An East San Jose nonprofit is providing economic mobility for residents, as well as affordable child care for the community.
A child care program started by Grail Family Services has enabled 81% of participating women to earn their child care licenses to combat a dearth of facilities in East San Jose. A total of 80 women have participated in the program during the past five years and 65 have graduated. Another cohort of 15 women are presently enrolled in classes.
During the pandemic, many child care centers closed on the East Side, leaving residents scrambling. To combat this “child care desert,” Grail Family Services Executive Director Veronica Goei started the Jobs to Grow Child Care program in 2021 to help residents launch their own businesses through a grant from the Robin Hood Foundation. Grail has also received funding from Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Latino Community Foundation.
Goei said many of these women never envisioned themselves as small business owners with a sense of independence. Their achievements have inspired others.
“The fact that they’re seeing themselves as that changes a community,” Goei told San José Spotlight. “We keep opening those doors.”
Valeria Loza, a current Jobs to Grow participant, said her dream has always been to educate and care for children, but she didn’t know where to start. Providing child care in her home will allow her to raise her children while caring for others.
“Having a day care gives me the opportunity of doing that and more,” she told San José Spotlight. “The program has given me a lot of hope for being able to achieve it.”
About 150 residents, many of them Jobs to Grow graduates, attended Grail Family Services’ Advocacy Summit on Early Childhood Education and Child Care in February, Goei said. The group advocated for a loosening of licensing barriers and increased pay.
They also spoke before the San Jose City Council regarding the city’s Children and Youth Services Master Plan. The plan is a road map for improving children, youth and young adult outcomes by addressing inequities and prioritizing the needs of historically under-resourced communities.
Through courses in financial and computer literacy, professional and child development and CPR training, the program prepares caregivers for employment. In addition to training, certification and support with licensing, Grail Family Services covers some fees and provides grants which may be used for items such as toys and safety gates.
“It doesn’t have to be a roadblock in either starting their business or getting their license,” Goei said.
Grail Family Services partners with the Santa Clara County Office of Education to help child care providers register with Trustline, a list of in-home and license-exempt child care providers who have been authorized by the state through background checks. This is a county requirement for unlicensed providers of state subsidized child care.
About 25 area licensed child care providers, including Jobs to Grow participants, are enrolled in the Family Child Care Home Education Network and eligible for state contracts, which pay about $1,400 per infant or toddler. If the state places two children in the care of a Grail program graduate, they earn $2,800 a month.
Program graduate Jessica Jurado opened Magic Forest child care last year. Hiring two employees has provided opportunities to others in the community and she’s inspired her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Jurado said Grail Family Services assisted her along the way and continues to offer support.
“This is a big triumph for me,” she told San José Spotlight. “It’s hard to be a mother and still have a career. This is a great opportunity for those who want to create long-term futures.”
Destiny Pena, community organizing coordinator with Grail Family Services, said the program makes a huge difference for women coming from a cultural background where they think their only option is to be a stay-at-home mother.
“It’s encouraging to see them taking that step forward to better themselves and be a role model for their kids,” she told San José Spotlight.
Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected].
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