Jefferson State Community College Southside Training Center Project

In 2020, Jefferson State Community College entered a lease agreement with Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System to lease a vacant child care building in downtown Birmingham. The goal of the downtown location is to provide entry-level healthcare workforce training for St. Vincent’s Health System and build capacity for JSCC’s 2Gen Training Model in partnership with Childcare Resources and The Women’s Foundation of Alabama.

The Women’s Foundation of Alabama has partnered with JSCC for several years to provide the 2Gen Training Model: a vision of The Aspen Institute where healthcare workforce training is offered to parents while their children are enrolled in high-quality child care programs. JSCC will sub-lease the new Birmingham location to Childcare Resources and provide training to parents who have children enrolled in Childcare Resources’ Head Start program.

The Office of Head Start (OHS) works to prepare young children from local low-income families to succeed in both school and life. The Head Start and Early Head Start Programs promote a child’s development through comprehensive early learning, health, and family well-being services. Childcare Resources operates its Head Start Program through a partnership model with local schools, child care programs, and the community. The St. Vincent’s Health System location is licensed to enroll 24 Early Head Start children, and 20 Head Start children.

“The downtown project will truly help us build upon the workforce initiatives that we have already started with St. Vincent’s, and allow us to serve the community in downtown Birmingham,” said Leah Bigbee, Director of Jefferson State’s Center for Workforce Education. “The first training class downtown is underway with 11 students in a Patient Care Technician class. Students will do clinicals with Ascension St. Vincent’s and interview for Patient Care Tech roles at the completion of the class. The collaboration will enable us to serve this need for our community and the healthcare sector.”

For questions or more information about Childcare Resources Head Start Program, visit www.ccr-bhm.org/head-start or call 205-941-6077.

--Submitted by Jill Hoops, Childcare Resources