Child Development Center Initiatives

 The First 5 Ventura County CARES Project

 The Ventura County First 5 Commission provides $250,000 in annual funding countywide for a Retention Incentive Program for early child care educators and professionals which is distributed in the form of training stipends for those who complete college level courses. This year Seventy five percent of the stipends will be awarded to Oxnard College child development students!

This is an awesome incentive for local childcare workers who may have little or no formal education. The CARES Project, (Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards) encourages early childhood education professionals to obtain higher levels of education by taking college units that apply towards the Child Development Permit, and/or a Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education. As a result of mutual cooperation between the VCOE, the VC First 5 Commission and Oxnard College a CARES Counselor is now working to support and guide child development students on-site at OC. This service is free to qualifying students.  

The Child Development Center “Internship Program”- Funded by a Career and Technical Education grant.

The grant provides funding for the CDC to hire qualifying child development students to complete a semester long internship project focused on enhancing to programs and services offered at the CDC. 

The Child Development Center Volunteer Program

Each semester a variety of volunteers offer their services to the Child Development Center. Such organizations as ROP, Association For Retarded Citizens (ARC) have sent participants to learn job skills, to advance career goals, or to obtain on-the-job training. Other High School and College students as well as community members volunteer at the center. All volunteers must fill out a formal application, be fingerprinted and participate at least 3 hours weekly.