This year marks the 55th anniversary of Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) in California. EOPS was written into California law in 1969 and was born from the civil rights movement. Its mission is to help educationally disadvantaged students succeed in community college.
Los Medanos College takes a holistic approach in supporting eligible students through EOPS. The program can pay for textbooks, offer bus passes, and cafeteria meal tickets. EOPS provides personalized workshops, academic and career counseling. New EOPS students each have a peer mentor to serve as a guide for the first semester.
In the 2023-2024 academic year, EOPS, CARE, and NextUp programs at LMC served 692 students. Of those, 146 students graduated. That was a 30% growth rate over the previous year. Year over year, statewide reports show students in EOPS are more academically successful and better prepared for their next step in their education or career than non-EOPS students.
Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE)
Under EOPS, CARE offers support to eligible students who are single parents and receive CalWORKs/TANF cash aid. Through CARE, students can receive transportation assistance, connection to community resources, and educational grants. EOPS also holds monthly Ladies Luncheons to foster connection and a create a safe space for student-parents to thrive.
NextUp/EOPS Foster Youth Services
The NextUp program assists eligible former and current foster youth students with resources to strengthen their educational success, health, and well-being. Eligible students receive educational grants, transportation assistance, counseling, and personal support.
“Our message to students is that it’s your time to shine!” EOPS Director Carissa Craig-Huddleston said. “We tell students, ‘You belong here.’ NextUp embraces the unique journey of each student to foster growth on campus and beyond.”
Craig-Huddleston said students often report that without EOPS they would not have completed their degrees or continued to four-year universities.
In a recent survey, one student wrote, “I would have dropped out of college by now if it were not for the emotional and financial network that EOPS and its amazing coordinators have always provided.”
Another lauded the Ladies’ Luncheon as a safe space to discuss and hear experiences that were genuine and informative. “I appreciate the advice and discussions from the program coordinators,” she wrote. “The positive meanings that come with them every time I attend – I always feel motivated to do great!”
Learn more at www.losmedanos.edu/studentservices/eops.
