"Your source for employment news in the Mother Lode"
This week in Mother Lode Works...
- Highlighting local employers looking for employees Childcare Solutions
- Budget tips – evaluating your expenses UI and Stimulus updates
- Local Employers Looking for Employees
Local Employers Looking for Employees We must all follow the governor’s direction to Stay Home at this time, however, the crisis has also led to staffing shortages in particular occupations, and many of us are able to work, and looking for work. Here is a list of places that are actively hiring: - Rite of Passage, San Andreas, CA: This group home/school facility for at risk youth is an essential service, providing care, therapy and education. They are looking for kitchen staff, youth mentors and licensed therapists. View positions for Rite of Passage. - Sierra Pacific Industries, Sonora, CA and Chinese Camp, CA: What does it mean to be part of the Sierra Pacific family? It means you are a valued team member and part of a growing, third-generation family- owned, forest products company built on hard work, innovation, and wise investments. Looking for Laborers, Millwright and Service Technician. View positions for SPI. - Walmart Jackson, CA and Sonora, CA: Both stores are looking for a variety of positions. View positions with Walmart. - Comfort Keepers, various locations throughout the Mother Lode, CA: Looking for CNAs, Home Health Aids and Caregivers for people in their own home. View positions with Comfort Keepers. - California’s Health Corps is Hiring: View positions with the California Health Corps.
Childcare Solutions
Even in the best of circumstances, navigating childcare while employed is challenging. These days it is even more of a juggling act. However, the challenge is being met with grace and compassion because of a sense of shared responsibility. We looked into several scenarios in which individuals are facing childcare needs in this unique time.
First, 9 out of 10 children in the state are not attending school outside the home. While our foothill community has had a large homeschooling contingent with many families doing home-school before the pandemic, that number is now at close to 100%. The challenge is to balance home/school/work life under one roof. Parents have shared strategies that are working for them:
- Establish a Routine – one parent of a 6 year old stated, "We are both working, and drew up a daily hour by hour schedule. I take care of mathematics, science, and English. [Spouse] does worksheets the teacher has provided, sight words, motor skills, and art. I utilize ABC Mouse, the outdoors, Epic, and design my own projects for Z."
- Make the routine work for you – one thing about this change is that the school day doesn’t have to be 8am-3pm. Parents have the flexibility to adjust the teaching time.
- Include chores – there are key skills that children can learn in this time that are not based in traditional school curriculum, like cooking, baking, building- repairing, laundry, gardening and more.
- Second, make the hard decision to not try to do it all. Now might be the time to get the assistance the government is offering and stay home. Even for those in Essential occupations, if childcare is something you cannot access right now, California is making unemployment benefits available. According to edd.ca.gov: If your child’s school is closed, and you have to miss work to be there for them, you may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits.
- Eligibility considerations include if you have no other care options and if you are unable to continue working your normal hours remotely. File an Unemployment Insurance claim and our EDD representatives will decide if you are eligible.
Lastly, most of us are weighing the risks and involving extended family or friends, especially in cases of essential workers. Whenever possible, we are relying on the people closest to us. Like this parent: "Truly, if it wasn’t for having parents available (for now) to help with childcare. I don’t know how I would be making it if I wasn’t able to work from home. My brother who is mostly a single parent has been having to work 10-12 hour days so that he only has to work 2-3 days a week; unfortunately, this isn’t a realistic option for most positions."
Thankfully, there are local services for families with children that are still operating in our areas. For resources in your communities, please see:
Amador County:
The Resource Connection: 209-223-1624
Amador County Unified School District/Office of Education: 209-223-1750
Calaveras County:
The Resource Connection: 209-754-1075
Calaveras County Office of Education: 209-736-4662
Tuolumne County:
Infant and Child Enrichment Resources (ICES): 209-533-0377 Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools: 209-536-2000
Mariposa County:
Infant and Child Enrichment Resources (ICES): 209-966-4474
Mariposa County Unified School District/Office of Education: 209-742-0250
Additional resources:
Visit Children’s Crisis Center of Stanislaus County website.
24 hour Crisis Line Call (209) 577-4413 for immediate help
Paid Family Leave from edd.ca.gov:
If you’re unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional), you can file a Paid Family Leave (PFL) claim. PFL provides up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages because they need time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child. Benefit amounts are approximately 60-70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50-$1,300 a week. If you are eligible, the EDD processes and issues payments within a few weeks of receiving a claim.
Telehealth and virtual appointments are acceptable for a physical examination, but medical certifications are still required.
UI and Stimulus Updates
Governor Newsom announced that CA workers who are receiving unemployment benefits will receive an extra $600 on top of their weekly amount, as part of the new Pandemic Additional Compensation (PAC) initiated by the CARES Act.
California’s UI pulled from the EDD website.
*The EDD saw a 370% increase in UI claims processed over the same week a year earlier.
Budgeting Tips
When facing a major disruption in income sources, it becomes imperative to adjust expenses. Luckily we don’t have to be certified accountants to address our budgeting needs, but we do need to make some hard choices and we do need to make the effort to reach out for help.
Budgeting tools abound on the internet and in free apps. Take the time to review the tools that will work best for you. One resource, Nerd Wallet, evaluates some of the tools available here at nerdwallet.com.
Nerd Wallet suggests using a free budget worksheet to record expenses. Explore other online budget templates to help with a quick check of finances. Estimate how to divide your monthly income using the 50/30/20 rule. 50% of income is for necessary expenses, 30% wants, 20% savings and paying down debt. Read up on how to make a budget. -No matter which tool is used, the following are important steps when trimming expenses. - Review expenses for wants vs needs Cancel unnecessary services - Negotiate with credit card companies for lower interest or debt consolidation -Contact landlord or mortgage company in writing to get lower payments or deferred payments - Watch out for costly payday loan offerings
Next week on Mother Lode Works... -Investing in your resume -Examples of business re-designs -Mental Health Self Care
For more information, contact your local center:
MLJT Amador Center Manager: Annette Email: asolisrios@mljt.org Phone:(209) 223-3341 MLJT Calaveras Center Manager: Emily Email: egraham@mljt.org Phone:(209) 754-4242 MLJT Mariposa Center Manager: Stephanie Email: sleasure@mljt.org Phone:(209) 966-3643 MLJT Tuolumne Center Manager: Pam Email: phughes@mljt.org Phone:(209) 588-1150
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