This winter workforce-related programs at Yakima Valley College received nearly $200,000 in federal CARES Act funding to support their recovery from disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding, which comes from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds provided by the CARES Act, supports YVC’s Education, Dental Hygiene and Veterinary Technology programs. Funds have helped YVC revamp and translate curriculum to provide optimal learning experiences while operating primarily remotely. It also enabled YVC to restart the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Spanish cohort, which was suspended in March 2020 due to complications with moving instruction from face-to-face to online.
“YVC faculty and staff have looked for innovative ways to teach our students since the onset of the pandemic and the GEER grant will support those efforts,” said Dean for Workforce Education Skye Field. “Workforce education programs will play a big role in getting our state and local economy back on track and we’re grateful to have this support for YVC’s offerings.”
The $199,998 grant is part of nearly $5 million in GEER funds given to community and technical colleges across the state to help restore workforce-related programs affected by the pandemic.