighting our program.
Abbey KleinDirector,Pierce College GAIN/CalWORKs Program