By Christina Goodman
Delta has so many programs that’s available for students and so many students don’t know about the CARE program.
It’s a branch with the EOPS program that helps students that have certain credentials and qualify for additional help.
To qualify, a student must also be a part of EOPS, a single parent, 18 and older, have a child or children that’s a part of AFDC/TANF/CalWORKS cash aid, be a custodial parent of one or more children just to name a few and you have to meet all of them to be apart of CARE.
Being a parent means you have to balance a lot such as tending to children, balancing schedules, getting them ready for school, helping them with homework and cooking.
Being a single parent adds so much more and leaves you wondering how you are going to be able to handle everything while you’re trying to maintain turning in homework, going to class and trying to pass your classes as well.
CARE provides extra help that’s needed to soften the blows while you’re doing everything by yourself. The services provided include free parking or bus passes, campus and community resources, academic and personal counseling, financial grants, and limited emergency car repair money, according to the CARE page of the Delta College website.
Laura Schmit-Taylor is a student at Delta and is in the CARE program.
“Without CARE my bills would be $250 a month. My disability [payment] is only $1,000 so you can imagine the benefits it provides. And that’s just for two adults in a one bedroom house,” said Schmit-Taylor.
Taylor said she liked the additional help from Delta.
Some of the services that are offered by CARE are financial grants, bus passes, campus and community resource referrals and emergency car repairs which have limited availability.
Serena Bonzo is a student program specialist for EOPS, CARE, and NextUp. In her role, she onboards students into those programs, as well as working to coordinate workshops and events.
Bonzo spoke about how long the CARE program has been at Delta and how it started.
“The Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE) was established by the State of California in 1982. CARE is a supplemental component of EOPS that specifically offers supportive services to assist single-parent EOPS students in acquiring the education, training and marketable skills needed to transition from welfare-dependency to employment and eventual self-sufficiency for their families,” she said in an email interview.
Bonzo also gave details from when she was a part of the EOPS/CARE program.
“When I first came to Delta College, my goal was to obtain an associate degree in accounting. As a former EOPS and CARE participant, my career goal changed. I wanted to become a specialist in the programs to give back to my new community in Stockton and give back to the students in both programs,” she said. “The CARE program did just as it was designed for; I went from welfare-dependency (county services) to self-sufficiency. I became a permanent SJDC employee in 2017, I achieved my goal of stability for my 4 children by purchasing a home, and I have maintained supporting my children as a single mother. I achieved personal and education goals and built a life in Stockton.”
Bonzo said she hopes students will also see that type of success.
“I wish for all program participants to do the same,” Bonzo said.
The CARE program is located on the second floor of the DeRicco building in the counselor’s office.