The Sí Se Puede Collective is proud to introduce Jobs to Grow, a free educational program for up-incoming entrepreneurs looking to emerge in the childcare and food business industry. Jobs to Grow creates an innovative intergenerational training program that provides the Mayfair community members with the tools they need to become successful in their prospective careers.
Jobs to Grow offers two cohort training: ABCE Cohort & Eastside Grown
The ABCE Cohort teaches participants how to run a childcare center like a pro. With topics including health and safety, nutrition, first aid & CPR, licensing, and more, participants gain the skills needed to raise, help and empower young minds.
The Eastside Grown Cohort cultivates small businesses and community gardens, creating opportunities for individuals and families to connect with, learn about and interact with each other. From Mobile Food Facilities that carry local food to our tax prep classes, we give folks the skills and knowledge they need to become their own bosses and make a difference in their own lives and the lives of those around them.
Jobs to Grow participants will also get to pair up with Community Navigators, as the role of mentorship. Each community navigator will have a small group of participants to discuss goal-setting, progress, and a general check-in once a month. In doing so, community navigators get to know their participants and offer additional resources if needed. Currently, the four Community Navigators are Veronica Eldredge (The School of Arts and Culture at MHP), Maria Martinez (Somos Mayfair), Brenda Arenas (Grail Family Services), Soitza Gabriela Del Real (Veggielution), and Jenny Parra (Amigos de Guadalupe)
Here's what our participants and rolemodels had to say about Jobs to Grow:
Soitza Gabriela Del Real, Community Navigator for Eastside Grown, representing Veggielution:
“Hi, my name is Soitza Gabriela Del Real. I am currently participating as a community navigator at Veggielution. This program means making a connection with the current participants in the program of Eastside Grown. That includes being there for them, step by step, and directing them to their trajectory in this workshop. I was invited to Veggielution and came across the program, Eastside Grown. As a participant, I really enjoyed it. I had the opportunity to learn so much.”
Maria Ide Contreras, an active participant for Eastside Grown:
“My name is Maria Ide Contreras, and I am a student of the program Eastside Grown with Veggielution. I came to this program on behalf of my sister. She told me about this program, and it caught my attention. She also invited me to go with her to pick some vegetables. There's a lot of information in the classes, and I'm hoping to have my own business. God willing, we're heading forward. With the information I've collected, I'm thrilled with it because there are many bases they give us. One day I would like to invite someone like myself because I've absorbed so much information.”
Rosie Lopez, Manager with Grail Family Services through the ABCE cohort:
"Hello, I am Rosie Lopez, the Early Care and Education Manager at Grail Family Services. I am proud to lead and implement the Jobs to Grow program. To me, the Jobs to Grow is a program where participants can expand their knowledge, skill sets, and economic well-being while also building their leadership skills and sense of belonging. Jobs to Grow supports unlicensed childcare providers seeking to further their knowledge on child development and business skills as well as food entrepreneurs seeking to build their own business."
Nayeli Perez shares her perspective about what it's like to be a participant in the ABCE program for Jobs to Grow:
“Hi, my name is Nayeli. I am a participant in the program ABCE and "Jobs to Grow." This program is about training us to establish a childcare facility business, and in this program, they teach us about finances, how to manage childcare, nutrition for children, and more. My Community Navigator, Brenda Arenas, introduced me to this program. Another thing, the ABCE program is free, just in case you ask yourself, "will they charge me?", no, it's free. Also, I recommend it because within the three years that I've been with this agency, it's the first time they have made a program this big, with a big audience, and to be honest, I've grown a lot, I didn't think twice. We do this program at home, via the internet; on occasions, we do in-person classes, but there aren't many, and most of them are via Zoom. I hope to learn good strategies to care for the children, and how to manage my business. If you don't understand something about computers or something online that you can't manage, they will teach you here. So I'd advise everyone to try it out, don't get discouraged, si se puede, and with or without children, you can manage to get ahead with this program. You can set up your childcare establishment in the future, not sure if people would like to make a big daycare or much smaller, but I highly recommend the ABCE program.”
