Options for Learning invites all staff to participate in our first annual Halloween costume contest! The contest is now open! Submit your photo by Nov. 1 for a chance to win one of four spooky prizes. Staff may enter individual photos or photos as a team/department. Three individual winners and department winners will be announced in the Nov. 7 newsletter.

To enter the contest, use the link below and submit your photo by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1. If submitting a group photo, please provide the following information along with your group’s theme:

As we begin planning our Agency In-service, we are looking for anyone interested in joining the planning committee. Our first committee meeting will be on Monday, Oct. 23, via Zoom. Please email a confirmation from your supervisor indicating that you have the approval to request to participate on this year’s committee by Friday, Oct. 13. Please send email of supervisor's approval to Paola Saavedra. Stay tuned for more information!

The Great California ShakeOut will occur on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 10:19 a.m.

The Great California Shakeout is an annual opportunity to practice being safer during big earthquakes: “Drop, Cover, and Hold On.” The ShakeOut has been organized to encourage schools and community members to review and update their emergency preparedness plans and supplies to secure their space and prevent damage and injuries.

Options for Learning is committed to sharing our strategic priorities, initiatives, and progress with our employees and board of directors (internal stakeholders) and with our families, child care providers, and community partners (external stakeholders). Since these stakeholder groups were engaged in helping us create our board-approved three-year strategic plan, we intend to honor our commitment to transparency by regularly sharing our plan progress with each group. Employees will find quarterly progress updates in our employee portal, and the community will find progress updates twice a year on the organization’s website. 

The success of our organization’s strategic plan is fundamental to our future, and the results achieved will ultimately help our community thrive. We encourage your continued involvement over the next three years. 

Photo: l. to r., Fatima Ramirez, Nancy Villegas, Angie Sanchez, Patty Fajardo, Lisa Flores, and Rachel Baas.

Early Learning children recently enjoyed a hands-on learning experience with some special friends! Abby Ortega, a parent classroom assistant, brought in her turtles to interact with the children. They spent the afternoon exploring and engaging with the turtles.

Last month, Patti Marquez, child and family service manager with Head Start South El Monte, attended an event held by the City of South El Monte. During the event, Patti had the pleasure of accepting a $500 donation by KID-FIT, a Preschool Health and Fitness Organization, in memory of Linda Dempsey. Mayor Gloria Olmos was in attendance and shared that her children went to Options for Learning and that her family highly supports our program. “Your kids become our kids in our district, and we thank you,” shared Mayor Olmos. 

Last month, parents and staff from Head Start programs all around the country came together for the National Head Start Association’s (NHSA) 2023 Fall Leadership Institute in Virginia. Representing Options for Learning was Zinnia Voong, external affairs manager, and Shirley Gavidia-Villegas, disabilities coordinator. On Sept. 20, Shirley and Zinnia attended the NHSA rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where they heard from congressmen and congresswomen from other states. At the rally, Shirley and Zinnia met with Congresswoman Judy Chu. They introduced themselves, informed her about our program, and took a photo.

After the rally, Shirley and Zinnia met with Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, Deputy of Staff Jerry O'Donnell, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, and Scheduler Rachel Chasalow to discuss Options for Learning programs and public policy priorities. NHSA asks for an increase in cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for all Head Start staff to invest in quality improvement funding for behavior and mental health services and address the proposed $750 million cut. This cut would lead to classroom closures and children losing services in communities across the nation. Despite the rising need for Head Start and Early Head Start services, the NHSA urges Congress to invest in funds for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for child care and school meal reimbursement to help schools and child care providers feed children.

The Recruitment and Outreach team, along with some Options for Learning staff, attended a variety of events in Pomona this past month, from job fairs to children’s festivals! 

Sally Vutheikun, recruitment and outreach specialist, and Ryan Chan, talent acquisition specialist, represented Options for Learning at Cal Poly Pomona’s job fair. A former Roosevelt student who attended Surround Care stopped by to share his beautiful experiences when he attended Options for Learning while his parents worked. He is now a senior at Cal Poly Pomona in an engineering program.

Leiann Vergara, recruitment and outreach specialist, attended the Pomona Children’s Festival and participated in the event with crafts and raffles. Leiann represented the Options for Learning raffle and spoke about our programs. Sally and Leiann also got a perfect picture of Pomona’s superintendent’s dog, Kona. 

Please welcome the following staff who recently joined Options for Learning:

Options for Learning is hosting a virtual job fair through Friday, Oct. 20, for the following positions:

We highly encourage all staff to share this with your friends and family who may be interested in joining Options for Learning. There is no limit on how many applicants an employee may refer. As a reward for your recruiting efforts, Options for Learning offers a $500 referral bonus for staff who refer employees who are hired and successfully complete 90 days of employment.

The Human Resources Department is excited to announce three open internal positions:

Please note that since the positions are posted internally, a Paylocity login is required to apply. Click the link below to apply today or view all open positions!

We are excited to announce that through our partnership with East Los Angeles College (ELAC), Options for Learning will be offering an additional child development course for the fall 2023 semester:

Please note that this course has prerequisites, meaning specific child development courses must be completed to be eligible to enroll. Unofficial transcripts will also be required to be submitted to verify eligibility, as space is limited, the deadline to enroll is Wednesday, Oct. 11.

Questions may be directed to Jasmin Solis, professional growth associate.

Federal student loan payments resumed October 1. Did you know that if you work for a qualified nonprofit (including Options for Learning), you might be eligible to get your student loans forgiven as part of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program?

The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your direct loans:

Click the link below to learn more about PSLF and how to apply today!

Because we recognize that our current staff can be our most effective recruiters, the agency increased the employee referral bonus from $250 to $500; those who refer an applicant who is hired as an on-call employee will receive $100. In addition, a $1,000 hiring bonus for new classroom staff is being offered. Rules and conditions, as well as the application, for the referral bonus are available online. We also encourage staff to review and share our current open positions.

We hope you will partner with us to recruit qualified, caring, and dedicated individuals who would be a great addition to the Options for Learning team.

Deanna Giron is a provider and outreach specialist with Child Care Services. She has worked for Options for Learning for 25 years.

As a provider and outreach specialist, Deanna’s extensive programmatic knowledge, customer service expertise, and optimism are evident in the daily support extended to child care providers, parents, and community partners. Deanna strives to build relationships based on trust and respect, with solutions upfront.

Deanna is always cheerful and positive and has a beautiful, contagious smile that brightens up the gloomiest of days. If Deanna had a superpower, it would be being kind. Thank you for your continued dedication to Options for Learning, Deanna!

Eva Maldonado is a family service specialist for early learning. She has worked at Options for Learning for one year. 

Staff are invited to share exciting announcements, such as weddings, births, educational achievements, etc. Simply submit your news and a photo online using this form!