CalWORKs Program Plan
2002-03
Plans Due: November 1, 2002
Chancellor's Office
California Community Colleges
Student Services Division
1102 Q Street, Third Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
2002-03 CalWORKs Program Plan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
SUMMARY BACKGROUND 1
ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS 1
PROGRAM GUIDELINES 1
PROGRAM COMPONENTS
· Coordination 2
· Curriculum Development/Redesign 2
· Job Development/Job Placement 3
· Work Study 4
· Instruction 5
· Child Care 5
· Post Employment Services 6
FUNDING INFORMATION
· Source of Funds 6
· Allocation of Funds 7
· Funding Restrictions 7
PROGRAM AND FUNDING CRITERIA
· Rates for Child Care Services 8
· Campus Based Child Care 8
· Parental Choice Vouchers 8
· Child Care Enhanced Costs 8
· Certification of Coordination 9
· Work Study 9
· Instruction 9
DEVELOPMENT OF A PROGRAM PLAN 10
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
· Declaration of Unused Funds/Request for Re-Allocated Funds 10
· 2002-03 Final Expenditure Report 10
· 2002-03 Year-End Accountability Report 11
· MIS Reporting Requirements 11
CALWORKS PROGRAM PLAN SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS 11
Appendecies
Appendix 1 - CalWORKs District Match Guidelines
Appendix 2 – Chart of Accounts, Revenue Titles
Appendix 3 – 2002-03 CalWORKs Allocation
FORMS
Program Form 1 - CalWORKs Program Component Description
Program Form 2 - CalWORKs Program Contact List
Budget Form - Program Proposed Budget
Certification Form - Certification for CalWORKs Program Plan
Optional Form 1 - Certification of Post –Employment Services
Optional Form 2 - CalWORKs Program Allocation Adjustment
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2002-03 CalWORKs Program Plan
BACKGROUND SUMMARY
In response to federal welfare reform in 1996, California redesigned its welfare system entitled California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids Program (CalWORKs). Recognizing the role of community colleges in the CalWORKs system to provide education and training as a viable welfare-to-work activity, the Chancellor’s Office received funding for the establishment of a community college CalWORKs program. The purpose of the community college CalWORKs program to assist welfare recipient students and those in transition off of welfare to achieve long-term self-sufficiency through coordinated student services offered at community colleges including: work study, job placement, child care, coordination, curriculum development and redesign, and under certain conditions post-employment skills training, and instructional services. The program funds are allocated to districts based upon the number of CalWORKs recipients that are enrolled at the community college and the scope and number of programs that the college plans to offer to assist CalWORKs recipients obtain employment.
ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS
All funds are for current CalWORKs recipient community college students or former CalWORKs recipients who are in transition off of cash assistance for no more than two years. Current cash assistance recipients may utilize these services until their initial educational objectives are met. Former recipients in transition off of cash assistance may utilize these services for a period of up to two years after leaving cash assistance.
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
CalWORKs students must participate in education and other work activities at least 32 hours a week (per welfare and institution code). This may include classroom hours, laboratory hours, and internship hours. Hours spent in outside class preparation (study time) do not count unless the college can work out an agreement with the county welfare office to interpret this requirement with more flexibility. “Other work activities” can include work-study, part-time employment, paid or unpaid work experience, on-the-job training, and community service. Student’s educational goals must coincide with courses that will lead them to employment. The county welfare office makes the determination if a specific course or program meets these criteria through approval of the welfare-to-work plan. The county and college develops and maintains a list of programs that meet this criteria. This year colleges will include the current list of community college courses/programs approved by the county with their program plan. Students may also declare their educational program plan as “self- initiated”. Additionally, if the program is not on the county’s approved program list, students may be able to convince the county of the hiring probability and their potential employability if they complete the program. If so, their plan could be approved (Welfare and Institution Code Section 11325.23).
All CalWORKs funded services shall be for current recipients in good standing with the county welfare department. Colleges must work with students to develop a schedule that will help them meet the
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program requirements and coordinate and/or provide the necessary child care and supportive services to enable the recipients to be successful and complete their educational program.
PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Coordination
There are two major components to the coordination of the CalWORKs program:
(1) Coordination with the county welfare departments and other community organizations such as One-Stop Career Centers, Workforce Investment Boards, business and industry, Child Care, Local Planning Councils and Alternative Payment Programs, Adult Education and Regional Occupation Programs (ROC/Ps), Employment Development Department (EDD) and other community based organizations; and
(2) Coordination of programs and services for CalWORKs participants on campus.
These components are designed to coordinate the provision of campus-based financial aid and publicly-funded resources, establish procedures to avoid duplication of payments for supportive services, develop with the county welfare department the list of college programs that lead to employment, Develop a county plan for the provision of educational services for CalWORKs recipients with other educational providers, coordinate the assessment of the recipients, articulate the community college activities that meet the work requirements for recipients, and report demographic and outcome data on CalWORKs participants. In addition, data coordination between the college and county welfare department(s) is needed to identify CalWORKs recipients, monitor student progress and services received, and track students into employment.
To facilitate these joint efforts, it is recommended that districts/colleges establish memorandums of understanding between the districts/colleges and county welfare departments whereupon both parties clearly specify roles and responsibilities in coordinating appropriate services for CalWORKs recipients that are community college students.
Services to CalWORKs recipients at the college must be coordinated to facilitate student success. The college should identify and maintain one clear entry point at the college for CalWORKs participants. A case management or coordinated services approach should be in use to ensure CalWORKs students are provided with any and all appropriate services such as matriculation services for both credit and noncredit students, financial aid, counseling, tutoring, child care, career education or referred to special programs as needed.
Although coordination with the county welfare department is critical to the success of the CalWORKs program at the community college, the college will also need to coordinate with a number of agencies and community organizations that provide services for CalWORKs recipients. Colleges should also participate in relevant county planning task forces and work groups for the CalWORKs program.
Curriculum Development/Redesign
Under the requirements of CalWORKs, welfare recipients have an 18-24 cumulative month limit on public assistance as prescribed in Section 11454 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. In order to assist those individuals who utilize education as an allowable welfare to work activity, it is important to provide programs that are short-term intensive programs (less than a year) and would eventually lead to employment that is in demand in the labor market. This component allows for the development or redesign of instructional programs, both credit and noncredit, to meet this shorter-term employment focus. All programs must obtain county welfare approval. The curriculum should incorporate the following elements:
· The programs should prepare recipients to obtain a family-supporting livable wage.
· To the extent possible, these programs need to be designed on an “open-entry, open-exit” basis so that recipients can be referred to the program at various times throughout the year.
· Evidence that the program will prepare students for an occupation that is in demand in the local labor market or is in an emerging field that has documented employment potential, per agreement with county welfare departments.
· Evidence of collaboration with local partners, including the county welfare department, private industry councils, Workforce Investment Boards, employers, regional occupation programs (ROC/Ps), and adult education providers in the development and design of the curriculum.
· The curriculum should be designed to articulate with more advanced programs so those recipients can upgrade their skills and training once they have secured employment.
· Telecommunications should be used to expand the access and delivery of the instructional programs.
· In order to prepare students for the requirements of the current world of work, to the extent possible, the program should provide students with computer experience.
· Job preparation skills and career education should be incorporated into the curriculum.
· To make students skills more marketable, practical work experience or internships should be included in the program.
· To assist recipients completing the program to obtain employment these programs should be linked to job development/job placement activities.
· A process for tracking students who have completed the programs into employment should be established (as part of the college’s system for identifying and tracking CalWORKs recipients).
Funds set aside for curriculum development may be used for faculty-reassigned time or other incentives to encourage faculty to develop or redesign curriculum. Although the funding for curriculum development/redesign is for CalWORKs students, the curriculum developed with these funds should be appropriate to serve a diverse population of students for workforce preparation activities. For example, those recipients that need basic skills or English as a Second Language (ESL) will tend to be referred to programs that integrate basic skills and ESL with vocational training. Instructional programs that are going to be developed or redesigned to meet this shorter-term employment focus may be in either the credit or noncredit mode.
Job Development/Job Placement
The purposes of the job development/job placement component are to place CalWORKs students in work activities that enable students to meet their work participation requirements for the CalWORKs program; provide the students with practical experience that will make them more marketable when they complete their educational program; and provide additional income. This type of service includes:
· Creating job placements for students in the work-study program.
· Developing and placing CalWORKs recipients in other work activities such as internships work experience, community service, and paid and unpaid work activities, including employment.
· Providing career education and job seeking/job retention skills including vocational assessment to CalWORKs students either through special workshops or classes, or integrated into the education and job training programs.
· Working with the county welfare department, EDD, One-Stop-Career Centers and other community resources, to place CalWORKs students into employment once they have completed their educational program.
· Working with the county welfare department, EDD, and other agencies, tracking employment outcomes of former CalWORKs students including the type of employment, the number of hours per week they are employed, wages, and date of hire Colleges do not need to create their own employment follow-up system, but should be coordinating with the county welfare and employment development departments and other agencies to obtain employment information on former students.
Providing the component above will require:
· Interfacing with off-campus agencies including EDD, the county welfare office, One-Stop-Career Centers, and Workforce Investment Boards to lead to more job placements, better documentation of job placements, and more referrals of CalWORKs recipients to the college programs.
· Interfacing with on-campus offices including cooperative education/work experience, career centers, job placement services, vocational programs, financial aid, WorkAbility, DSPS, EOPs, CARE, and other services and instructional programs.
· Expanding the college’s current job development and job placement functions with additional staffing if needed.
· Being included in the college-wide responsibility for identifying CalWORKs recipients, monitoring their progress while they are students, providing appropriate services and instruction, and tracking them into employment
Work-study
The purposes of allocating funds for work-study are to provide work opportunities that enable CalWORKs students to meet CalWORKs work requirements while pursuing their educational program; to provide students with work experience that will make them more marketable when they finish their educational program; and to provide students with an additional source of income within the requirements of the CalWORKs program. Funds utilized for work study shall be solely for payments to employers that participate in campus-based work-study programs or are providing work experience that are directly related to and in furtherance of student educational programs provided minimum participations requirements are sufficiently met through education, employment and work study. Payments may not exceed 75% of the wage for the work-study positions, with the employer paying at least 25% of the wage.
Earned income from any college work study program is exempt. This exemption is applied to both eligibility for and the determination of the (TANF cash) grant amount. (California Department of Social Services Regulations, Div 43 and 44, Chapter 44-100, Section 44-111, College Work Study Programs).
Work-study cannot be provided as a post-employment service to former CalWORKs recipients. By their very definition, such students are now employed and thus no longer require work-study.
Instruction
A portion of the allocation of CalWORKs funding can be used for instruction if:
1. The district has un-funded FTES workload after General Apportionment and Basic Skills Supplemental funding, and the district needs additional funding to meet the increased demand for serving additional numbers of CalWORKs students.
2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds can be used for noncredit instruction developed for and targeted to CalWORKs recipients, including to offset the direct excess cost of providing noncredit instruction to CalWORKs recipients when the cost of providing a specific course offering exceeds the average cost of noncredit instruction.
Historically, few to no districts have identified both un-funded workload and an increase in welfare recipient students in previous years.
Child Care
Child care is a critical component to ensuring the success of CalWORKs students while they are enrolled in the community college and participating in work/training activities. CalWORKs students must have child care that meets their individual needs, and often this means providing services to children of various ages and providing child care during weekends and evenings. The primary intent of campus CalWORKs-related child care is to support on-campus child care for students. Subsidized child care shall be provided to children of CalWORKs students through campus-based centers or parental choice vouchers. Development and operation of a voucher type program for off-campus care is seen as a secondary purpose.