Services for Education and Employment (SEE), a program of the Tulare County Office of Education, is ending its 60-year run and closing its doors on June 30, 2025.

SEE launched in 1965 as a Neighborhood Youth Program with a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Utilizing DOL funding, SEE provided young adults throughout Tulare County with work readiness training, soft skills, and job placement, which in turn, provided them with a strong foundation as they prepared to enter the workforce. 

Over the next several decades, SEE continued to better the lives of Tulare County young adults, adding award-winning programs to meet emerging needs. This included educating at-risk youth at the original La Sierra High School, improving the health and well-being of pregnant and parenting teens and their children through the Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting program, and relocating families struggling to find local, sustainable employment through the More Opportunity for Viable Employment program. 

In its final years, SEE served young adults through the Youth@Work, Student Training and Employment Program (STEP), and Return 2 Youth (R2Y) programs, all funded through the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) of Tulare County. Adults with disabilities were served through SEE’s A Ticket to Success Program. In addition, adults transitioning off cash aid and into the workforce were assisted through WorkFirst, funded by the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency. 

Current SEE staff have an impressive 121 years of combined service, with three staff exceeding 25 years of service: Mang Chang (26), Benny Rivera (26) and Nou Cha (32). We are all honored to have been a part of such a legacy!

“We are all honored to have been a part of such a legacy!" said Darlene Tyndal, employment services coordinator for SEE. "SEE would like to thank the numerous collaborative partners that have contributed to the success of its programs. This includes the WIB, HHSA, Porterville and Lindsay Adult Schools, Porterville and Lindsay Unified School Districts, and the many, many employers who provided work experience opportunities for our youth and adults."

Photos above:

~ Services for Education and Employment (SEE) circa 1996. Pictured in the front center is Lorene Valentino with her grandchildren. Standing right in the tie is Nou Cha, in his third year of 32 years of service. Valentino was a visionary who led SEE in its early days when the program had a hospitality academy, a full kitchen on-site, and a restaurant, Apples Café. 

~ The current SEE staff pose for a picture in June 2025. Current SEE staff have an impressive 121 years of combined service.

Last week, the California Department of Education confirmed that 18 Tulare County schools had been selected to join Cohort 4 of the California Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP). With this new addition, Tulare County is now home to 107 community schools and has secured more than $142 million in CCSPP funding to support the implementation of the Community Schools framework.

Tulare County schools that joined Cohort 4 include:

Burton School District
Burton Middle School
Jim Maples Academy
Oak Grove Elementary School 

Lindsay Unified School District
Jefferson Elementary School
John J. Cairns Continuation High School
Kennedy Elementary School
Lincoln Elementary School
Lindsay Community Day
Lindsay High School
Loma Vista Charter School
Reagan Elementary School
Roosevelt Elementary School
Washington Elementary School 

Pleasant View School District
Pleasant View Elementary School

Sunnyside Union School District  

Visalia Unified School District
Sierra View Elementary School (currently Global Learning Charter)

Waukena Joint Union School District

Woodlake Unified School District
Bravo Lake High School

Tulare County schools that are part of Cohorts 1-3 have utilized their funding to design programs to impact student success and community engagement. 

In the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District, the CCSPP team expanded on-campus behavioral health services to address chronic absenteeism by partnering with a healthcare provider to address student health needs directly. The team also partnered with substance abuse prevention organizations. The community school efforts resulted in attendance improvements and a $500,000 increase in Average Daily Attendance (ADA) funding during the P-1 state apportionment period, with similar gains anticipated in P-2.

At TCOE’s La Sierra Charter School, administration leveraged community schools funds and strategies to reduce suspensions and improve academic outcomes. As a result, La Sierra is no longer designated as a school requiring differentiated assistance services.

Tulare County CCSPP grant recipients interested in support from the TCOE Community Schools Team, including guidance and resources, are encouraged to visit tcoe.org/CCSPP. 

Photo above:

Pleasant View was awarded a CCSPP Cohort 2 Planning Grant, which they used to establish an ambassadors group to serve as their advisory council. Pleasant View has now been awarded the CCSPP Cohort 4 Implementation grant to continue their work.

Editor: Robert Herman, Communications Director
Contributors: Nayirah Dosu, Jennifer Fisher, Jaime Burnitzki, Darlene Tyndal, Carin Hernandez

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