commitment2career grant proposal

Commitment2Career Program

EMQ FamiliesFirst

December 10, 2015

Ms. Yali Lincroft

Program Officer

The Walter S. Johnson Foundation

505 Montgomery Street

San Francisco, CA 94111

RE: Commitment2Career Program

Dear Ms. Yali Lincroft,

Sacramento EMQ FamiliesFirst is thrilled to present this proposal for your review. We look forward to

partnering with you to provide a job readiness program to current Sacramento EMQ FamiliesFirst foster

youth participants between the ages of 17 and 21. Aged-out foster youth have an extremely high rate of

poverty, homelessness, mental health issues, and high school dropout rates. The objective of the

Commitment2Career Program is to help prepare our participants to be effective job candidates and

jobholders. They will participate in hands on activities that will bring awareness to their skills and interests,

available training and schooling, resume/cover letter creation, interview preparation, and money

management.

Over the last year we have distributed our Needs Assessment Questionnaire to the current foster youth

participants at Sacramento EMQ FamiliesFirst. The results of this Needs Assessment Questionnaire have

informed us that our participants greatly need help preparing for entry into the workforce and desire

supportive mentors and educated staff to guide them through the process. The Commitment2Career Program

provides one-on-one peer mentoring and tutoring, one-on-one career counseling, and interactive job

readiness workshops.

EMQ FamiliesFirst has an excellent reputation of providing comprehensive, thoughtful programs to

struggling youth and families. We are now seeking to run a job readiness program that addresses the unmet

career development needs of our foster youth participants. Our proposal requests $156,015 in funding to

obtain the software and hardware necessary to successfully run our job readiness program for one year from

July 2016 to June 2017. More specifically part of the funding will go towards paying 2 part-time Peer

Mentors and 2 full-time Career Counselors, as well as purchasing equipment needed to use for the interactive

workshops.

We appreciate The Walter S. Johnson Foundation expressing a desire to positively impact foster youth

through our Commitment2Career Program. Please contact us at 916-388-6400 if we can provide you with

any other materials or if you have any questions regarding our proposal.

Thank you for your consideration,

Molly Scher, Denise Perez-Flores, Karen Jarquin, Sara House, and Rachel Radekin

Sacramento EMQ FamilesFirst Board of Directors

9343 Tech Center Drive, Sacramento, CA 95826

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SIMMARY

EMQ FamiliesFirst is a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing services to foster children

and families. We are one of the largest mental health services in California that provides

comprehensive, community-based services and supports to children and teens with serious

emotional and/or behavioral disturbances. Foster youth in the United States face many obstacles

in their transition into adulthood and age out of the foster care system. One of those challenges is

continuing their education or career and obtaining a job. There is a need to address the

discrepancies among the foster youth population and the national sample’s achievement in

education and job readiness.

We will be providing 25 foster youth between the ages of 17-21 in the greater Sacramento area

with 4 career related workshops, including career exploration, education and training, job

readiness, and money management. Participants will also have access to drop-in peer mentoring

and tutoring and one-on-one career counseling to help guide them through their career

development process. Sleep Train, Inc. has been a major contributor to EMQ FamiliesFirst in the

past and has offered to donate money to the Commitment2Career Program to provide each youth

with a Target gift card for attending each workshop and completing a post program follow up

evaluation. We are asking for grant funding to run our program for one year.

We are committed to running a quality program and have therefore designed ongoing evaluations

to take place before, during, and after the program. We are expecting to see at least a 25%

growth in knowledge during the program and a 50% growth in knowledge overall, upon the

completion of the Commitment2Career Program. After completing the program, 75% of

participants will report academic and/ or job achievements within one year of the program.

The overall cost to fund the Commitment2Career Program will be $193,529. An amount of

$35,014 has already been committed and secured from EMQ FamiliesFirst and an amount of

$2,500 has also been committed and secured from Sleep Train, Inc. This proposal requests $156,

015 to help fund all other expenses not covered by the match funds.

APPLICANT BACKGROUND INFORMATION

“EMQ FamiliesFirst offers an unparalleled level of caring and experience to those who need it

most. We achieve economies of scale and so can offer a wider array of cost-effective programs

for children and families around the state.”

-Walter Grubbs, Board of Governors

Our mission is to do whatever it takes to help children, strengthen families, build community,

and advocate for systems change to ensure that families strive. We believe the most effective

form of care comes from using the community’s strengths in order to define and individualize

our services. EMQ FamiliesFirst is a statewide nonprofit that helps children and families. The

agency is one of the largest and most comprehensive mental health treatment programs in

California. EMQ FamiliesFirst takes a state-of-the-art approach to children and adolescents with

complex behavioral health challenges and helps them recover from trauma such as abuse, severe

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neglect, addiction, and poverty. Our results for youth are on average 10 percentage points higher

than state or national averages on metrics such as living at home, staying in school, and

remaining out of trouble. With our proposal of the Commitment2Career Program, we are

determined to take our services to the next step and prepare foster youth before they age out of

care by implementing a program that includes career counseling services, peer mentoring, and

interactive workshops on career development and job readiness skills.

Since 1867, EMQ FamiliesFirst has grown from a single building in San Jose providing a shelter

for local homeless youth to a statewide agency offering a range of community-based programs to

children in crisis and their families. The name EMQ (Eastfield Ming Quong) represents the

merging of two children and family services agencies; Eastfield Home of Benevolence and Ming

Quong Presbyterian Mission Home. Today, EMQ FamiliesFirst uses family-centered treatment

programs and is proud to provide services to over 18,000 children and their families annually

throughout 30 counties in California. Our organization works in the Sacramento County region

where many programs such as Wraparound services, F.I.T (Flexible Integrated Treatment), and

Therapeutic Behavioral Services are implemented.

EMQ FamiliesFirst has 23 Board of Directors board members who are professionals in the fields

of business, mental health, and community services. Each year, 1,400 physicians, nurses,

psychologists, social workers, counselors, therapists, management, and support personnel

provide direct services to children and their family.

We have an active donor community and some of them include: El Camino Hospital, Hurlbut-

Johnson Charitable Trust, John W. Carson Foundation, Sleep Train, Inc., and Union Pacific

Railroad. Two of our biggest funders are Robert D. Berg and EMQ Guild-Happy Dragon Thrift

Shop who have donated more than $100,000 to our agency. Based on the reviews made by our

community, we were once again awarded Top-Rated Nonprofit in 2015 (www.emqff.org, 2015)

An EMQ FamiliesFirst volunteer wrote: “I have been supporting EMQFF for a number of years

and they continue to impress me with their focus on family and healing. Their help and support

for the children they touch is unmatched and their contribution to the community is invaluable.”

In continuing our effort to deliver quality care to help foster youth, we will focus on preparing

them for adulthood with the Commitment2Career Program.

PROBLEM ANALYSIS

Situation: There are many challenges that our foster youth face once exiting out of the system at

age 18 or 21. Foster youth are at risk for lower graduation rates, lower attendance in college,

lower wages, economic hardships, a higher association with the criminal justice system, and 40%

who age out experience homelessness (Courtney & Dworsky 2006; Stott, 2011). In 2011, over

26,000 youth have aged out of the foster care system in the United States (U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services, 2012). With the large number of foster youth who exit the system,

experts in the workforce are concerned with the lack of skills that youth have in order to succeed

in this economy (Barnow, Buck, O’Brien, Pecora, Ellis, & Steiner, 2013). One of the main goals

http://www.emqff.org/

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for foster youth who age out of care is to find and sustain employment (Stewart, Kum, Barth, &

Duncan, 2014). In a longitudinal study, findings suggest low rates of employment and earnings

persisted up to the age of 30, well after aging out of the foster care system (Stewart et al., 2014).

Former foster youth are continually facing challenges even after exiting the system because they

may not have the necessary skills in job readiness or the ability to sustain a job. Half of the foster

youth who age out are without a high school diploma, employment, financial stability, housing

security and the majority of their income is below the poverty threshold (Stott, 2011).

Unfortunately, current and former foster youth are not prepared to tackle the difficulties they

face in their lives, as well as, the obstacles of obtaining a job or continuing their education.

The Midwest Study, conducted by Courtney, Dworsky, Lee, & Raap (2010), found that the

median income for former foster youth ages 23 to 24 was $8,000, compared with a national

sample median of $18,300. Results also indicated that only 40% of former foster youth were

employed at age 19 compared to 58% of a nationally representative sample of 19 year olds. The

discrepancy between the income and employment rates of foster youth compared to the national

sample can be due to the inadequacy of job skills and preparedness once exiting foster care.

Significance: Research conducted by Barnow et al. (2013), found that job preparedness and

income support services were associated with achieving any positive education or employment

outcome. The absence of education and support for foster youth in and out of the system is

hindering our society because long term problems can ensue. Decreased attendance in school and

job attainment can lead to the escalation of serious problems such as homelessness,

incarceration, and substance abuse (Stott, 2011). Due to the escalation, foster youth are not able

to succeed in their environment and have a valued voice in their community. We are losing the

motivated leaders of our future because their treasured voices are not being heard or discovered.

In the Sacramento County, among other counties, many foster youth are exiting out of care at

high rates. Once our youth exit care, they may no longer be motivated or feel worthy enough to

make a difference in our society. They may not feel validated from our community because the

people they most care about, such as their biological family, do not even validate them. Our

mission is to help former and current foster youth see their worth to our community by

strengthening their skills of resiliency in order for them to attain job readiness skills and

employment.

There is ample amount of research that suggests the relation between higher education and level

of job stability (Baum, Ma, & Payea, 2010). In the U.S. society, education is becoming

increasingly more important in order to attain a job. Baum et al. (2010) explains that there are

many benefits and opportunities in continuing higher education; such as higher levels of work

force participation, employment, and earnings. There are also psychological benefits such as the

higher likelihood of engaging in volunteer work, to vote, and being healthy. The importance of

job stability and higher education are increasing; however, foster youth are not prepared for this

achievement (Salazar, 2013). Foster youth are at a disadvantage in our society because they do

not have the necessary skills to continue their education and graduate.

Cause: The reason many foster youth are not pursing higher education and lack work skills may

be due to the inconsistency in housing, schooling, and the absence of life skills (Courtney,

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Dworsky, & Raap, 2009). Sadly, these children also have a history of family dysfunction, abuse,

neglect, and maltreatment which could lead to depression, anxiety, and low future expectations

(Stein, Zima, Elliott, Burnam, Shahinfar, Fox, & Leavitt, 2001; Williams, 2011).

Former foster youth may not feel capable of pursuing their education or sustaining a job due to

the lack of resources and simple awareness of what is available to them. Many foster youth

report that they do not have a mentor to help and guide them through the transition into

adulthood, which can contribute to the many problems they face. In our Needs Assessment (see

below), 80% of youth answered “Agree” to needing a mentor who has felt the same way as they

do. Literature suggests that youth who have at least one positive mentoring relationship do better

in their journey into adulthood (Ahrens, DuBois, Richardson, Fan, & Lozano, 2008). Similarly,

Dubois and Silverthorn (2005) conducted a longitudinal study of a representative sample of

young adults and discovered that those who have had a mentoring relationship during

adolescence had significantly better outcomes in: self-esteem, life gratification, education, and

employment. With the Commitment2Career Program, our goal will be to provide foster youth

with a mentor who will help them find their voice in their community and prepare them before

aging out of care to tackle the obstacles in the workforce by developing their work related skills.

Needs Assessment

Please respond to the following assessment by circling the number that corresponds with the answer choice that is

most related to your needs. Use the following scale:

1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly Agree

I NEED:

01. help saving/budgeting my money 1 2 3 4

02. help finding housing 1 2 3 4

03. help navigating how college works 1 2 3 4

04. more information on certificate programs 1 2 3 4

05. academic support 1 2 3 4

06. information on financial aid for college 1 2 3 4

07. information on how to access alternatives to college 1 2 3 4

08. help finding a job now 1 2 3 4

09. assistance exploring my career options for after school 1 2 3 4

10. job preparation assistance: resume/interviewing/professionalism 1 2 3 4

11. a place where I feel comfortable 1 2 3 4

12. a mentor who has felt the same way that I do 1 2 3 4

13. peer support groups 1 2 3 4

14. a consistent person to talk to about what I am going through 1 2 3 4

15. to feel like I belong somewhere 1 2 3 4

16. additional information on _____________________________ 1 2 3 4

OUTCOME OBJECTIVES

Overall Outcome

75% of the 25 participants in the Commitment2Career Program will have taken the steps to

academic and/or employment success within one year of completing the program by reporting

achievement of one or more of the following items:

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Successfully applied to one or more colleges, vocational schools, or universities.

Acceptance to one or more colleges, vocational schools, or universities.

Enrollment in a college, vocational school, or university.

Successfully applied to one or more jobs.

Employment offered from one or more jobs.

Beginning employment in one or more jobs.

This outcome will be assessed via a Follow-Up Questionnaire (please see attached documents for

form) to be sent to the program alumni one year from program completion. We will keep the

participants’ contact information and inform them that they will be sent the Follow-Up

Questionnaire with incentive to complete in exchange for a $20 Target gift card.

We are confident that we will reach our successful outcome rate of 75% because of the size of

the group we will be working with. The group size of only 25 youth will allow for more

significant one-on-one attention, guidance, and collaboration from Career Counselors and Peer

Mentors for the entire year in the program. This will greatly influence the quality of learning in

this program, resulting in a success rate of 75%.

Individual Workshop Outcomes

Career Exploration Workshop: After completing this workshop the participant will demonstrate

increased knowledge in the following:

1. Understand the career planning process and identify their current position in that process

2. Begin to identify personal background information helpful for their career planning

process

3. Understand the connection between personality and work environments based on Dr.

John Holland’s theory

4. Identify their Holland code, occupational interest areas, and how to research occupational

information

Education and Training Workshop: After completing this workshop the participant will

demonstrate increased knowledge in the following:

1. Know the difference between estimated costs of colleges, universities, and

career/vocational/technical programs/schools

2. Have knowledge of alternative options to traditional education such as California

Conservation Corps, Job Corps, AmeriCorps, U.S. Armed Forces, Volunteering, and

Internships

3. Be able to identify the education or training needed to enter at least 2 of their occupations

of interest

Job Readiness Workshop: After completing this workshop the participant will demonstrate


1. Understand how to write a resume that has both appropriate content and formatting for

the positions that are applying to

2. Identify the transferable skills that they have from classes, jobs, and volunteer work that

they can use in future positions

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3. Understand how to write a cover letter that has both appropriate content and formatting

for the positions they are applying to

Money Management Workshop: After completing this workshop the participant will demonstrate


1. Understand how to manage their money

2. Be able to create a personalized budget

3. Understand the concept of credit and how to stay out of debt

4. Understand how to live within their means of income

5. Have a basic idea of how to budget according to a perspective future occupation income

amount

Halfway Outcome

The outcome to be seen halfway through the program is as follows: 75% of participants will have

successfully completed the first two workshops provided by the time the halfway outcome is

evaluated in January.

We are confident that 75% of the participants will have completed the first two workshops

provided by the time of halfway evaluation because of the ample time they have to complete and

multiple offerings of each workshop providing flexible opportunities for participants to attend

and complete.

METHODS

EMQ FamiliesFirst has decided to implement the Commitment2Career Program into our existing

organizations framework for at least 1-year with the possibility of further continuation. We chose

to create this program because we noticed that many of the foster youth in our program do not

continue with school once they are 18 years old, limiting the career options available to them.

The Needs Assessment, which we distributed to our EMQ FamiliesFirst participants over the last

year, showed us that our participants are lacking job readiness skills and greatly desire mentors

to help them navigate through their career development process. All approaches are based on

promising practice, providing holistic, wrap around services, and evidence-based practice,

showing that foster youth are directly asking for these types of career services (Dworsky &

Perez, 2010).

The development of our program will include three major components: 1) establish the team; 2)

train team members on program content; and 3) provide career development support services,

tutoring, and mentoring to foster youth. Needs that are not addressed by our career program, like

mental health counseling, will be met by other programs at EMQ FamiliesFirst.

Target Population

The purpose of the program is to provide 25 foster youth, ages 17-21 living in the greater

Sacramento area, with the resources they can use to determine and then achieve their career

goals. We hope that with the support of our program that these foster youth will be employed,

above the poverty line, and in careers that they are passionate about. The youngest participants in

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our program will be seniors in high school. When foster youth turn 18 years old they are

considered adults and can decide if they want to remain in the foster system or not. We will

accept both current foster youth and former foster youth into our program.

Foster youth enrolled in our job readiness program will already be EMQ FamiliesFirst clients

and will either be referred by another one of our program’s staff members or will be self-

referred.

Program Components

1. Establish the Team

A 4-member team of career development employees will guide program implementation. We

will be hiring all 4 of these employees in month 1 of our program. We will be hiring 2 full-time

Career Counselors with their master’s degrees in counseling from a CACREP accredited

university, which are universities that have very high professional counseling accreditation

standards. The counselors must also have at least 1 year of experience providing career

counseling services to underserved populations. We will also be hiring 2 part-time Peer Mentors

who will be aged-out former foster youth. We will be looking for Peer Mentors that are currently

enrolled in college, have completed 30 or more units, and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

The Regional Manager of the Sacramento County EMQ FamiliesFirst, Thomas Johnson, will

conduct a community search in month 1 of our program to find suitable applicants to hire for

these 4 paid positions.

2. Training the Team members on Program Content

In month 2, the 2 full-time career counseling staff members will be given a detailed training

booklet developed by Regional Manager, Thomas Johnson. This training booklet will have all 4

of the workshop lesson plans. The lesson plans will describe in full detail each of the 4

workshops’ objectives, materials, content/activities, and evaluations.

After the 2 Career Counselors finish their training they will provide a 1-week training for the 2

Peer Mentors in month 2. During this training the Peer Mentors will learn how to support the

foster youth during their tutoring and mentoring drop-in hours. The topics the Peer Mentors will

learn about during this training include how to find jobs and internships, how to review resumes

and cover letters, how to help with interview practice, and effective ways to provide tutoring and

mentoring to foster youth.

3. Provide Career Development Support Services, Tutoring, and Mentoring to Foster Youth

First the participating foster youth will go to a mandatory program orientation. There they will

meet the Career Counselors, Peer Mentors, and the other foster youth participants. They will also

learn about the different services that the Commitment2Career Program offers, including

workshops, drop-in tutoring and peer mentoring, and career counseling. The foster youth will

receive a $20 gift card to Target after completing each workshop. A long time community funder

of EMQ FamiliesFirst, Sleep Train, Inc., has already committed to providing the funds to

purchase these gift cards.

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There will be 4 different themed workshops offered throughout the year. These workshops

themes will include 1) career exploration; 2) education and training; 3) job readiness; and 4)

money management. A detailed description of each workshop is provided in the attached

curriculum summary. Also listed in the curriculum summary is a list of the different career

development websites that we will use to guide each of the 4 workshops.

Students will be required to attend the workshops in the order listed above. Each workshop will

be offered for two months. In the first month, workshops will be offered on Mondays and

Wednesdays. In the second month, workshops will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This

is to make sure that the participants each have a chance to attend the workshops. Only 5 students

will be allowed to sign up for each workshop day. Workshop #1 - Career Exploration will be

offered in October and November. Workshop #2 - Education and Training will be offered

December and January. Workshop #3 - Job Readiness will be offered February and March.

Workshop #4 - Money Management will be offered April and May. Each interactive workshop

will be three hours long.

In addition to the workshops, the Peer Mentors will hold drop-in tutoring and mentoring

Monday-Thursday and Saturday. The Career Counselors will be available on an appointment

basis, Monday-Friday, to meet with participants about career development related topics.

Staffing

The EMQ FamiliesFirst job readiness program will be staffed by 2 full-time Career Counselors

and 2 part-time Peer Mentors. Regional Manager, Thomas Johnson, will be responsible for hiring

all 4 of these employees and has played a crucial role in the development of both the outcome

and process evaluations.

Both full-time Career Counselors will be responsible for completing the workshop training

program, determining the 25 participants, facilitating the orientation, implementing the

workshops, providing career counseling services, overseeing the 2 Peer Mentors, and collecting

baseline, process, and outcome data. Both of the part-time Peer Mentors will be responsible for

providing the drop-in tutoring and mentoring services.

* Hiring qualifications for all 4 of these staff members are stated above in the “Establish the

Team” section of our program’s components.

Facilities, Equipment, and Supplies

The Sacramento County EMQ FamiliesFirst office is located in Sacramento, CA at 9343 Tech

Center Drive. Commitment2Career Program will be open Monday-Friday 8am-7pm and

Saturday 10am-2pm. EMQ FamiliesFirst will provide the office space and some equipment for

this program. Our Sacramento County office has a large room in their center equipped with 2

staff desks for the Career Counselors and 10 desktop computers with desks/chairs for

participants that will be available for our program to use. EMQ FamiliesFirst will also financially

support the costs associated with printing, internet/telephone servicing, office supplies, and

food/drinks for workshop sessions.

The Commitment2Career Program will need to purchase additional office equipment and

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technology for program staff and for participating youth. Those costs are detailed in the line-item

budget and budget narrative.

Participants currently receive free bus passes for the Sacramento area by being an EMQ

FamiliesFirst member and EMQ FamiliesFirst will continue to provide these for the full duration

of our program.

Timeline

Tasks Who is Responsible When

Hire team: 2 Career Counselors & 2 Peer Mentors Thomas Johnson Month 1

Train Career Counselors using predeveloped program booklet Thomas Johnson Month 2

Train Peer Mentors (one week training) Career Counselor #1 & #2 Month 2

Identify the 25EMQ FamiliesFirst staff- referred and self-referred

Foster Youth participants

Career Counselor #1 & #2 Month 2

Commitment2Career Program Orientation for Foster Youth Career Counselor #1 & #2 Month 3

Collect baseline data from Foster Youth using the Career Readiness &

Money Management Knowledge Questionnaire

Career Counselor #1 & #2 Month 3

Implement workshops, counseling, tutoring, & mentoring Career Counselor #1, #2 & Peer

Mentor #1, #2

Months 4-11

Provide Foster Youth with $20 Target gift cards after completing each

of the 4 workshops & post-program evaluation

Career Counselor #1 & #2 Months 4-11 &

1 year after

program

Collect process evaluation data from Foster Youth after each

workshop using individual workshop evaluation questionnaires

(Career Readiness & Money Management Knowledge Questionnaire

individual workshop evaluation sections)

Career Counselor #1 & #2 Months 5, 7, 9,

11

Collect final outcome evaluation & post-program evaluation data

from Foster Youth using the Needs Assessment and Follow-Up

Questionnaire

Career Counselor #1 & #2 Month 12 & 1

year after

program

Logic Model

Inputs Activities Outputs Outcomes

2 full-time staff

2 part-time staff

1 regional manager

25 17-21 year old foster

youth participants

1 training booklet

1 office with necessary

equipment and supplies

125 $20 Target gift cards

$156,015 grant

hire team

train team

hold

orientation

implement

workshops,

tutoring, and

career

counseling

evaluate

program

By month 6:

employees trained

orientation held

workshops, tutoring,

mentoring, and

counseling being offered

Evaluation Reports

baseline, month 3

after each workshop,

months 5, 7, 9, 11

final, month 12

1 year after program

completion

75% will complete the first 2

workshops by month 7

75% will complete all 4

workshops by month 11

75% will take steps towards

academic/employment success 1

year after program completion

Increased knowledge about career

path, training/schooling,

resume/cover letter creation,

interview preparation, and money

management

PROGRAM EVALUATION

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Evaluating the Commitment2Career Program is of the utmost importance. Assessing the

effectiveness of the program and making sure it is operating accordingly will be done regularly

throughout the year. We will be utilizing a two-part evaluation system: outcome evaluation,

which will look at the program’s effectiveness and impact and process evaluation, which will

look at the programs implementation and if it’s proceeding as planned.

The Career Counselors hired to run the Commitment2Career Program will be collecting all of the

program’s evaluation data and information. The first piece of data to be collected will be the

baseline data of our 25 participants, which will be collected by the Career Readiness & Money

Management Knowledge Questionnaire in Month 3. The data information being collected here

includes general knowledge about career exploration, education and training, job readiness, and

money management.

Our Career Counselors will also collect data by having the 25 participants complete post

questionnaires for each module they attend. Workshop #1 will be completed at the end of Month

5. The data and information collected will include the career planning process, identifying

personal background information, connections between personality and work environments, and

identifying interest areas. Workshop #2 will be completed at the end of Month 7. The data and

information collected will include understanding the costs of different programs and schools,

knowledge of alternative options, and identifying educational/training needs of personal

occupational interests. Workshop #3 will be completed at the end of Month 9. The data and

information collected will include information for a resume and cover letter, identifying

transferable skills, and other job readiness components. Workshop #4 will be completed at the

end of Month 11. The data and information collected will include managing money, personal

budgeting, and the concepts of credit and debt. We are anticipating that there will be at least a

25% growth in knowledge after each module when compared to the baseline data.

The Needs Assessment will be given again during Month 12, at the end of the program. We are

anticipating that the needs of our participants will decrease by 50% as a result of completing the

Commitment2Career Program. Lastly, we will be sending out a Follow-Up Questionnaire, one

full year after our participants have finished our program to find out where they are now. We are

anticipating positive result, as discussed in the outcomes section.

The Career Counselors will analyze all the data in a couple different ways. In order to try and

continue this program we will be utilizing a trend analysis approach at the completion of the

Commitment2Career Program, Month 12. This method typically looks at the historical data in

order to predict future success. We will also be using local data and comparing it to national

norms in order to see if our program is having the optimal impact and effectiveness that it should

on our population.

PLAN FOR PROGRAM CONTINUATION

If the program evaluation demonstrates that Commitment2Career is effective, EMQ

FamiliesFirst will establish a system to support it indefinitely. We are already working to

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develop support through three funders: Hurlbut-Johnson Charitable Trust, John W. Carson

Foundation, and Sleep Train, Inc.

BUDGET SUMMARY

SUMMARY: Revenues/Resources - Year 1 Notes

Walter S. Johnson Foundation 156,015 Requested

EMQ Families First (Match) 35,014 Funds secured on 4/1/2015

Donor- Sleep Train, Inc. (Match) 2,500 Funds secured on 4/1/2015

Total Year 1 193,529

SUMMARY: Expenses by Major Category - Year 1

Expenses Grant Request

Matching

Resources Total

Personnel 151,420 17,420 168,840

Equipment 4,595 4,595

Other Expense 2,500 2,500

Indirect Expense 17,594 17,594

Total Year 1 156,015 37,514 193,529

DIRECT EXPENSE

Personnel Expense Grant Request Match Total

(1) Career Counselors: 2 FTE at $50,000, 1 year (11 months) 100,000 100,000

(2) Peer Mentors: 2 PTE at $17,000, 1 year (11 months) 34,000 34,000

Fringe Benefits

(3) Calculated at 26% of salary (All 4 employees) 17,420 17,420 34,840

Subtotal Personnel Expense 151,420 17,420 168,840

Non-Personnel Expense

Equipment Expense

(4) Office equipment: 2 Office Desk Chairs ($375), 2 Office

Desks ($450), 1 Portable Projector ($350), 1 Portable

Projector Screen ($70), 1 Large Whiteboard ($150) 1,395 1,395

(5) Laptop computers and software at $800 x 4 staff 3,200 3,200

Subtotal Equipment Expense 4,595 4,595

Other Expense

(6) Youth incentives: $20 Target gift cards x 5 (4

workshops+1 post-program follow-up survey) x 25 youth 2,500 2,500

Subtotal Other Expense 2,500 2,500

TOTAL All Direct Expense 156,015 19,920 175,935

INDIRECT EXPENSE: calculated at 10% of qualifying

direct expense 17,594 17,594

TOTAL ALL EXPENSES 156,015 37,514 193,529

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION

Direct Expenses

Personnel Expense

12

(1) Career Counselors: 2 FTE at $50,000 each, 11 months in year 1 = $100,000. Supervised by

EMQ FamiliesFirst Foster Youth Coordinator (Licensed Clinical Social Worker). Will

facilitate workshops, supervise Peer Mentors, and provide career counseling services by

appointment to all participants. Will also conduct initial evaluation assessments, track

progress, and document necessary data for success projections. One month allowed for

recruitment and hiring. One month allowed for training.

(2) Peer Mentors: 2 PTE at $17,000 each, 11 months in year 1 = $34,000. Supervised by

Commitment2Career Program Career Counselors. Will assist with workshop facilitation as

needed and provide mentoring and academic support to all youth on a drop-in basis. Will

make referrals to Career Counselors when necessary. One month allowed for recruitment and

hiring. One month allowed for training.

(3) Fringe Benefits: $34,840. EMQ FamiliesFirst agency will cover 50% of all employees

benefit expense associated with the Commitment2Career Program and seek to have the

remaining 50% covered by the requested grant funds. Benefits are calculated at 26% of

salary and include FICA 7.65%; unemployment insurance 2.9%; workers’ compensation 1%;

health insurance 12%; life and disability insurance 1%; and dental benefit 1.45%.

Non-Personnel Expense

Equipment

(4) Office Equipment: $1,395. EMQ FamiliesFirst Sacramento agency will provide a 1,700

square foot office/meeting space equipped with 2 staff desks for the career counselors, 10

desktop computers with desks and chairs for youth to use for career preparation during

workshops and drop-in visits. EMQ FamiliesFirst Sacramento will also cover expenses

associated with printing, copying, faxing, and scanning equipment/services,

internet/telephone servicing and all necessary office supplies as well as provide youth

activity materials and supplemental food/drinks for workshop/activity sessions and

emergency food closet. The requested grant funds will cover office desk chairs (2 @ $187.50

= $375) for Peer Mentors, office desks (2 @ $225 = $450) for Peer Mentors, portable

projector (1 @ $350) for workshops, portable projector screen (1 @ $70) for workshops, and

large whiteboard (1 @ $150) for workshops.

(5) Laptop Computers and Software: $3,200 (4 @ $800). Laptops are required for the 2

Career Counselors and 2 Peer Mentors who will use them for documentation, case

management, career related research, and to assist youth with career preparation. Software

will be included in the overall cost of each laptop.

Other Expense

(6) Target Gift Cards: $2,500 (125 gift cards @ $20). Youth participants with attendance and

completion of each of the 4 proposed workshops over the course of the program will receive

1 gift card per workshop. Youth will also receive 1 $20 gift card for completing a post-

program follow-up survey. Funds secured on April 1, 2015 from Sleep Train, Inc., a

community donor.

Indirect Expense

13

$17,935. Indirect expense will include general liability insurance, building maintenance, clerical

services and book keeping, technology updates, and training manual materials. This expense to

be covered by EMQ FamiliesFirst.

$175,935 Total direct expense

x 10%

$17,594 Indirect expense

APPENDIX

Career Readiness & Money Management Knowledge Questionnaire

Please place an X or a check mark in corresponding boxes to indicate that you are either: Not Very

Knowledgeable, Somewhat Knowledgeable, Knowledgeable, or Highly Knowledgeable about each question

asked.

Career Exploration

How knowledgeable do you feel you

are about:

Not Very

Knowledgeable

(1)

Somewhat

Knowledgeable

(2)

Knowledgeable

(3)

Highly

Knowledgeable

(4)

The Career Planning Process?

California Career Zone career

development website and how it can

help you with career development?

Personality traits assessment as

interpreted by the John Holland Code

and how this can help you with career

development?

Interest profile assessment and how

this can help you with career

development?

The various types of job families and

how you can research them to identify

those you are most interested in?

How to identify wages, common

college majors, and preparation

required for occupations that you are

interested in?

Careers I am interested in?

How to enter a career I am interested

in?

What careers best match my interests?

What careers best match my

personality traits?

Education & Training


are about:

Not Very

Knowledgeable

(1)

Somewhat

Knowledgeable

(2)

Knowledgeable

(3)

Highly

Knowledgeable

(4)

What a 4 year public college or

university is and the estimated costs

associated with attendance?

What a 4 year private college or

university is and the estimated costs


What a community college is and the

estimated costs associated with

attendance?

What a career/vocational/technical

school is and the estimated costs


Alternatives to attending college and

or a career/vocational/technical

program such as California

Conservation Corps, AmeriCorps, Job

Corps, or U.S. Armed Forces?

The benefits of volunteering and how

to find opportunities?

The benefits of internships and how to

find opportunities?

The type of education and or training

I need for at least two of the

occupations I am interested in

pursuing?

How to obtain the education and or

training I need for at least two of the

occupations I am interested in

pursuing?

Alternatives to attending college and

or a training program and how to

attain these goals?

Job Readiness


are about:

Not Very

Knowledgeable

(1)

Somewhat

Knowledgeable

(2)

Knowledgeable

(3)

Highly

Knowledgeable

(4)

The components of job readiness?

What a resume is and how to write

one?

What information to include on a

resume?

The different ways to format a

resume?

The interview process?

How to prepare for an interview?

The different types of interviews?

What a cover letter is and how to

write one?

What an accomplishment statement is

and how to write one?

What transferrable skills are and how

to identify those that you possess?

Money Management


are about:

Not Very

Knowledgeable

(1)

Somewhat

Knowledgeable

(2)

Knowledgeable

(3)

Highly

Knowledgeable

(4)

What a budget is?

How to create a budget?

What financial credit is and its

purpose for using it?

How to effectively manage money?

The different ways to help stay out of

debt?

What it means to "live within your

means" and how you can accomplish

this?

What "cost of living" is and how to

budget based on this and your

projected income?

The various salary levels of at least

two of your occupational interests and

how education and or training and

experience contribute to the various

levels?

Living expenses associated with "cost

of living" and how to manage these

expenses based on your projected

income from at least two of your

occupational interests?


Workshop #1 Curriculum: “Career Exploration”

Objectives

After completing this workshop the participant will be able to: ● Understand the career planning process and identify their current position in that process

● Begin to identify personal background information helpful for their career planning process

● Understand the connection between personality and work environments based on Dr. John Holland’s

theory

● Identify their Holland code, occupational interest areas, and how to research occupational information

Materials/Equipment Needed

“Career Exploration Handout” (CEH) (for participants), Projector/Projector Screen/Laptop (for facilitator), Desktop

Computers (for participants).

Lesson Plan

1. Participants will record all obtained information on “Career Exploration Handout” provided (CEH).

2. Introduce “Career Planning Process” via http://icc.ucdavis.edu/research/career-planning.htm. Have participants

identify where they feel they are in the planning process and list the following background information on the

(CEH): completed education, community service/volunteer experiences, hobbies/interests, job/internship

experiences, other training completed.

3. Have participants register for a CA Career Zone account to save individual results. Save login information.

4. Use “Career Interest Game” via http://career.missouri.edu/career-interest-game (Career Center at University of

Missouri website) to explain how personality can fit in with specific work environments and careers based on Dr.

John Holland’s theory.

5. Have participants conduct the “Quick Assessment” on CA Career Zone via https://www.cacareerzone.org/quick.

Save results.

6. Have participants conduct “Interest Profiler” via https://www.cacareerzone.org/assessments. Save results.

7. Have participants use the “Quick Assessment” and “Interest Profiler” results to begin “Explore Job Families” activity

via https://www.cacareerzone.org/clusters

8. Have participants identify at least 4 occupations of interest and record the following information accessed via the

occupations information page (use the CEH):

a. About The Job (brief description)

b. Things They Need to Know (bolded words only)

c. Things They Need to Be Able to Do (bolded words only)

d. Preparation Required

e. Wages

f. Common College Majors

9. Use remaining workshop time for questions and for participants to make appointments to meet with Career

Counselors to further discuss their career interests and goals.

Evaluation

Participants will be given a post evaluation to assess for level of knowledge after completing all workshops.

http://icc.ucdavis.edu/research/career-planning.htm

http://career.missouri.edu/career-interest-game

https://www.cacareerzone.org/quick

https://www.cacareerzone.org/assessments

https://www.cacareerzone.org/clusters


Workshop #2 Curriculum: “Education & Training”

Objectives

After completing this workshop the participant will:: ● Know the difference between and estimated costs of colleges, universities, and career/vocational/technical

programs/schools

● Have knowledge of alternative options to traditional education such as California Conservation Corps, Job

Corps, AmeriCorps, U.S. Armed Forces, Volunteering, and Internships

● Be able to identify the education and or training needed to enter at least 2 of their occupations of interest


“Education & Training Handout” (ETH) (for participants), Projector/Projector Screen/Laptop (for facilitator), Desktop


Lesson Plan

1. Participants will record all obtained information on “Education & Training Handout” provided (ETH).

2. Present “Life After High School” PPT which covers the following areas:

a. Education & Training Options: Types and Estimated Costs (Community College, Career/Vocational/Technical

programs/schools, Public 4 Year Universities and Colleges, and Private 4 Year Universities and Colleges)

b. Other Options to Consider: California Conservation Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, U.S. Armed Forces,

Volunteering, and Internships

3. Using the “Career Exploration Handout” (CEH) from workshop #1, have participants locate each of their

occupations of interest they recorded and use this information to help them identify the type of education and or

training needed for that occupation.

4. Have participants use the following websites to begin to explore education and training options and other options

(Career Counselors will assist with this exploration): (a)https://www.cacareerzone.org/,

https://www.onetonline.org/,(b) http://www.bls.gov/ooh/,

(c)http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/join-americorps,

(d)http://sacramento.jobcorps.gov/home.aspx,(e)http://www.ccc.ca.gov/Pages/default.aspx,

(f)https://www.volunteermatch.org/

5. Have participants record required education and or training needed for at least 2 of their occupations of interest on

their ETH.


Counselors to further discuss their education and training goals.

Evaluation


https://www.cacareerzone.org/

https://www.onetonline.org/

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/join-americorps

http://sacramento.jobcorps.gov/home.aspx

http://www.ccc.ca.gov/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.volunteermatch.org/


Workshop #3 Curriculum: “Job Readiness”

Objectives

After completing this workshop the participant will be able to: ● Understand how to write a resume that has both appropriate content and formatting for the positions they are

applying to

● Identify the transferable skills that they have from classes, jobs, and volunteer work that they can use in future

positions

● Understand how to write a cover letter that has both appropriate content and formatting for the positions they

are applying to


Printed paper copies of the “Resume and Cover Letter Starter Kits”, “Transferable Skills Inventory”, and “Career

Resource Manual” (for participants), pens/pencils (participants), Projector/Projector Screen/Laptop (for facilitator).

Note: All of the worksheets and the video in this workshop are courtesy of the UC Davis Internship and Career Center

Website.

Lesson Plan

1. Introduce components of “job readiness” including preparing a resume, a cover letter, and interview responses. Have participants discuss their level of comfort/discomfort with these topics. 2. Show participants 5 minute video entitled “Write a Winning Resume” http://icc.ucdavis.edu/services/workshops.htm to introduce them to resume content and format. 3. Have participants fill out the “Transferable Skills Inventory” worksheet to help them identify their past accomplishments and the skills they used to complete each accomplishment. This will help them to come up with skills/experiences to talk about in their resumes cover letters, and interviews. 4. Have participants fill out the “Resume Start Kit” worksheet. This focuses on resume content and helps the participants to break down the different parts of a resume. 5. Give participants resume samples from the “Career Resource Manual” to help them with the formatting stage and then have them develop a complete resume draft using the sample as a guide. 6. Have each participant meet with one of the two Career Counselors to briefly review their resume drafts. 7. Talk with participants about importance of including a cover letter with their resumes. 8. Have participants fill out the “Cover Letter Start Kit” worksheet. This focuses on cover letter content and helps the participants to break down the different sections of a cover letter. 9. Give participants cover letter samples from the “Career Resource Manual” to help them with the formatting stage and then have them develop a complete cover letter draft using the sample as a guide. 10. Have each participant meet with one of the two Career Counselors to briefly review their cover letter drafts. 11. Use remaining workshop time for questions and for participants to make appointments to meet with Career Counselors to further discuss their resumes, cover letters, and interview preparation.

Evaluation


http://icc.ucdavis.edu/services/workshops.htm


Workshop #4 Curriculum: “Money Management”

Objectives

After completing this workshop the participant will: ● Understand how to manage their money

● Be able to create a personalized budget

● Understand the concept of credit and how to stay out of debt

● Understand how to live within their means of income

● Have a basic idea of how to budget according to a perspective future occupation income amount


“Money Management Handout” (for participants), Projector/Projector Screen/Laptop (for facilitator), Desktop


Lesson Plan

1. Have participants use the “Money Management Handout” throughout the workshop.

2. Have participants go to the following website http://www.gcflearnfree.org/money/moneybasics (GCP LearnFree

website) and complete the activities listed below with your direct guidance through each activity:

a. “Assessing How You Manage Money”

b. “Creating A Budget”

c. “Credit”

d. “Staying Out of Debt”

e. “Living Within Your Means”

3. Have participants go to the following website https://www.cacareerzone.org/budget/ and conduct the activity titled

“Pick Your Salary: Budgeting from a starting salary” using individual salary information gathered from Workshop

#1: “Career Exploration” for at least 2 of their occupational interests.


Counselors to further discuss money management.

Evaluation


http://www.gcflearnfree.org/money/moneybasics

https://www.cacareerzone.org/budget/

Evaluation Form for Workshop #1: Career Exploration



asked.

How knowledgeable do you feel

you are about:

Not Very

Knowledgeable

(1)

Somewhat

Knowledgeable

(2)

Knowledgeable

(3)

Highly

Knowledgeable

(4)

The Career Planning Process?

California Career Zone career

development website and how it

can help you with career

development?

Personality traits assessment as

interpreted by the John Holland

Code and how this can help you

with career development?

Interest profile assessment and

how this can help you with career

development?

The various types of job families

and how you can research them to

identify those you are most

interested in?

How to identify wages, common

college majors, and preparation

required for occupations that you

are interested in?

Careers I am interested in?

How to enter a career I am

interested in?


interests?


personality traits?

Evaluation Form for Workshop #2: Education & Training



asked.


you are about:

Not Very

Knowledgeable

(1)

Somewhat

Knowledgeable

(2)

Knowledgeable

(3)

Highly

Knowledgeable

(4)

What a 4 year public college or

university is and the estimated

costs associated with attendance?

What a 4 year private college or

university is and the estimated

costs associated with attendance?

What a community college is and

the estimated costs associated

with attendance?

What a

career/vocational/technical school

is and the estimated costs


Alternatives to attending college

and or a

career/vocational/technical

program such as California

Conservation Corps, AmeriCorps,

Job Corps, or U.S. Armed Forces?

The benefits of volunteering and

how to find opportunities?

The benefits of internships and

how to find opportunities?

The type of education and or

training I need for at least two of

the occupations I am interested in

pursuing?

How to obtain the education and

or training I need for at least two

of the occupations I am interested

in pursuing?

Alternatives to attending college

and or a training program and

how to attain these goals?

Evaluation Form for Workshop #3: Job Readiness



asked.


you are about:

Not Very

Knowledgeable

(1)

Somewhat

Knowledgeable

(2)

Knowledgeable

(3)

Highly

Knowledgeable

(4)

The components of job readiness?

What a resume is and how to

write one?

What information to include on a

resume?

The different ways to format a

resume?

The interview process?

How to prepare for an interview?

The different types of interviews?

What a cover letter is and how to

write one?

What an accomplishment

statement is and how to write

one?

What transferrable skills are and

how to identify those that you

possess?

Evaluation Form for Workshop #4: Money Management



asked.


you are about:

Not Very

Knowledgeable

(1)

Somewhat

Knowledgeable

(2)

Knowledgeable

(3)

Highly

Knowledgeable

(4)

What a budget is?

How to create a budget?

What financial credit is and its

purpose for using it?

How to effectively manage

money?

The different ways to help stay

out of debt?

What it means to "live within

your means" and how you can

accomplish this?

What "cost of living" is and how

to budget based on this and your

projected income?

The various salary levels of at

least two of your occupational

interests and how education and

or training and experience

contribute to the various levels?

Living expenses associated with

"cost of living" and how to

manage these expenses based on

your projected income from at

least two of your occupational

interests?

Follow-Up Questionnaire

Please indicate the achievements you have accomplished from the following items:

Yes No In Progress

Successfully applied to one or more colleges, vocational

schools or universities

Accepted to one or more colleges, vocational schools, or

universities

Enrolled in a college, vocational school or university

Successfully applied to one or more jobs

Received an employment offer from one or more jobs

Began employment at one or more jobs

Please rate how the Commitment2Career Program workshops have helped you in the past year:

Very Helpful Helpful Not Helpful

Career Exploration

Education and Training

Job Readiness

Money Management

REFERENCES

Ahrens, K. R., DuBois, D.L., Richardson, L. P., Fan, M.Y., & Lozano, P. (2008). Youth in foster

care with adult mentors during adolescence have improved adult outcomes. Pediatrics,

121(2), e246-e252.

Barnow, B. S., Buck, A., O'Brien, K., Pecora, P., Ellis, M. L., & Steiner, E. (2015). Effective

services for improving education and employment outcomes for children and alumni of

foster care service: Correlates and educational and employment outcomes. Child and

Family Social Work, 20(2), 159-170. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12063

Baum, S., Ma, J., Payea, K. (2010). Education pays 2010: The benefits of higher education for

individuals and society. College Board Advocacy & Policy Center. Retrieved from

https://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/education-pays-2010-full-report.pdf

Courtney, M., & Dworsky, A. (2006). Early outcomes for young adults transitioning from

out-of-home care in the USA. Child & Family Social Work, 11(3), 209-219.

Courtney, M., Dworsky, A., Lee, J., & Raap, M. (2009). Midwest evaluation of the adult

functioning of former foster youth: Outcomes at age 23 and 24. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall

at the University of Chicago.

Courtney, M., Dworsky, A., Lee, J., & Raap, M. (2010). Midwest evaluation of the adult

functioning of former foster youth: Outcomes at age 23 and 24. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall

at the University of Chicago.

Dubois, D. L. & Silverthorn, N. (2005). Natural mentoring relationships and adolescent health:

Evidence from a national study. American Journal of Public Health, 95, 518-524.

Dworsky, A. and Perez, A. (2010). Helping former foster youth graduate from college through

campus support programs. Children and Youth Services Review, 32, 255-263.

EMQ FamiliesFirst, 2015. Retrieved from emqff.org/about/agency

Salazar, A. M. (2013). The value of a college degree for foster care alumni: Comparisons with

general population samples. Social Work, 58(2), 139-150. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/1494298081?accountid=103

Stein, B. D., Zima, B. T., Elliot, M. N., Burnam, M. A., Shahinfar, A., Fox, N. A., & Leavitt, L.

A. (2001). Violence exposure among school-age children in foster care: Relationship to

distress symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent

Psychiatry, 40(5), 588-594.

Stewart, J., Kum, H. C., Barth, R., Duncan, D. (2014). Former foster youth: Employment

outcomes up to age 30. Children and Youth Services Review, 36, 220-229.

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.11.02

Stott, T. (2012). Placement instability and risky behaviors of youth aging out of foster

care. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 29(1), 61-83. doi:10.1007/s10560-011-

https://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/education-pays-2010-full-report.pdf

0247-8

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2012). The AFCARS report: Preliminary FY 2011 estimates

as of July 2012, No. 19. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport19.pdf

(2012)

Williams, C. A. (2011). Mentoring and social skills training: Ensuring better outcomes for youth

in foster care. Child Welfare, 90, 59-74.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport19.pdf

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