Smooth Transtion Inc. Receives 2011 Best
of Riverside Award by the U.S. Commerce Association and the 2011 Community Connect Award for Innovation for the County
of Riverside
According to the National
Center for Data Statistics, California has one of the highest high school dropout rates in the country, and these numbers
are the highest in school districts with lower income levels.On a county level, the Inland Empire remains
one of the highest hit areas, and nationally, the highest rates among ethnic groups are 4.3% Native American, 4% Hispanic
and 5.5% Black and Non-Hispanic, with Hispanics dropping out at over 50%.Among those statistics are those
children in the foster care system, who according to the U.S. Department of Education, have twice the dropout rate of their
peers and are less likely to graduate from high school. Most important is nationally 25% of those kids in foster care are
between the ages 15-18 years of age with 46% of those kids living in non-relative foster care homes (please see the statistics
section of this website for more detailed statistics).
Founded in 2009 in response to the many needs in the Inland Empire, Smooth Transition,
Inc. has created a comprehensive Pre-Employment Job Readiness, Financial Literacy, and Life Skills Program that meets
the needs of these at-risk populations on many important levels. Our program is designed to get participants caught
up in the basic life, educational and vocational skills required for learning how to obtain and maintain self-sufficiency
and help break the cycles of poverty.We offer participants a state of the art computer
lab, classrooms and mentorship to ensure that they have the tools they need to progress successfully through the program.All of our courses are accompanied by benchmarks, goals and objectives and each class provides chances for personal
empowerment. Participants are given the chance to celebrate their accomplishments and to share this success with others in
the program.
Our linkage in the local community represents strong working relationships and includes a wide
range of government, nonprofit, community and local service organizations.Our partnership with these entities
helps us provide effective service planning, a better coordination of program services, comprehensive and appropriate referrals,
increased service quality and efficiency.We hold regular events that draw upon the community at large
and generate private support each year, through building relationships with local corporations and businesses.Many of these relationships help provide employment opportunities and work experience to our at risk populations, thus
furthering the goals and objectives of the program.We are committed to efficiency and transparency, thus allowing us
to serve more participants with the resources we have.
Executive Director Robin Goins-Cornell
speaks about the Smooth Transition program
Smooth Transition,
Inc. is a non-profit organization whose goal is to reach at risk teens early and before they drop out of high school or leave
the foster care system. Our work has expanded to include all at-risk populations including displaced adults and
others within the community as a means to help break the cycle of unemployment and poverty We work with them personally,
academically and vocationally, providing hope and guidance in their life decisions and teaching them the life skills they
will need to enter the world, make positive change and meet their life goals. Our team of professionals and educators work
with them and provide them with educational and vocational tools, support and continued mentorship and setting them on their
path to personal success.
