CalFresh Employment and Training (E&T)
CalFresh E&T Financial Operations Training Materials
On Tuesday, November 14, 2017 CDSS will host an in-person E&T Financial Operations Training. Training materials will be posted below when available.
- Training Agenda
- E&T Partnership Models Overview
- Sample Invoices
- SNAP E&T 50-50 Potential Partner Packet
- SNAP E&T 50-50 Budget Template
- Proposal Clarification Template
- Presentation Slideshows:
8. November 14 - E&T Training Questions & Answers
SNAP E&T Data and Technical Assistance (DATA) Grants
CDSS is pleased to announce that California is one of eight states awarded a SNAP E&T DATA Grant. The grant will support the development of California’s SNAP E&T data collection and reporting system, including a statewide workforce portal that will function as a centralized, web based location for data collection and enrollment verification. The SNAP E&T DATA Grant is a critical component of California’s E&T strategic growth plan to expand the number and diversity of E&T providers statewide.
For more information on the DATA Grant awards, click here.
About CalFresh Employment and Training
California’s CalFresh Employment and Training (E&T)
program is supported by four core values: collaboration, excellence,
innovation, and inclusion. The goal of California E&T is to offer more
CalFresh recipients more high-quality, voluntary workforce opportunities that
lead to increased employment rates and wages. Together, these guiding
principles drive our vision to make better access to better food and better jobs
for better living a reality for the millions of individuals and families facing
food insecurity in California.
Collaboration
For FFY 2018 thirty-six counties will offer E&T, three
more counties than last year, and nearly 112,480 E&T participants are
projected to be served. Additionally, many counties have expanded existing
programs by offering new E&T components and growing new partnerships, over
60 in total, many of which are able to use federal matching funds to further
invest in employment opportunities for the populations they serve. The
Foundation for California Community Colleges operates the Fresh Success program
in partnership with a growing number of counties and community colleges
throughout the state. Through targeted interactions with students on campus,
staff are able to provide reverse referrals to those who may be eligible for
CalFresh but have not applied or for those that are enrolled in CalFresh but
may be unaware of the E&T program and benefits. California continues to
expand access to E&T services throughout the state. This expansion of
services coincides with the State’s commitment to further develop third party
partnerships, at both the county and state level, and new training tools,
resources and technical assistance to support excellence in the provision of
services. This is only possible through extensive state and county
collaboration, as well as collaboration with state and local community based
organizations.
Excellence
California’s commitment to excellence continues with several
efforts underway to improve E&T program outcomes. To ensure and modernize
operational compliance, CDSS has developed a plan to move to an online annual
planning and budget process, allowing for the timely submission, revision and
approval of CalFresh E&T plans and program elements. The state has also
undertaken the development of an online Statewide Workforce Portal that, along
with other functions, will include the capability for services providers
statewide to submit E&T outcome data. This tool will allow California to
effectively meet federal reporting requirements and is a significant step in
developing the infrastructure necessary to expand the diversity of E&T
service providers across the state. Lastly, CalFresh E&T Management
Evaluations (MEs) will play a larger role in expanding the quality of services
offered. Future MEs will focus not just on federal compliance, but also the
best practices that maximize the impact of all E&T services providers.
Innovation
California is committed to expanding the CalFresh E&T
program’s focus on skills-building. The Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) has
provided technical assistance to CDSS and four pilot counties (San Francisco,
Alameda, Contra Costa, and Sacramento) through the SNAP to Skills initiative
awarded to California and nine other states by the United States Department of
Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. This has provided California an
advantage in the development and improvement of CalFresh E&T. In addition
to the technical assistance California receives from SJI, CDSS receives support
from the Harvard Government Performance Lab (GPL). GPL is assisting California
with program evaluation and has driven the upcoming release of several Requests
for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposals (RFP) to procure a Statewide
Workforce Portal and multiple statewide E&T service contracts.
Inclusion
CalFresh E&T has emerged as a strong partner among
California’s workforce development stakeholders. In partnership with the
California Workforce Development Board, a CalFresh E&T Advisory Committee
has been established to steer program development. The goal of the Advisory
Committee is to achieve greater service integration and alignment to provide
more people with employment and training services and improve employment rates
and wages over time. To this end the Advisory Group has identified the need to
measure the benefits of participation in CalFresh E&T across various data
collection systems throughout the state. These systems must connect to tell the
full story of an E&T service recipient’s success. The Cross-System
Analytics and Assessment for Learning and Skills Attainment (CAAL-Skills) data
sharing project signifies movement toward a solution. Participating state
departments are working on ways to align and match data to convey how
California’s array of workforce services improve the life of not only the
individual recipients, but also their families and community.