What is the Learning Center?
There is a place in our community that welcomes learners of all ages, and helps people develop their career path. Written by Shurie Scheel
Barb Rice has been our County Youth Alternatives Program Director for 10 years, and in that role is a Hot Springs County employee. This program collaborates with various community and state agencies to develop alternatives to traditional punishment. Barb has such a heart for these kids and started asking “What could we do as a community do to help them more?” and asking the youth “What would have to be true for you to be able to get into the career you see yourself in?”, and then Barb takes steps to help them meet those challenges. Youth Alternatives also has a non-profit that is used to accept donations to fund this program. Barb uses this fund to pay for all of the additional services that the youth need but aren’t covered by other entities. One example: If a student needs glasses or contacts in order to be able to study appropriately, the Help Center might fund the glasses but they won’t fund the appointment, so the Youth Alternatives nonprofit fund would pay for that. This collaboration with different organizations and agencies led to partnerships in the community to provide services for these youth and others in a similar situation, and all of those groups are coming together in the Learning Center.
Partner: The County
The County has long been supportive of the Youth Alternatives program. About a year ago, the County entered negotiations with the High Country Behavioral Health (the new owners of the Counseling Center). The County owned their building on Fourth Street, and was negotiating giving it to them with a Quit Claim Deed, and requested a trade for the Common Ground building downtown, as Barb Rice was using this building for some of her Youth Alternatives and other programming. High Country Behavioral Health agreed with this trade, and they signed over ownership of the Common Ground building several months ago. Since that time, the County sponsored a grant to renovate the building and add an elevator. This building is now being called the Learning Center.
Partner: Central Wyoming College
Central Wyoming College (CWC) has been working in the building since they entered an Articulation Agreement with Youth Alternatives and the Help Center in March of 2022 through their College and Career Readiness Center. This program helps get students ready for a career or college, offers career or college exploration and preparation, and can provide assistance in High School Equivalency Testing (HiSET), as well as providing Adult Basic Education. Since August 2023, CWC has funded a part time employee, Dan Blair, who provides tutoring and other connections to services. There are currently 18 students enrolled in this program, but Dan is working with many others in other ways, including helping them with career planning as a Career Navigator. CWC funds not only that salary but also pays for materials and testing for students under 18, and for students who are enrolled in CWC. All students that are in the HiSET program are enrolled students at CWC. CWC also has a program for nursing at Hot Springs Health and provides concurrent and dual enrollment classes to students at the high school. A small cohort of stakeholders have been meeting with Central Wyoming College to further expand the classes and services they offer in Hot Springs County. We are currently in negotiations to get a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the college to use space in the Learning Center building. This MOU will have the college renting part of the Learning Center building, in order to offset most of the County’s predicted expenses for the building. CWC has also agreed to pay for the needed environmental study for the Community Development Block grant, so they already have some “skin in the game.” We had a community stakeholders meeting with community leaders and CWC’s deans of their colleges, in order to determine community buy-in and what needs are most pressing. Over 40 people attended this meeting, and CWC left feeling very excited about the prospects of this facility in our community. We hope that CWC will be able to begin classes in Thermopolis, in addition to offering students needed technology and tech support, and providing career and academic counseling services. The Learning Center will be the home base of CWC in Hot Springs County, but they may hold classes at other facilities as well, if needed, as suitable for their curriculum (such as at the hospital).
Partner: Vocational Rehab and Workforce Services
Workforce Services has been a valuable partner in this program, and this relationship has expanded services offered to participants to help expand their work training. There is even a program to help students under 24 years of age get paid to go to school. We have hopes that Workforce Services may even have an office to provide services in Hot Springs County once we get the building remodeled into usable space.
The Vocational Rehab program helps individuals get over employment barriers. They provide training as needed and help develop a career pathway.
Partner: Parents Helping Parents
This statewide organization is dedicated to helping parents of special needs students navigate and advocate for their children through parent education and advocacy support. They help parents navigate the Special Education process. There are two board members that live in Hot Springs County, as well as their Executive Director, Jacque Frankson. They provide in-person trainings for parents and one-on-one support, in addition to providing a connection to virtual trainings every other week. They are also able to provide parents with a link to, and information about, other resources and support available to them.
Partner: High Country Behavioral Health
In addition to trading the building to the County, High Country Behavioral Health works with the students, if needed, to provide mental health services and counseling, both group therapy and individually. They can help with some addiction issues, if needed, as well. Barb is working on a new program for restorative justice and mediation.
Partner: The Help Center
The Help Center and the Episcopal Diocese have been very valuable partners in the program since the beginning. The Help Center can provide immediate assistance for personal needs (hunger, housing, etc.) and provide assistance to applying for state programs.
Partner: People for People Backpack Program
The People for People Backpack Program is currently providing about 40-75 weekly backpacks of food to students not in the public school system throughout Hot Springs County, which Barb delivers weekly. This is in addition to the food that is available at the Learning Center. If students are hungry, they aren’t able to focus on learning, so we don’t want hunger to be a barrier. The Youth Alternatives youth also volunteer for People for People throughout the year.
Greatest Needs are Transportation
Although through these partnerships, most of the students physical needs are met, there still remain two areas where learners could use assistance. Barb provides a lot of transportation, mostly to and from class. There are a lot of people in Hot Springs County who do not have access to a vehicle. This makes getting to class a lot more difficult, especially in the winter. Barb also provides students rides to and from Riverton, for HiSET testing, as well as other rides around the region for various reasons. The greatest need is a public transportation option, or a van/bus and driver of some kind, to meet these daily transportation needs. If you would be willing to volunteer, please stop by the Learning Center.
What is next?
Right now, we are working to secure the MOU with CWC and plan out what classes have the most need for higher education. We have high hopes that the grant for the remodel will be approved. If so, CWC and the Learning Center will work together to plan out the best use of the space, and what temporary spaces they can use while the work is being completed. There is a new initiative to form a separate non-profit for the Learning Center, so that the programming that is happening there could be officially sanctioned and an MOU would need to be in place with the County for that use of the building as well. This could also help to solidify a lot of the work that is already happening here in an unofficial capacity, to ensure that it is funded ongoing.
How can you help?
There are many ways to get involved. Volunteers are needed and would be appreciated. Come to the Learning Center to find out what options there are. You can also donate money to the programming through their Youth Alternatives not-for-profit. As I said, there is a need for transportation, and all ideas are welcome on that front. In addition, there is a need for a washer and dryer for the Learning Center building, if you had an old set that you would want to donate. We will be seeking board members once the nonprofit is a go, and we will need members to help get the board up and running. If this is a project that interests you, please reach out to Barb Rice, Dan Blair or myself.
