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EDCOE Charter College & Career Prep Provides New Opportunities for Students

00:00 AM - October 04, 2017

Charter College & Career Prep Students Bryan Jimenez, Elias Brown, and Alexander Camancho practice mincing in Culinary Arts class.

Pictured: Bryan Jimenez, Elias Brown, and Alexander Camancho practice mincing in Culinary Arts class.

The El Dorado County Office of Education’s (EDCOE) Charter College & Career Prep began this school year with a myriad of new services that emphasize early college participation and success with hands-on learning experiences.  The charter alternative program, located on EDCOE’s main campus in Placerville, combined their college and career programs to create more opportunities for students.

“This new school is truly remarkable and provides several engaging programs that will help students succeed in the future, regardless of whether they plan to go to college or straight into the workforce,” noted Principal Fred Mier. “We are proud of our new Advanced Education Program and the many applied learning courses available to students in our state-of-the-art school facility.”

The Advanced Education Program allows Charter students to take community college courses at no cost concurrently during high school, so students earn both college and high school credits.  Charter College & Career Prep and the Folsom Lake College (FLC) El Dorado Center, conveniently located next door, work together to support students through planning and regular meetings.  An FLC Outreach Specialist meets with students twice monthly to help streamline college enrollment and to ensure students have a positive and successful experience at the college.  “This school honestly gets better every year,” senior Dakota Carver reflected. “In a normal school, no one knows anyone and you just go to get it done. Here, every teacher knows every student and can help them customize their high school experience to their future goals.”

The school also engages students with hands-on classes such as Culinary Arts, Maker Space, Robotics, and an Outdoor Wilderness Survival Skills course. This spring, Charter will implement a drone operator’s training course.  This cutting-edge program will allow students to become certified in the fastest-growing segment of the aviation industry. “A career in the exciting and rewarding field of unmanned aviation can earn a six-figure salary for highly-skilled pilots,” noted Doug Booker, a teacher at the school. “Allowing these students to begin their training now gives them an enormous advantage in beginning their careers.” 

The combination of the early college program and applied learning opportunities have proven very popular with the students. “Culinary Arts is great because it is a life skill and prepares us for adulthood.  This is an opportunity that most charters don’t have.  Here, we have good food and good people,” remarked student Noelle Green.  The Advanced Education and applied learning programs at Charter College & Career Prep are examples of the many ways the EDCOE Charter Alternative Programs help guide students toward a successful transition into higher education and the workforce.  Additional information about Charter College & Career Prep may be found or by calling (530) 295-2295.

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