SparkPoint at Skyline CollegeIncreasing Student Persistence, Retention and Successby addressing financial barriers.

Prepared by Chad Thompson for the California Community Colleges Basic Needs Summit on April 26th, 2018

Meet Jose Iniguez

Jose Iniguez• First introduced to SparkPoint as a community member when seeking

services from the Co-Located Employment Development Department Office (EDD) in 2012

• Efforts: EDD Services, Financial Coaching, Food Pantry, Public Benefits Support

• Outcomes: Enrolled in Sustainable Construction classes at Skyline College, developed a more consistent and healthy diet for whole family, opened a bank account, completed his certificate and got a part-time job with the Sustainable Construction Program.

What is SparkPoint?

Students and o ther members o f the commun i t y use SparkPoint serv ices & resources tos t reng then the i r f i nanc ia l capab i l i t y & fu r ther the i r economic & educa t iona l goa ls .

The Cascade Effect at Colleges

can’t finish semester

hungry and can’t focus

EVICTED

The Cascade Effect at Colleges

can’t finish semester

hungry and can’t focus

EVICTED

SparkPoint ServicesServices in these three genera l areas:

1. Work fo rce Prepara t ion | Educa t ion2 . F inanc ia l Capab i l i t y3 . Benef i t s Access | Suppor ts

List o f Resources and Serv ices:• F inanc ia l Coach ing (Budget , c red i t , bank ing , IDA, Debt , e tc . )• Pub l i c Benef i t s access ( resource re fe r ra l and suppor t )• Food Pant ry Access• Career Serv ices and NOVA Job Cente r• Vo lun teer Income Tax Ass is tance (V ITA)• Grove Scho la rs Program• Lega l C l in ic

SparkPoint at Skyline College Outcomes

SparkPo in t a t Sky l ine Co l lege t racks resu l t s in fo l low ing ma jo r ou tcome areas :

• Inc reased Income

• Improved Cred i t

• Reduced Debt

• Bu i ld ing o f Asse ts

• Inc reased S tuden t Pers is tence

Key College (Internal) Partnerships

• SparkPoint is woven into the fabric of the college and written into the San Mateo County Community College District Strategic Plan

• Internal Partnerships are as important as external partnerships (partial list)

• Career Services Center• EOPS/CARE/CalWORKs• ACCEL• Financial Aid• Guardian Scholar Program• TRiO Program• Counselors and Learning Communities• Promise Scholars Program• Dream Center

SparkPoint at Skyline College Service Population

0.2%

19.0%

3.7%

17.3%18.5%

1.6%

20.7%

15.2%

3.7%

0.3%

18.7%

7.9%

13.0%

25.6%

2.7%

13.4%14.7%

3.7%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

Am. Ind./Alaska Native Asian Black - Non-Hispanic Filipino Hispanic/Latino Pacific Islander White Non-Hispanic Multi Races Unreported

SparkPoint Serves a Higher Percentage of Black and Hispanic/Latino Students Compared to the College

College Wide SparkPoint

Launching SparkPoint Centers

• Modeled after the Annie E. Casey Center for Working Families model• Bundling Services leads to increased financial success

• UWBA piloted SparkPoint Centers• Work with participants to reach long term financial goals• Bring together existing service providers with expertise in content

and community (community colleges, CBOs, etc.)

• SparkPoint Oakland launched in 2009

• SparkPoint at Skyline College launched in 2010

Increased College Partnerships• SparkPoint at Cañada College launched in

2015

• SparkPoint Contra Costa partnered with Contra Costa College in 2016

• SparkPoint San Jose launch in partnership with San Jose Evergreen Community College District in 2017

• SparkPoint Marin partnered with College of Marin in 2017

• SparkPoint Oakland partnered with Laney College 2017

SparkPoint Skyline Snapshot• July 1st, 2017 – April 25th, 2018

• Over 300 students served in 25 workshops

• Food Pantry served 406 families for over 3,800 distribution touchpoints

• Over 600 Financial Coaching efforts

• 176 “Clients” served

• 105 “Measurable Clients” served

• 50 Grove Scholars served

• 198 Benefits appointments

SparkPoint Regional Goals

SparkPoint Student Persistence

84%83%

79% 79%

98%

93%

85%

97%

87%86%

80%83%

62%64%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Fall 2011 to Spring 2012 Fall 2012 to Spring 2013 Fall 2013 to Spring 2014 Fall 2014 to Spring 2015

Fall to Spring Persistence Rates: College vs SparkPoint Service Bundlers

1 of 3 SparkPoint Services 2 of 3 SparkPoint Services 3 of 3 SparkPoint Services SparkPoint Avgerage College Wide

87%

Key Takeaways

• SparkPoint is an access, persistence and completion strategy for Skyline College

• SparkPoint is fully integrated into the college and supports student success and lifelong financial wellness

• Clients show better results when taking advantage of bundled services, especially financial coaching & career coachingconcurrently

Thank You

Chad ThompsonDirector

SparkPoint and Career Services at Skyline College

650-738-7038thompsonc@smccd.edu

www.skylinecollege.edu/sparkpoint