(EOPS) Extended Opportunities Programs and Service

The EOPS program’s primary goal is to encourage the enrollment, retention and transfer of students disadvantaged by language, social, economic and educational circumstances, and to facilitate the successful completion of their goals and objectives in college. EOPS offers academic and support counseling, financial aid and other support services. EOPS is a state-funded student assistance programs that are located at 114 community colleges, plus the El Camino College Compton Center, throughout California.

NEXTUP PROGRAM (formerly Promise Scholars/CAFYES – Cooperating Agencies Foster Youth Educational Support)

NextUp is an expanded Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) program. The purpose of NextUp is to encourage the enrollment, retention and transfer of current and former foster youth at Community Colleges. NextUp is dedicated to helping current and former foster youth attend and complete a college education through removing barriers that keep them from reaching their educational goals, and by providing services that will help them attain their educational goals.

(FYSI) Foster Youth Success Initiative

There is a significant deficit among foster youth attending higher education. Acknowledging this need, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) has sponsored a concerted effort called the Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI) to bring issues affecting these youth to the forefront and to improve the ability of these youth to access postsecondary education and benefit from the support services that are available but are often unknown to them.

Through the vision of the CCCCO, to create a statewide outreach and retention effort to better serve current and former foster youth, the FYSI was established. FYSI was built through CCCCO leadership and a strong foundation of individuals represent- ing a myriad of agencies and postsecondary educational institutions that have formed a true collaborative effort that has evolved to become a statewide FYSI taskforce. The goals of this initiative are to improve: