| California State University-Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) will use its Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) grant to create a "Home Child Care Microenterprise Project for a Low-Income Community" in its target area, the City of Cudahy. The project will be spearheaded by the university's Center for Health Partnerships, established in 2000 with an international focus shared by its parent organization, the School of Health. It has provided a variety of programs for and has served as a consultant to government, national organizations, public and private health care agencies, and universities in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America interested in the education of nurses and other health care professionals.
The primary goals of the HSIAC project are to help strengthen the City of Cudahy's economic infrastructure through the development of the home-based childcare microenterprises; improve the status of low- and moderate-income residents through the establishment and maintenance of the home-based childcare microenterprises; provide equal access for Cudahy families to safe, healthy, nurturing, and affordable childcare; and improve the City of Cudahy's ability to attract businesses and new residents because of the availability of high quality and affordable childcare. Cudahy, a severely impoverished community, presents many barriers to residents who might want to start a home-based childcare business, ranging from language and expense to access to capital and lack of business skills. The project will address each of these barriers. It includes English as a Second Language (ESL) classes; bilingual education for childcare providers focusing on safety, health, child development, and nonviolent parenting; and a 6-week small business education class that will address how to write a business plan, access capital, and meet state and local licensing requirements. Ongoing assistance in managing childcare and a small business will be provided.
The City of Cudahy is located between the south-central and south-eastern sections of Los Angeles. The rapid influx of immigrants into this area has placed a great strain on the city's infrastructure. Cudahy is one of the most densely populated areas within Los Angeles County. The average number of persons per household is 4.59, and the median household income is $17,967 per year. California Employment Development 2000 benchmark data shows an unemployment rate of 11.1 percent for Cudahy and its adjacent communities, compared with a rate of 4.8 percent for Los Angeles County overall.
CSUDH is a comprehensive public urban institution located on Los Angeles' southwestern edge. It is the most diverse of the 23 campuses within the California State University system--Hispanics comprise 35 percent of the student population; African Americans 31 percent; Caucasians 22 percent; Asians 10 percent; and Pacific Islanders .7 percent. Eighty-five percent of the student body comes from within a 10-mile radius of the campus. Although the area served by the university includes some of the wealthiest communities in Southern California, students are primarily from ethnically diverse lower income communities in south and south-central Los Angeles. CSUDH's partners in this project include the Elizabeth Learning Center Family and Health Center, St. Francis Medical Center, the LAUSD Huntington Park/Bell Community Adult School, the City of Cudahy, businesses, and other community-based organizations.
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