California Community Colleges (CCCs) in San Diego County (in alpha order):

• Cuyamaca College, El Cajon (www.cuyamaca.edu) - Cuyamaca College is one of two CCCs in the Grossmont-Cuyamaca District and serves East San Diego County. Cuyamaca College offers support to current and former foster youth through their "UP! Program", a collaboration between EOPS and the Financial Aid Office. They have two Foster Youth Liaisons: Nora Hinsley (619-660-4204 or nora.hinsley@gcccd.edu) and Pam Fleming (619-660-4291 or pam.fleming@gcccd.edu).
• Grossmont College, El Cajon (www.grossmont.edu) - Grossmont College is one of two CCCs in the Grossmont-Cuyamaca District and serves East San Diego County. Grossmont College has a developed program for former foster youth on its campus called "EFFORT" (Eops Financial aid Foster youth Outreach & Retention Team). See http://www.grossmont.edu/fa/EFFORT.asp for details. Grossmont's  Foster Youth Liaison is Mr. Julio Soto (julio.soto@gcccd.edu or 619-644-7131).
• MiraCosta College, Oceanside (main campus) & Cardiff (San Elijo campus) - www.miracosta.edu (both campuses are located in North Coastal SD County). MiraCosta College offers support to former foster youth through their EOPS counselor/Foster Youth Liaison: Jaymie Gonzaga (jgonzaga@miracosta.edu or 760-795-6680).  
• Palomar College, San Marcos (www.palomar.edu) - located in North Inland SD County. The campus Foster Youth Liaison is Anel Gonzalez agonzalez@palomar.edu or 760-744-1150, ext. 2239.
• San Diego City College, San Diego (www.sdcity.edu) - SD City College is one of three CCCs in the San Diego Community College District. It is located in downtown San Diego. The campus Foster Youth Liaison is Margie Spikes at 619-388-3249 or mspikes@sdccd.edu. 
•  San Diego Mesa College, San Diego (www.sdmesa.edu) - SD Mesa College is one of three CCCs in the San Diego Community College District. It is located in central San Diego, and offers the FAST (Fostering Academic Success and Transition) Scholars program to qualified foster youth and former foster youth. See www.sdmesa.edu/eops/fast.cfm for details. The campus Foster Youth Liaison is Nellie Dougherty at 619-388-2706 or ndougher@sdccd.edu.  
• San Diego Miramar College, San Diego (www.sdmiramar.edu) - SD Miramar College is one of three CCCs in the San Diego Community College District. It is located in central San Diego. The campus Foster Youth Liaison is MaryAnn Guevarra at 619-388-7549 or mguevarr@sdcccd.edu.
• Southwestern College, Chula Vista (www.swccd.edu) - the only college campus in Southern SD County. The campus Foster Youth Liaison is Patricia Miranda at pmiranda@swccd.edu or 619-482-6389.

How to enroll in a community college:

1. Apply for admission online sometime after Jan. 1 of your senior year of high school, prior to fall term enrollment. It is FREE to file an application. There are no entrance exams, but you may need to take placement tests in math and English. You may apply through this website: www.cccapply.org, or you may go to the website of the CCC you wish to enroll in and click on the "Admissions" button.
2. File your FAFSA online between Jan. 1- Mar. 2 (www.fafsa.ed.gov). Details on our $$ Money...page.
3. File your Chafee Grant online (if you are eligible) as soon as you file your FAFSA (www.chafee.csac.ca.gov). Print the eligibility form from the website and give it to your ILS case manager/social worker for her/his signature. Keep a copy. If you are not Chafee eligible but you were in foster care or legal guardianship any time after your 13th birthday, be sure to have a document (from the Court or a social worker) that verifies this. You will need to give this to the Financial Aid office at the college you enroll in.
4. Apply for the BOGFW (Board of Governor's Fee Waiver) to waive all fees to take classes. You may access this at www.icanaffordcollege.org or through the community college website.
5. Apply for EOPS at the campus you plan to enroll. This is a separate application that you request from the financial aid office at the community college. EOPS offers great support services and sometimes vouchers to purchase your books--a huge savings of money!
6. Make sure your high school counselor submits your GPA verification to CSAC by the deadline, or submit your GED scores if you don't have a diploma for Cal Grant consideration.

Great resource: Check out www.sdicregionalconsortium.org for a list of job training programs at all 8 of San Diego County's community colleges. There are hundreds of certificate and associate degree programs in diverse career fields: would you like to be a chef? an event planner? a landscape architect? computer graphic designer? a hairdresser? a fashion merchandiser? a cardiovascular technician? a respiratory therapist? a police officer? a bookkeeper? a medical office assistant? an electrician?  a plumber? The list goes on and on! Click on the "Looking for a Career" button on the left side of the home page, then select your area of interest. There you will find a list of programs and community colleges that offer them.

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For your information: In 2008, the California Community College Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) launched the Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI) to better serve current and former foster youth through a statewide outreach and retention effort. One of the results is having at least one Foster Youth Liaison at each of the 112 California Community Colleges. You will find the names and contact information of the Foster Youth Liaisons at each of the 8 CCCs in San Diego County in the left column.