Impact Report: Year-End 2020

EOPS Graduates

EOPS Logos

Educational equity and access are the philosophical and cultural bedrocks of the San Mateo County Community College District and SMCCC Foundation. EOPS | CARE | FYSI at Cañada College (and throughout the District) reflect those principles in a concrete way on a daily basis.

EOPS: Extended Opportunity Programs and Services
CARE: Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education
FYSI: Foster Youth Success Initiative

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“Academics were hard for me. I wasn’t a good student. I had no vision or dream of what I wanted to do with my future. I felt hopeless. Being part of the EOPS program helped me find direction at Cañada College.”

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“My family came to this country ten years ago. I was a single mother with three small children, little money, and no career prospects. Applying for EOPS and CARE led me to dream beyond just taking ESL classes to an Associate Degree and then to transfer to SFSU to earn a degree in Psychology, so I can help other women like myself.”

“I was homeless and living in a shelter. Without EOPS and CARE in my corner from the very beginning, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to achieve academic success at Cañada College.”

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“Although I was accepted to four-year universities out of high school, I wasn’t able to go because my mom needed me to help her financially and with my younger siblings. I was feeling depressed about letting go of a goal I had planned all during high school. It was hard. But once I came to Cañada College, EOPS helped me to understand my options and showed me that transferring was not only possible but financially within my grasp.”

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Many students face significant barriers that can prevent them from reaching their academic dreams. EOPS and CARE are state-funded programs that provide the extra support these students need to succeed in college and in life.

EOPS was enacted into law in 1969 with Senate Bill 164. This cornerstone program was established within the California Community College system to enhance and expand existing services provided by the college that would be “over and above, and in addition to” in order to increase graduation and transfer rates.

The roots of the EOPS program harken back to the civil rights movement and the turbulent social unrest of the 1960s, when awareness of the needs for social equity in every facet of life could no longer be ignored. EOPS was conceived as a way to equalize educational opportunities for students who were both educationally and economically disenfranchised to successfully create a future through educational and life-skills development. The intent was for EOPS to foster the identification, recruitment, retention, and educational stimulation of students affected by language, social, or economic disadvantages. The first EOPS programs were established at 46 community colleges. Today, EOPS exists at all 116 community colleges in California.

Nickel and the Nail is the official symbol of EOPS. The story goes like this: years ago, a young man in the deep South was walking down a dusty road to visit a lady friend, all too aware that the nickel in his pocket was all he had in the world. That emptiness tore away at his self-esteem. But, as he walked, he noticed two gnarled horseshoe nails that were twisted together and lying by the road. He picked them up and put them in his pocket, and as the metal jingled against his meager fortune, the young man walked a little straighter, with a little more pride and dignity. It is important to have “something to jingle.” EOPS works to enhance self-esteem, foster pride and dignity, and motivate people to more effectively define and pursue career goals. The nails are twisted into a puzzle, suggesting the problem has yet to be unraveled for helping people who, by circumstances of the society in which we live, have been limited in meeting their own educational challenges.

Additional support is provided to students who are single parents through the CARE Program, established in 1982 as a supplemental component of EOPS. The program provides educational support services and activities for single head-of-household students who receive county cash aid assistance (CalWORKs/TANF). It is designed to help break the welfare cycle by offering additional support to students who want to receive college-level career training or complete specific educational programs.

Every year, 4,000 youth age out of the foster system in California. These former foster youth need particular attention and help to become self-sufficient. FYSI at Cañada College is part of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office statewide outreach and retention efforts to develop a supportive and smooth transition for students from foster care. Under the umbrella of EOPS, FYSI’s purpose is to increase the number of former foster youth graduating from a community college with an Associate Degree or vocational training, and/or transferring to a four-year university.

The Foundation is proud to support EOPS |CARE | FYSI at Cañada College (and also at College of San Mateo and Skyline College) by housing funds to which donors can contribute. Future collaborations include a dedicated fundraising page.

“Our students are strong, hopeful, brave, and tenacious. With help, they can achieve their academic and career dreams. Our entire EOPS|CARE|FYSI team is here for them to answer their questions about EOPS services, and school and community resources.” — Lorraine Barrales-Ramirez, counselor and coordinator EOPS|CARE|FYSI