| Founded in 1928, Yakima Valley Community College (YVCC) is the third oldest community college in Washington State. At least 25 percent of the full-time undergraduate students enrolled at YVCC are Hispanic and at least 50 percent of the Hispanic students are low-income individuals. Most are the first in their families to attend college.
Referred to as the Apple Capitol of the World, the Yakima Valley is a rural agricultural hub. The seasonal nature of the agricultural industry attracts many farm workers who travel to the valley to work in the fields and harvest the crops. Yakima Valley is a temporary home to a large number of migrant workers who specialize in harvests of particular crops. Once the harvest is over, they return home or travel on to another state. During harvest seasons, the community and the schools are greatly affected by the increase in population. There also are many farm workers who have chosen to settle in Yakima Valley and become part of the community.
The total geographic area served by YVCC covers more than 8,500 square miles, including all of Yakima County and portions of two other counties. The community served by the college includes tribal reservation lands, migrant workers camps, and small cities around the area. Situated in south central Washington, apporximately 150 miles from Seattle, Yakima County is the second largest county in Washington with roughly 6.5 of the state's land. YVCC is the only community college in the region. In recent years, the area has suffered a significant downturn as the agricultural markets have softened. Forty-nine percent of the population receives some form of public assistance.
YVCC's Family Resource Center project is based in two cities, Grandview and Yakima. Though separated by 50 miles, the two communities share many attributes. Affected by seasonal jobs contributing to high unemployment rates (15.1 percent for Yakima County), rural poverty is pervasive. Approximately 80 percent of the students at elementary schools in Grandview qualify for free or reduced-rate lunches, compared with 31 percent for the state. Almost 20 percent of the students in the Grandview School District are classified as part of the migrant population. Most of the students are Hispanic, and the schools with the largest minority populations generally have the lowest scores in the state on standardized state tests for basic academic skills. Twenty-six percent of students in Grandview consider English to be their second language.
As with Grandview, Yakima students have state test results significantly lower than state averages, and in fact, significantly lower than the Grandview results. Yakima and Grandview students share the challenges of generational poverty, low literacy attainment, minimal school readiness, and high family underemployment. The educational attainment of adults is extremely low, compounded by limited English proficiency. While rural in identity, Yakima County is challenged by some of the same problems usually found in larger metropolitan areas. Gang activity, drug abuse, and violence are common. The valley is located on the major drug route for transportation of drugs into the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and Alaska.
|
