High School Equivalency Program

In 2004, the U.S. Department of Education/Office of Migrant Education's High School Equivalency Program (HEP) awarded URC’s non-profit affiliate Center for Human Services a five-year grant to continue to administer HEP to migrant farmworkers and their families. Under the program, CHS offers educational services to meet the needs of an educationally disadvantaged and ethnically diverse adult population of agricultural workers who migrate or perform seasonal work to earn their General Education Development (GED) certificates and to seek new career employment opportunities, further job training, transition to postsecondary education, and/or seek a career in the military.

The initial year of the current contract marked the 20th that CHS has administered HEP to support educational opportunities for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Under the current grant, CHS provides job readiness, counseling, life skills, health education, high school equivalency, and post-secondary instruction to migrant farmworkers and their families in selected counties of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Serving close to 100 participants each year, URC/CHS has adapted the residential HEP model to meet the needs of migrant communities.

In addition to providing traditional educational services to the migrant communities, CHS employs various methods and tools to provide information, engage students in community activities, and facilitate access to rehabilitative, vocational, and educational services. In recent years, CHS has implemented projects and improvements that have brought students and their families the benefits of computer access, helped acclimate them to higher learning environments, and presented opportunities to participate in community activities.

Classroom instruction in support of GED attainment
English as a Second Language instruction
Individual and group counseling
Pre-vocational training and career counseling
Social services referral
Primary language and literacy and parenting skills training
Cultural experiences
Extracurricular activities, including opportunities for students to produce and publish materials
Art
Empower students by offering promotion to positions of responsibility within the program
Comprehensive staff development, including cultural sensitivity training

The URC/CHS HEP Project is an integral part of the regional network of migrant service providers and State Migrant Education Programs. Partners include:

URC/CHS works closely with a network of Institutes of Higher Education that offer HEP participants campus tours, classroom space for instruction, and co-sponsored activities. Participating institutions include:

URC/CHS also coordinates with a network of more than 120 agencies in a four-state area to provide a variety of services to HEP participants. For example, school districts and church groups often offer classrooms; and local drug and alcohol agencies and county health departments routinely give educational presentations.

Grogan Ullah
Gettysburg Learning Center
Center for Human Services
P.O. Box 3924
108 N. Stratton Street, RearGettysburg , PA 17325
groganu@earthlink.net