Career Counseling

The agency provides education services for youth age 14 and older and adults in South Central Los Angeles. Services include alternative education, career counseling for child care providers, child care instruction, a mentoring program, parenting skills development, parent support groups, teen pregnancy prevention, and teen parent education. Services are generally restricted to residents of South Central Los Angeles; however, referrals from surrounding schools within the LAUSD are accepted.

Family support services are available for the extended families of students enrolled at the alternative school. Support programs include parenting workshops, resource and referral, and a Men's Group for fathers. The agency also provides child care for the students of the alternative school at an on-site infant/toddler center for children from birth to age 5.

Adult/child mentoring programs for students are conducted in cooperation with volunteers from two local groups: Delta Sigma Theta and Kappa Alpha Psi.

The First Five Child Care Support and Training Project and the agency's WIOA Child Care Careers Training Program provide career counseling and child care instruction for low-income people. The programs provide assessment of skills and aptitudes; support college-based instruction at local community colleges; provide work experience in the child care field; offer workshops and seminars on child care-related topics; and provides job search/ placement services for graduates of the programs. The Child Care Support and Training Project offers its services to current center-based child care providers and to unlicensed family day care providers. The WIOA Child Care Careers Training program includes training in job search skills such as resume preparation and interview techniques. It also provides CPR instruction for trainees. Drop-in child care is provided for job-search participants. Services are provided at the Community Centers, Inc. One Stop Center; see the separate entry for details.

The Community Coalition for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention is a collaborative effort to delay adolescent sexual behavior; prevent teenage pregnancy; and promote positive, responsible parenting. The group provides personal development with an emphasis on personal responsibility, problem solving, decision making, and coping. Weekly rap sessions are available for men and women. A sex education component teaches about reproductive physiology, contraception, pregnancy, and effective parenting strategies. Adult role models provide mentoring to expose students to alternate activities and lifestyles.