Inside a classroom at Bakersfield College, a group of young adults is working on building futures that, for some of them, seemed out of reach. The cohort, made up of former foster students, is part of a unique program designed to help them gain skills in early childhood education, a field that is not only in high demand but also offers them a personal connection through their lived experiences.
“I want to become a preschool teacher and go for my actual degree,” said student Edajzarea Johnson. “I love kids. With us and what we’ve all been through, we could teach a kid that what you’ve been through doesn’t determine your future.”
The initiative was launched through a partnership between Bakersfield College, the Dream Center, and the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS). It aims to provide former foster youth with the resources, education, and emotional support needed to start careers in early childhood development.
Ami Moser, a coordinator of Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) and early education support at KCSOS, explained that the opportunity could lead to students landing a teacher’s aide or assistant position. Students take two six-unit courses, one each semester, and once they finish, they become eligible to apply for an Assistant Teacher Child Development Permit. This permit makes them more employable in preschools, TK classrooms, and other early education settings.
Student Tara Kelley experienced homelessness from a young age and heard about the program through the Dream Center. She says she has already learned a lot about herself from learning about how children develop. Attending classes has been difficult for her, but she says she’s ready to give it her all, because this is her calling.
“I feel like God had opened my door because I had been praying and praying for something more in life,” Kelley said. “The Dream Center, four days later, told me about this program, and my whole body lit up. I said, ‘God, you are sending me where I belong.’”
The program provides a full range of support to ensure there are no barriers to participation, including books, tuition coverage, childcare, a bus pass, and even a parking permit.
“The goal is to eliminate any obstacles that could prevent these students from succeeding,” Moser emphasized.
The Dream Center, a vital partner in the project, plays a key role in providing ongoing support to the students. The Dream Center is a one-stop resource hub for foster youth in Kern County, and its staff works closely with the students in this cohort.
Bryanna Wood, a prevention specialist at the Dream Center, explained that the center focuses on building relationships with youth to help them achieve self-sufficiency.
“Our core mission is to form strong relationships with the youth,” Wood said. “We know their interests, we help them set goals, and we connect them to opportunities like this program. Many of these students have little ones of their own or have a passion for working with younger children because of their own experiences.”
The program provides educational opportunities and helps foster a sense of community among the students. The cohort goes through the coursework together, and this shared experience helps them feel less isolated.
“They have peers who understand their barriers, and they go through this process side by side,” Wood said. “That’s been game-changing for them.”
Johnson says it has been great to be able to rely on her fellow students, knowing everyone has been through similar experiences, and they have each other’s backs.
“There are people in that class that you can identify with,” Johnson said. “That group, the program, makes you feel like you belong somewhere like you’ve got somebody you can depend on.”
One of the program’s most powerful aspects is how it aligns with the students’ personal experiences. Many of them, having faced trauma or instability in their own lives, feel drawn to helping children. For some, like Drake Mendoza, an advisor working with the Dream Center, the journey is deeply personal. Mendoza, who grew up with similar challenges, now helps guide the students through their educational path.
“I understand the barriers they face because I’ve lived them,” he said. “I’m here to help them with everything from homework to navigating life’s challenges. It’s about being their advocate and cheerleader.”
Students are offered incentives to encourage long-term success in the program. For every meeting they attend, they receive $100. If they pass their courses with a C or better, they earn $500 per class. When they complete the two courses, they apply for their assistant teacher permit and receive an additional $300 for following through.
“That really helps people,” Kelley said. “The $100 we just got from orientation helped me pay my PG&E bill.”
Johnson agrees that the financial incentives help, but they’re not the motivating factor that pushes them to continue the program.
“The money’s not driving me to do my homework, the money’s not driving me to get up and come here,” she explained. “In the end, this is what’s going to get me a career, something that I can love.”
The program is funded in part from the Early Educator Teacher Development grant, which seeks to address the critical shortage of early childhood educators. California is implementing universal prekindergarten for all four-year-olds by the 2025-2026 school year. Moser says there is a huge need to fill those positions with qualified staff and her team saw the unique opportunity to address the educator shortage while also allowing former foster youth to benefit.
“Some of them probably didn’t think they could ever be a teacher. We’re giving them the opportunity to participate and find out,” she said. “They needed an opportunity, and I feel like they were a group that was overlooked in this particular career field.”
Mendoza agrees, saying that as foster youth, these students have first-hand experience with childhood trauma, and many of them are in a better position to provide trauma-informed care and relate to children who have faced similar challenges.
“A lot of them have had a lack of support, a lack of understanding for the way they grew up,” he said. “Child development allows you to understand some of the psychological parts of our anatomy and how we develop and grow. It can empower them to want to help kids to do better.”
For the students, the program is a stepping stone to something bigger. As Mendoza explains, Early childhood education is just the start. The program can open doors to social work, psychology, and other fields giving students a good start to succeed in whatever step they take next.
“Early childhood education gave me a start,” Mendoza said. “I’m excited to see them flourish, become successful adults, and beat their odds.”
Kelley says this program is not only giving her the tools she needs to succeed in her future career, it’s helping her to understand her own development, and heal her inner child.
“I’m healing from my trauma,” she said. “Doing this class, I’m becoming a better me. I feel like I’m doing my part in the world.”
By Katie Avery
Katie Avery joined the Kern County Superintendent of Schools in 2023 as a Communications Specialist. As a former journalist and marketing professional, her passions include media and storytelling. Before joining KCSOS, Avery worked for various local TV stations as well as the health care industry.