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Georgina Perez started completing her online coursework to become an assistant preschool teacher last December — around the same time she began treatment for colon cancer.

“I really thought once (I started my classes), I wasn’t going to be able to continue,” said the mother of three who had always wanted to become an educator.

During a 22-day hospital stay, Perez’s teachers continued to support her and provide extensions when needed. Meanwhile, the nurses respected her time at school — sometimes waiting for a class to be over before coming in to draw her blood.

With the support of her community, she has now achieved her goal.

Perez is one of 99 parents on the verge of becoming educators through the Universal Pre-Kindergarten Career Development Initiative, which helps parents complete the coursework required to take on various teaching positions, ranging from assistants to lead teachers.

The program is a new collaboration between the Los Angeles County Office of Education, UCLA, West LA College, Teachstone, Waldorf University and several local nonprofit organizations and school districts.

Students can decide to complete their coursework at a campus of their choosing, depending on their individual needs.

At UCLA, for example, classes take place asynchronously. But at West LA College, classes are online and synchronous, and students have access to professors and a designated “coach” to support them.

“Our parents come with a perspective that they want the very best for their child,” said Angela Capone, the program manager of workforce development and professional learning at the Los Angeles County Office of Education, also known as LACOE.

Having parents teach in the classroom is important, Capone said, especially as interactions between teachers and other parents become “an exchange of a passion for children.”

The effort comes as California continues to struggle with a  of more than 3,000 teachers. Last year, the state experienced a 16% drop in teaching credentials issued following seven years of increases.

“I hope that what happens is, through these pathways, these folks will go out and share their passion and commitment and excite other people to join the field,” Capone said.

Celebrating parent teachers 

Debra Duardo, the Los Angeles County superintendent of schools, dropped out of high school in ninth grade. But when, at 16, she had a son who struggled with a disability and frequented the hospital, she realized it was time to return to the classroom.

“Having that child really motivated me,” she said. “If I’m going to raise this child and be the best mother I can be, I’m going to go back to school.”

Duardo shared her story with a packed audience at the Santa Fe Springs Town Center Hall on Wednesday — an event celebrating 40 parents who completed a program enabling them to work as assistant preschool teachers.

“Children look at you every single day. They don’t go by your words. They go by your actions,” she said at the “End of the Year Reflections” event themed, “A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with One Step!”

“You have made a decision, your families have made decisions to support you to do this,” LACOE’s chief education officer, Maricela Ramirez, told the crowd. “Not only are you changing your lives, you’re changing your entire families’ lives; you’re changing the lives of children who you haven’t met in future generations.”

Fourteen of the students recognized at the event have already started working in the classroom or will begin later this month.

Martha Rebollar, a mother of two children, is one of those 14. Her son — who used to struggle emotionally — inspired her to learn more about child development. With her family responsibilities, she initially found it unfathomable to pursue a career in education.

But Rebollar’s confidence grew over time. After interviewing for St. Anne’s Family Services, she said she told her mom, “I am 100% sure tomorrow is going to be the first day.”

She secured the job and has been in the classroom for almost a month.

Both Rebollar and Perez said they feel proud and thankful for the wealth of support they received.

“I’ve always pushed my oldest daughter to go to school. I’ve told her to finish what you started: ‘You think it’s a piece of paper; it’s an open door to other things,’” Perez said. “She sees me do it, and she realizes if I can do it, she can do it.”