Real Training, Life Changing

Real Training, Life Changing is an understatement for what goes into the program design at Brighton Center's Center for Employment Training. As a trainee you are not only provided with an opportunity, you are given tools that enable you to build a foundation and re-design your life. 

There is safety and security in these walls, we learn to trust and build confidence, enabling us to unlock hidden talents. As a graduate of this program, I’ve shared in many victories. It's amazing to witness the evolution of a person. Celebrating the success of others gives hope to those who are new to this journey. Often we think we need to make drastic changes to our lives, we are always waiting for the perfect time.

In reality, the time is now and the only thing we need to change is the way we view ourselves, the rest will follow. You can go anywhere to learn a trade, but very few places provide a platform that allows you to take your power back from situations that kept you down.

CET has been a home for those who didn’t have one and family for many who felt alone. 

I’ve seen people afraid to attempt their GED, find the motivation to combat their fears and be successful. Working with a Success Coach you learn to be your own change agent. Resources aren’t just provided, you are coached on how to navigate, advocate, and utilize the services available. You don’t have to feel like you're asking for a handout, it's because of your dedication and hard work that these services are available. 

As a former Success Coach, I know the value of building healthy relationships and learning to speak the emotional language of each person you work with. Barriers are removed, but not because we do it for people. Instead, we guide and empower individuals to do it for themselves. 

As a Skill Instructor, I am grateful there are no entry requirements for training. I have worked with some of the most brilliant minds who might not have made it past an entrance exam. Many have gone on to pursue higher education and credit their confidence and success to the foundation they built at Center for Employment Training. I give all the credit to the individuals who found success within these walls. 

As a trainee, I always thought there was something magical about this program. So many people have beaten the odds against them, stabilized their situation, and have successful careers. 

After 11 years of working here, I realize the magic isn't just in the program; It's in the people; the staff and customers alike. Most people just need a chance, they need someone who is patient and willing to do things differently. To have magic you have to believe, and we believe in our customers. 

Jonika graduated from the Medical Assisting program at Center For Employment Training in 2006 and became an employee as a Success Coach a year later. She has since become a Skill Instructor for both the Medical Assisting and Health Administration Technology skill divisions.  

"The many services and kindness I received as a trainee, is what made me want to be a part of the agency. I often would sit back and think how amazing it would be to work here, also knowing what our customers go through having lived it myself. I truly feel sharing my story with them, lets them know that they can be successful in this." 

To enroll or learn more call (859) 491-8303 ext. 2201 or visit http://www.bccet.org/ 

College Not For You? We Have a Fast-track, Debt-free Solution to a Career!

By: Tom Haggard

Workforce Development Director at Brighton Center 

For many young people in our community, the summer months are a time of relaxing at the pool, fun family vacations and staying up late and making memories with friends. However, for those young people who just graduated from high school this past spring – the summer months can be filled with deadlines, paperwork, and anxiety. 

After spending years working on college prep courses, applications, essays, entrance exams and so much more; between 10 – 40% of accepted students never make it to campus in the fall according to the Strategic Data Project out of Harvard University, becoming victims of what researchers have called the summer melt. Unfortunately, these rates can be even higher for students from low and moderate-income families. The time between high school graduation and walking onto a college campus in the fall can seem like forever with all kinds of potential roadblocks and distractions along the way. 

That’s where Brighton Center’s Center for Employment Training is here to help. 

While we know that a traditional four-year university is not for everyone, we also know that by as early as next year (2020) – 65 percent of all jobs in our economy will require some form of postsecondary education or training. The Center for Employment Training is designed to serve anyone who wants real training with life-changing results.

We offer training programs in some of the most in-demand careers in our community - Medical Assisting, Health Technology Administration as well as Business & Computer Technologies. Consequently, CET does not have entry requirements unlike most colleges, universities, or other training institutions. You are treated as an individual with unique aspirations, needs, and abilities. Training is short-term and intensive—our goal is to get you into a career as quickly as you are qualified. You have a dedicated team wrapped around to provide support – a Skill Instructor to help you learn the basics of the career you want, a Success Coach to help you navigate whatever life throws your way during training and a Career Coach to help you attain your new dream job.

In addition, we partner with the Newport Adult Learning Center to offer GED and adult education services on-site as well as a Financial Wellness Coach to help you improve your credit and build your net worth. Our program is also open-entry, so a young person (or anyone!) can graduate from high school on Friday night and start training for their career on Monday morning – eliminating the summer melt. Last, but not least, the Center for Employment Training is a debt-free education so you won’t be saddled with the thousands of student loan debt as you embark on your first career. 

We’d love to tell you more about how we can help you achieve your goals, so please stop by an Information Session – no appointment necessary. We are here every Tuesday at 10 a.m. and every Thursday at 2 p.m. to give a tour and answer your questions. Our campus is conveniently located at 601 Washington Avenue; Suite 140 in Newport, KY.

Our Region is filled with Untapped Young Talent

By Talia Frye, Workforce Innovation Director, Brighton Center, Inc.

Did you know that over 6,000 young adults (ages 16-24) currently living in the eight counties of Northern Kentucky are not connected to employment or education? That’s right – today, there are thousands of young adults across Northern Kentucky who are not working and are not in school. This population is known as Opportunity Youth.  

According to the Opportunity Index, in Northern Kentucky during 2016, there were 6,490 Opportunity Youth, with the majority (5,380 or 82%) in Campbell, Kenton, and Boone Counties.  Concurrently, Northern Kentucky has the lowest unemployment rate in Kentucky at 3.6% (February 2019) and the state needs to annually add 165,000 workers to the labor force to meet national labor participation rates.  Every person on the sidelines of our labor force is desperately needed to ensure economic vitality in our region.  The education and employment needs for Opportunity Youth are crucial. 

What we believe to be true is that our young adults are not lacking talent nor are they lacking motivation; in fact, today’s young adults are extremely intelligent and possess many of the critical skills sought after by regional employers, who are in desperate need to fill open positions. So, what’s the solution?

One thing is for certain – the Kentucky Career Center, Northern Kentucky’s largest, most comprehensive workforce development resource, is assuming a major role in addressing the issue.

  

Brighton Center’s Youth Talent Development Services, a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program funded by Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, works with Opportunity Youth to connect them to in-demand training and/or internships at local businesses in the most high demand sectors.  Youth are comprehensively supported by their Workforce Coach who can link them to resources in the community that are impeding their ability to get connected to the workforce including housing, transportation, mental health, and other basic needs. Youth Talent Development Services also partners with local high schools to provide in-demand sector exploration events, resume workshops, and mock employment interviews.

In addition to Brighton Center’s program, Job Corps is also present at the Kentucky Career Center and offers a different career training pathway, for 16-24 year olds, which includes a residential component. Job Corps graduates either enter the workforce or an apprenticeship, move on to higher education, or join the military. For more information about Job Corps, visit www.recruiting.jobcorps.gov.

We have every reason to be optimistic, even excited, about the future of our workforce because we have a pool of young talented individuals who are eager to make an impact in the world. And, we have an array of excellent workforce development resources available to help them do just that. We simply need to do a better job connecting the two.

For more information about Youth Talent Development Services offered at the Kentucky Career Center, contact Eric Owsley at eowsley@brightoncenter.com or (859) 292-2642.

The Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (NKWIB) drives the work of the local Kentucky Career Center system to prepare and connect qualified job seekers to the hiring needs of regional employers. For more information, visit www.nkcareercenter.org/workforce-investment-board.

The local Kentucky Career Center (KCC) system is Northern Kentucky’s largest, most comprehensive, workforce resource serving job seekers and employers through a collaboration of 13 partner organizations.  Kentucky Career Centers are located in Covington, Florence, Carrollton, and Williamstown.  For more information, visit: www.nkcareercenter.org.

Volunteer Appreciation

April is volunteer appreciation month and we have a lot of reasons to be appreciative.

1,817 reasons to be exact!

Did you know that the national average dollar value per volunteer is $24.14 an hour? That is a huge impact and savings! Because of the generosity of others who volunteer, we are able to provide programming and services that might not be available otherwise.

Volunteers provided important support to programs by:

• Helping to stabilize families who are experiencing a crisis
• Providing experiences to youth to build leadership and reach their fullest potential
• Providing necessary supports in our Early Childhood Education programs to help children reach developmental milestones
• Providing free tax preparation that puts refunds back into the hands of hard-working NKY families
• Providing assistance with resumes and conducting mock interviews with individuals seeking employment
• Providing vital support to women on their path to recovery

Here is the incredible impact volunteers made in FY19 alone!

These volunteers helped Brighton Center serve 43,736 individuals through 41 programs on their path to long term self-sufficiency! We simply could not do this without our volunteers!

Want to make a difference and volunteer at Brighton Center? Click Here

The Mind of a Single Parent at Northern Kentucky Scholar House

By: Lela Rankins, Case Manager at Northern Kentucky Scholar House 

Morning

I have to get up

I have to wake the kids up

I have to get the kids dressed

I have to feed the kids

I have to get myself dressed

I have to take the kids to school

I have to get to the daycare

I have to get to school

Afternoon

I have to concentrate in class
I have to meet my group for our class project
I have to get to work
I have to pick up the kids

Evening

I have to pick up the kids

I have to cook dinner

I have to do homework

I have to study for a test 

I have to help the kids with homework

I have to give the kids a bath

I have to get the kids to bed

I am so glad that I live at Northern Kentucky Scholar House...I need the support.

Being a single parent is often a monumental task but being a single parent while also trying to better your life through higher education is on an entirely different level.

That is where the support of Northern Kentucky Scholar House (NKSH) comes into play. NKSH, a partnership between Brighton Center and Neighborhood Foundations, is part of a comprehensive statewide, two-generation self-sufficiency initiative for single-parent families. The program provides affordable housing, child development services, and case management support as parents pursue a degree in higher education.

And while the program takes away the two largest barriers for parents, childcare, and housing, there are many more that are addressed along the way.

Since the first set of families moved in during the Fall of 2015, staff have worked to create a community atmosphere while offering support, additional resources, and often acting as a cheerleader for single parents and their children. Learning to navigate the multiple challenges of caring for children alone, working, going to school, and keeping up with daily life takes determination and will power. All of which, the families we serve fight to demonstrate on a daily basis.

It is a long-term journey that often breaks the multi-generational cycle of poverty and instead sets families and future generations up for a chance to make their dreams come true and not worry about how bills are going to get paid or where their next meal will come from or if they will have a roof over their heads tomorrow. 

Although it's bittersweet to say goodbye to families, it’s also beyond rewarding to see a family move on to the next chapter of their lives and not need NKSH anymore because they have achieved their dream of completing higher education and can support themselves and their children.

To learn more about Northern Kentucky Scholar House Click Here

To support the 2-generational life, changing work at Northern Kentucky Scholar House Click Here

Youth Homelessness

Youth Homelessness.

It’s one of those phrases that seems almost hard to believe actually exists. And yet, it does, and the numbers are staggering.

Kentucky leads the U.S. in the rate of child homelessness based on 2016-17 data

•  28,650  children, nearly 7% of the state’s public school students, are living in a homeless shelter, motel or campground, car, outside, or staying with relatives or friends
•   5,964 or 21% of these youth are in Northern Kentucky

Since 1983 Brighton Center has run the only 24/7 homeless shelter in Northern Kentucky, Homeward Bound, for teens ages 11-17. The shelter provides immediate access to a safe place for teens along with basic necessities, counseling, therapy, life skills, and support in finding a safe living arrangement.

Our Impact Last Year

370homeless and runaway youth received crisis services and 84 were served residentially

286youth received crisis intervention services through the hotline or accessing shelter for non-residential services

94%of runaway and homeless youth received exit counseling to ensure safe living arrangements

93%of youth admitted to shelter care remained in their home school

You can help support these teens and our Homeward Bound Shelter by attending Mardi Gras for Homeless Children on Tuesday, March 5, which is the only annual fundraiser that supports the shelter. You can also visit our Amazon wishlist here to purchase needed items. 

Tax Time Tips & A FREE Tax Preparation Resource

Did you know Brighton Center offers FREE Tax Preparation?

Our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) assists with the preparation of tax returns through trained and certified volunteers for families with incomes of $66,000 or below. 

You may be wondering how the partial government shutdown affects tax return season. 

Here is what the IRS has confirmed as of today. 

• Tax return processing will begin on January 28^th 
• The filing deadline is April 15, 2019 
• Tax refunds will be issued within 10 to 14 days once filed and approved except for individuals who qualify for the Earn Income Tax Credit (EITC).  
• EITC returns will be processed starting 2/15/19 and refunds are expected to be issued by 2/28/19.

2019 Tax Law Reform Major Changes - as provided by the IRS

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is the first major change to the American tax system in 30 years. Many of the new tax rules are expected to benefit taxpayers – especially in the early years of the act. Just how much your taxes will go down in 2019 depends on many factors, and your family situation will definitely impact how much (or how little) your refund will go up. Here is a list of the tax law changes affecting taxpayers with dependents in 2018. For additional tax law changes please go to www.IRS.gov.

1) Changes to the Child Tax Credit 

If you took advantage of the child tax credit in 2017, you were able to claim a $1,000 credit on your income tax return for each child under 17 who qualified. For 2018, that deduction has doubled to $2,000 per qualifying child.

The child tax credit was nonrefundable before the Tax Reform. Now, the refundable portion is equal to 15% of your earned income over $2,500, up to $1,400. To estimate how much of the refund you would receive, you can use the following equation:

(Your salary - $2,500) x .15

In order for your child to qualify for the new credit, they must meet all of the requirements on the Child Tax Credit Test.

Child Tax Credit Test

• The child must be under age 17. More precisely, your child must have been 16 years or younger on the last day of 2018.
• The child must be related to you. This includes your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, your grandchild, niece or nephew, or legally adopted child.
• You must claim the child as a dependent on your federal tax return.
• The child must be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, or a U.S. resident alien with an SSN.
• The child must have lived with you for more than half of the tax year. Note: there are exceptions to the residency test, such as absences related to school, vacation, military service, and medical care.
• The child must not provide more than half of his or her own support.

The new child tax credit eventually phases out for married taxpayers filing jointly with an income of $400,000 ($200,000 for all other taxpayers).

 

2) A $500 Credit for Dependents Age 17-24

If your child does not qualify for the Child Tax Credit because they are over 17, they may still be eligible for a $500 credit under the new law. The credit also applies for dependents who are elderly or disabled.

3) Changes to the personal exemption and standard deduction

If you filed your taxes in 2018, you should have received a personal exemption of $4,050 for yourself and each of your dependents. Your personal exemption was subtracted from your taxable income in addition to your standard or itemized deductions.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has eliminated this exemption, but it has increased the standard deduction to $24,000 for married filing joint, $12,000 if you are a single filer and $18,000 for Head of Household. For families with few children, this could be good news. But if you have several children or your dependents are over age 17, this could mean that more of your income is taxable. Fortunately, the tax law changes did lower income tax rates for most Americans.  You can review the current Brackets at www.IRS.gov.

4) Restrictions to homeowner deductions

Homeowners especially will feel the effects of the new tax rules. If your family bought a home in 2018, you might be considering itemizing your deductions. In that case, be aware that under the new tax laws, the amount you can deduct for state and local tax deduction is now capped at $10,000. There are also limits to how much you can deduct for home mortgage interest and home equity loan interest. Learn more about the tax law changes specifically affecting homeowners here.

5) Changes to alimony deductions

This law won't take effect until Jan. 1, 2019, and it won't change at all for you if your divorce was finalized prior to Dec. 31, 2018. In other words, when you file your taxes for 2018, you will still be able to deduct alimony paid out. Likewise, if you are the recipient of alimony, you will need to include those payments in your taxable income for 2018.

If your divorce is finalized or you modify your alimony agreement on or after Jan. 1, 2019, then alimony payments cannot be deducted from the payer's taxable income for 2019. If you are the one receiving alimony, it should not be reported as part of your taxable income.

6) Expanding the 529 savings plan

For many parents, saving money to send kids to college is a priority - but nowadays, even putting your kids through kindergarten can get expensive! If you have been saving money for higher education, you probably chose the most tax-advantaged plan available to you. If you went with a 529 savings account, there are new advantages under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). With the old tax laws, your 529 could only be used at eligible colleges and universities. Under the new TCJA, you can use your plan to cover up to $10,000 per year of qualifying expenses for any school and any grade from kindergarten through 12th as well. That includes public, private, and religious institutions.

7) Changes to the kiddie tax

The kiddie tax applies to children under age 19 and college students under age 24 who have unearned income over $2,100. Unearned income can mean dividends, capital gains or interest on investments. Following the tax law changes, qualifying income will be taxed at the rate for trusts and estates on the return you file in 2019. Those rates are:

Interest and Short-Term Capital Gains	Long-Term Capital Gains and Dividends
Up to $2,550 = 10%	Up to $2,600 = 0%
$2,550 - $9,150 = 24%	$2,600 - $12,700 = 15%
$9,150 - $12,500 = 35%	Over $12,700 = 20%
Over $12,500 = 37% IRS Withholding Calculator: https://apps.irs.gov/app/withholdingcalculator/ (Verify your payroll withholding with this link)

For additional information please visit: www.IRS.gov