Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Santa Monica Case Study
Organization: Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, CA
Contact: Nick Mata, Director of Special Programs (Mata_Nicholas@smc.edu)
URL: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/CalWORKS
Program Name: CalWORKS
Funding: Department Budget
Curricula used: Love Notes
Curricula benefits: Addresses current issues and challenges in students’ lives that prevent them from successfully completing college program.
Target Audience: Community college students who are part of CalWORKS (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families – TANF), EOPS/CARE, and Guardian Scholars (foster youth)
Audience Demographics: Primarily female head of households, unemployed, needing additional education to enter the workforce, ages 17-29; and Foster Youth
Class size: Average 15-20 per class
Location of Instruction: In the a campus classroom or large conference room
Length of Instruction: Hour long workshop series held during the school day during a free period. Three sessions per series.
Also did a 6-hour retreat covering 9 lessons.
Instructor Training: Instructors attended a two-day Love Notes training
Utilization of teacher and student materials: Each instructor has a Love Notes binder. Workbook pages are not used.
Recruitment Process: Promoted the workshops and retreats via paper flyers, email invitations, and word of mouth during counseling appointments and visits to the CalWORKs office.
Outcomes:
- Engaged students outside of the classroom and the normal counseling/ advising scenario.
- Participants learned and discussed vital aspects of relationship and relationship building, which they indicated they rarely get to do.
Challenges:
- The one-hour workshop series was not enough time to cover everything in a lesson, but the day-long retreat may have been a little overwhelming for the participants.
- Getting more men to attend.
Tips:
- Offer food or snacks.
- Create a safe and confidential space for discussion.
- Vary the presenters, presentation styles and/or modalities.