Will my CalWORKs WTW hours be met if I enroll in GED classes or community college?

Yes, both GED and college classes can count toward your WTW hours, but you need to get them approved as part of your WTW plan first! Don't just enroll without telling your worker or it won't count. Ask your worker for a WTW2 form to add education to your plan. For GED, they'll usually approve it pretty easily. For college, it has to be a program that leads to employment. Make sure to also request the study time hours - you can get credit for study time at a 1:1 ratio (1 hour study time for each hour in class). Once approved, your classes + study time + part-time work can fulfill your weekly requirement.

college worked 4 me but u gotta get it aproved first. my worker was super picky about what classes i could take. had to be somthing that leads to a job quick like medical assistant or IT stuff. they dont like general ed classes unless ur in a specific program. also watch out cuz they only give u 24 months for education/training out of ur 48 months total on calworks

Just be careful. When I was on CalWORKs last year and tried to do the college thing, my worker made it SUPER difficult. Kept saying my classes weren't "vocational enough" and only approved 1 out of the 3 classes I was taking. Then they messed up my childcare hours because they only counted the approved class. The whole system is designed to make you fail! They don't actually want you to get education and improve your situation. They just want to check boxes.

Education activities are definitely allowed under CalWORKs WTW requirements. Here's what you need to know: 1. Adult education (like GED) and vocational training can count as core activities 2. College coursework can count as non-core activities in most cases 3. You need an approved Welfare-to-Work plan that includes your education 4. You can get supervised study time counted at a 1:1 ratio 5. Self-initiated programs (SIPs) have special rules if you were already enrolled before CalWORKs You'll need to submit verification of enrollment, attendance sheets, and make progress to keep it counting. Work with your worker to update your WTW2 plan before enrolling.

To answer your question about core vs non-core: CalWORKs requires a certain number of your weekly hours (usually 20 out of 30/35) to be "core" activities. GED classes count as core, but college classes are usually non-core unless they're vocational training. That's why many people do a mix of work (core) and college (non-core) to meet requirements.

I've been trying to reach my worker for TWO WEEKS to ask about adding college classes to my WTW plan and it's impossible. Either busy signal or being on hold for hours only to get disconnected. My classes start next week and I'm panicking that I'll get sanctioned if I don't get this approved first. Has anyone found a way to actually get through to their worker?

Update: I finally got through to a worker this morning! She said GED classes would definitely count, and I could get college approved too but it depends on the program. She's sending me the forms to update my WTW plan. Thanks everyone for your help!

nobody mentined but u can also do online classes at some places. thats what im doing cause i have 3 kids at home. my worker counted my zoom classes + they gave me 10 hrs of study time each week. just make sure the school can track ur attendance somehow or they mite not aprove it

Just wanted to add that if you're having trouble reaching your worker, you can also visit the office in person to submit your WTW plan update request. I know it's a pain, but sometimes showing up physically gets faster results than trying to call. Also, once you get education approved, make sure you understand exactly what documentation they need from you each month. My county wants class schedules, attendance records, and grade reports every 30 days. Missing any of these can cause them to stop counting your hours even if you're doing great in school. Good luck with whatever path you choose - education really can open doors!