Implementing Homeless Youth Professional Development Workshops in Salinas

The homeless population in Salinas has risen dramatically over the past few years, and child care workers consistently do not know how to serve homeless youth. My capstone project created a professional development workshop on homelessness in Salinas. This workshop was given at the Salinas YMCA for all child care staff. The point of this project was to inform child care professionals about how widespread homelessness is in Salinas. These professionals were able to identify how homelessness adversely affects the stages of development in children and families and how to better support them in child care settings. For child care professionals the effect of homelessness on development is not taught in training and they are unaware of just how common it is in Monterey County. The recipients of this workshop would be able to identify negative developmental effects, signs of homelessness, and resources for children and families at the end of the workshops. The child care professionals who received this training gained the skills and knowledge to interact and assist families in need throughout their professional career