Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:

CDE and California Volunteers Team Up to Increase Teacher Pipeline and Support Civic Engagement

The California Department of Education (CDE) and California Volunteers, Office of the Governor, at https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/, are proud to be leading efforts to address the severe teacher shortage that is having a devastating impact on our students’ access to quality instruction. As part of this work, we are partnering together to provide information about excellent opportunities that may be of interest to high school students. We encourage you to review the exciting offerings below and share them with your students and families.

One way we have introduced young people to public service and the teaching profession is through unique opportunities with California Volunteers. These programs grow essential job skills, assist with living expenses and higher education costs, and position young people to have a direct impact on K–12 education and in their communities. California Volunteers offers many programs to prepare our students for the next chapter, whether that is a summer opportunity or a more in-depth experience.

#CaliforniansForAll College Corps, at https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/californiansforall-college-corps-for-college-students/, is a first-of-its-kind program that provides money for college and empowers students to make a difference in K–12 tutoring and mentoring, climate action, and food insecurity. At over 40 universities across California, students can earn up to $10,000 for college in exchange for service hours while gaining job skills, building relationships, and working toward a better California. Eligible undocumented students can also qualify to participate in this innovative state service program.

Through California Climate Action Corps at https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/sign-up-to-be-a-california-climate-action-corps-fellow/, student fellows can make a difference in their communities while gaining hands-on experience during a two-month summer program or an 11-month fellowship. The summer program is open to people 17 years old and older.

#CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps, at https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/sign-up-to-be-a-california-climate-action-corps-fellow/, offers opportunities for 16- to 30-year-olds to gain skills and get hired for meaningful and purposeful jobs in partnership with local governments across the state. Youths earn income and get access to direct services, job training, and more. AmeriCorps California (at https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/sign-up-to-be-a-california-climate-action-corps-fellow/) members learn and grow through their work in a variety of areas, including education, disaster services, and economic opportunity.

We hope that through these excellent programs we can connect students with future careers and ways to benefit their communities and their world. We also hope that we can connect thousands of future teacher candidates with the California schools that are experiencing shortages and provide prospective applicants with information on how to access scholarships and grants and get their questions answered on how to become a teacher in California.

This year, the CDE launched the first-ever statewide campaign to support teacher recruitment and created a one-stop entry point for candidates to get information on becoming a California teacher and how to get a $20,000 scholarship. Anyone interested in learning how to become an educator in California can email TeachInCA@cde.ca.gov or visit the CDE's Become a Teacher web page at http://staging.cde.ca.gov/ci/be/become-a-teacher.asp.

Thank you for sharing this information with your students and their families. We believe that these opportunities set students up for future success while helping them understand and address the challenges we face as a state, which include unequal access to quality education. We want to thank our incredible educators statewide for their assistance and partnership in helping recruit the next generation of educators and civic leaders.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction, CDE
Commissioner, California Volunteers

Josh Fryday
Chief Service Officer
California Volunteers, Office of the Governor