PCC program helps students balance work, family and school
story and photo by LORETTA BLACKBURN
Staff Writer, The Floyd County Times
February 6, 2002
What began as a career awareness for welfare
recipients in 1986 has flourished into a thriving network that is
laying a foundation for success for Eastern Kentucky’s low
income parents.
Originally known as the Single Parent/Homemaker
Program, the PCC Education Pay$ Career Development Center helps
students balance work, family and school by getting them in touch
with various agencies whose help can make the difference between
success and failure.
The Ready-to-Work Coordinator, Jean
Rosenberg, has been working to help low income parents improve their
lives since 1987. Rosenberg started out working with non-students
and focused on getting them interested in school. Today she is motivating
students to reach goals they didn’t know were possible for
them to attain.
According to Rosenberg, five years
ago welfare reform was just passing at the federal level and not
only did it change the rules for welfare recipients but it also
changed the role of Community Based Service workers and forced them
to act as case managers. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services had
to get a plan. As a result advocacy groups were formed with the
goal of finding a way to get people off of welfare and to keep them
off.
Rosenberg says that she is slowly learning
what is necessary to keep people in school. She finds what is stopping
the person and finds ways to get it for them or motivate them to
go for what they want.
“I watch people blossom and to me that
is the most exciting thing,” related Rosenberg.
The program offers services that
can get a student connected with a transportation network, involved in
a discussion group, a job and agency referral, a career choice workshop,
and many other services that are geared toward setting an environment
for success.
The program has workshops on plumbing, car repair and welding annually
at the Jenny Wiley Convention Center. They hold seminars to cover topics
that pose problems for students such as math anxiety.
“The math anxiety workshop helped me the most,”
said Dana Holland, student.
The programs support room, located in the Johnson
Building Room 155, seemed to be the popular area for many students. With
its coffeepot, refrigerator, microwave and library it offers relaxation
in the middle of a stressful day.
According to Lisa Stanley, office manager, the
students can make a long distance call home to check on a sick child or
bring the child in for a peanut butter sandwich after school.
“When you walk through that door, we welcome
you,” said Stanley.
Rosenberg said that they have an open door to anybody
seeking support services. The program accepts donations that are used
toward these supportive services that the grants sometimes can’t
cover. She said that sometimes unexpected circumstances can create a need
for money and its nice to be able to help out when it does.
Joanna Risner, PC Bookstore employee and former
student, recalled how the program helped her get books when her financial
aide did not arrive on time. She fondly remembered and expressed gratitude
for the support she received from the support room.
“Even though I have moved on to a better place,
I will always feel a part of this program,” said Risner.
The Ready-to-Work Program at PCC was the recipient
of the 2001 Model Program Award by the American Association of Women in
Community Colleges. Through the encouragement of programs like this, many
Eastern Ky low income parents are working toward self-sufficiency which
not only gets the person off welfare, but places proud, confident, and
productive employees in the community.
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