Extended Opportunity Programs and Services. Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education Handbook

Transcription

1 Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education Handbook EOPS/CARE Programs 1499 N State St San Jacinto CA (951)

2 2 What is CARE? CARE stands for the Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education, it is an extension program of EOPS, which was established to help assist single parents receiving CalWORKs/TANF assistance. In order to be eligible for CARE, students must have at least one child under the age of 14, receive CalWORKs/TANF for their selves or their children, be designated as the single head-of-household and qualify for EOPS. How can CARE help me? The CARE program provides support services that will help you to enroll in college and maintain satisfactory academic performance throughout your EOPS/CARE eligibility by offering services that enrich your needs; CARE can help to lessen the burden of educationally related expenses. Services available through CARE are: Supplemental grants for childcare Transportation assistance such as gas cards and automotive repair/essential maintenance reimbursements. Assistance for Required textbooks and supplies: nursing uniforms, material and supplies for the allied health programs, Workshops for personal development Advisement Referrals to college resources and community-based agencies and more. These services are intended to be over and above those you receive from EOPS or other college and community-based agencies. How do I qualify? To qualify for CARE you must meet all of the following: Be 18 years or older Be a single head-of-household parent Must have an active CalWORKs cash aid case number for the household Have at least one child less than 18 years of age Enroll in at least 12 units Have a need for CARE services Have applied and been approved for EOPS Student Responsibilities To continue receiving assistance through the CARE program you must complete the following EACH SEMESTER: 1. Comply with your EOPS/CARE Mutual Responsibility Contract.

3 The CARE program is a supplemental program of EOPS. If you are no longer eligible for EOPS then you are no longer eligible for CARE services. Therefore, you must adhere to your Mutual Responsibility Contract (MRC). When you sign your MRC you agree to adhere to the requirements of both programs, and to utilize whatever resources available that can help you achieve your goals. Remember we are in a partnership! Partners work together to reach a common goal. The CARE Coordinator will monitor your academic progress throughout the year to work with you in determining your educational and personal needs. As a participant of the CARE program, it is most important that you submit a progress report and inform the CARE specialist when you drop a class. If the terms of the contract are not met, you will be placed on probation and may only receive limited CARE services. Once you have successfully completed the subsequent semester you will be taken off of probation. 2. Complete and submit necessary documentation All paperwork must be complete before services are rendered. Your CalWORKs/TANF worker must complete an Agency Verification form, each semester in order to be processed for services. If you need money to pay for childcare, both you and your provider must complete a Childcare Verification form each semester. 3. Contact Meeting Attend an intake session with the CARE Coordinator. In addition to your EOPS counseling contacts (CARE intake does not count as an EOPS contact), new and continuing students are required to meet with the CARE Coordinator as a part of the initial evaluation process to determine your eligibility for services each semester. 4. Have verified financial unmet need What can I expect from CARE? The following is a description of the services provided by the CARE program: Child Care Grants The CARE grant is a supplemental grant to help you pay for childcare during class, lab and/or study time; therefore, the CARE grant is not intended to cover the entire cost of your childcare needs. The amount of the grant may vary, as it is dependent upon (1) The amount of funding received from the State each year, (2) The number of CARE students needing assistance, (3) The number of children in your household and their ages, and (4) What you are requesting a grant for: class and/or study time. The State requires that you seek other means of childcare before you apply for a CARE grant. Students who are eligible for GAIN and have children 12 years of age and under and are not already receiving services should inquire about assistance to help pay for childcare while you attend classes and work. Other agencies that offer assistance with childcare are Riverside Office of Education (RCOE), Inland Regional Center for students with children with developmental handicap, and the MSJC Child Care Development Center. The 3

4 center assists families with children ranging from 18 months -5 years of age. Children are accepted based on the number of slots open and the student s income. How are CARE grants awarded? Once the amount of the award has been established, the grant is posted in your financial aid data base. The award will be processed and you will receive it as you have designated to receive your aid through the financial aid office. CARE grants are ordered based upon the completion of: (1) Financial unmet need (2) CARE intake and workshops (3) EOPS/CARE counseling contacts (4) Submission of a progress report Correlating these contacts with your CARE grant will help the EOPS/CARE staff to better assist you through early intervention and advisement. This will facilitate the successful completion of your college education at MSJC. If a contact is not completed by the scheduled disbursement date, that portion of your grant will not be ordered. Once the contact has been fulfilled, a grant will be awarded at the next award cycle. It is your responsibility to pay your provider. You may also be terminated from the program, if you do not pay your provider as agreed when you sign the verification form. CARE reserves the right to hold and cancel checks for non-compliance, such as unsatisfactory progress, failure to turn in progress report, dropping classes below units without contacting the EOPS counselor first, or for not paying your childcare provider. Is the CARE grant considered Income? NO, the CARE grant is not considered income. The CARE grant is State funding awarded to undergraduate students for educational purposes to help pay childcare expenses. Grants are adjusted in your financial aid budget to prevent over awarding. The Department of Public Social Services cannot consider this money as income. How can I receive a CARE grant? To receive a grant, have your childcare provider complete a childcare verification form indicating the hours and rate of pay for services provided. Do not include hours that are paid by another agency. You may use a non-licensed provider such as a family member or friend; just remember that you will want someone that you can trust caring for your child. Childcare Verification form must be completed and submitted each semester. Automotive Repair/Essential Maintenance Reimbursement Authorization Auto repair/maintenance can be very costly especially when you own an older vehicle. There comes a time when a little can mean so much. If funds are available, CARE will supplement the cost of auto repairs up to $200 each semester. An Automotive Repair/Essential Maintenance Reimbursement Authorization is to be used for minor repairs such as tune-ups, brakes, batteries, smog certificates and tires for securing your car into running condition. 4

5 Before you have repairs completed on your vehicle you must complete the following: a. Fill out the Automotive Repair/Essential Maintenance Reimbursement Authorization form b. Attach to the form a Current California Driver s License and the Vehicle receiving repairs/maintenance current registration. c. **If you use someone else s vehicle to get to and from school you will need to provide a letter from this individual directed to the CARE Coordinator that states that they are allowing you to drive their vehicle. They must indicate the license plate, make and model of the vehicle in this letter. d. Once your Authorization is approved you will be notified via then you are able to have your repairs/maintenance completed. e. Upon completion of repairs/maintenance you must submit the original receipt which must show the total cost along with the method of payment and that it has been paid in full. f. All repairs/maintenance must be received by the specified due date on the authorization form. Please allow between 3-5 business weeks to process your reimbursement once we have received your original receipts and all appropriate documentation. Gas Cards Pre-paid gas cards are available for students. The student must have unmet financial need available to receive a gas card. After eligibility for CARE has been established, students will need to attend education related workshops and after each workshop a CARE Workshop Verification Form with the workshop presenter s signature must be submitted to the CARE Coordinator. Student can turn in one form per month (if gas cards are available). For questions regarding Gas Cards see your CARE Coordinator. Book Grants If the cost of your books is not being paid for through the gain program. You may be eligible for the book grant. You must use your entire EOPS book grant prior to using the CARE book grant. If you are in need of the CARE book grant please fill out the CARE Textbook request/reimbursement form. You will need to provide a quote from the bookstore (you can print the quote off the bookstore website) attach the bookstore quote and a copy of your current schedule. You will need to submit this document to the EOPS office. Once received the CARE Coordinator will review and approve/deny your request depending on your eligibility. Once a decision has been made you will be notified via regarding your status. Please allow up to seven (7) working days from the date of submission for you request to be reviewed. Meal Cards Meal cards will be provided to students if funding is available. All meal cards are campus specific and may only be used in the MSJC Cafeteria. Cap/Gown Once you have completed your educational goal and are ready to graduate, CARE will purchase your cap/gown. Notify CARE when you have petitioned to graduate, and you may pick-up your cap/gown from the bookstore in May. 5

6 Referrals The CARE program is here to support you. If you are having problems and need to talk, our staff is available to help you. If we cannot, we will refer you to resources that can. 6 Please visit our website at for more information about our program and also to locate necessary forms. Contact information: Leslie Salas for at lsalas@msjc.edu