Creating education path for incarcerated youth: Project Change program led in partnership by community college district, San Mateo County Probation Department and office of education

To Tiffany Cauyong, the juvenile justice program was pivotal in transforming her time as an incarcerated youth into a passion and majoring in administration of justice. 

“Project Change was essential in me bridging that gap between incarceration at such a young age and college,” Cauyong said to trustees. “At a young age, I was not aware, and it was a lot to navigate that whole process without any type of support.” 

The program, the Youth Law Center’s Pathways to Higher Education project and a state fellowship has led Cauyong to see a life’s work based on her lived experiences, she said. She plans to work on “building and bettering systems already in place.” 

“I feel like Project Change, the Youth Law Center, it’s essential in spaces like juvenile halls and for any youth that’s currently struggling within the system,” Cauyong said. 

In May 2025, a graduation inside the Youth Services Center for Hillcrest School celebrated three students who completed associate degrees for transfer while inside — two are going to Sonoma State University and one at San Francisco State University. 

Five other graduates celebrated finishing high school while in the facility — all of which are matriculating in Skyline College. 

“They keep going because we met them in the facility and we’re getting them to transfer,” Aaron McVean, vice chancellor of Education Services and Planning, said. 

Project Change was first established at the College of San Mateo in 2013, and the success of the program led to the program’s expansion at each of the three district’s campuses. The program is sustained largely by grants funded by the state’s Rising Scholars Juvenile Justice Program. The College of San Mateo, Skyline College and Cañada College all participate in coordinating and offering classes at Hillcrest, the court school within the county’s Youth Services Center, or juvenile hall. 

There are currently 111 students in Project Change across the three colleges, and the majority of students receiving the support are underrepresented minorities. 

The program’s success has extended far beyond San Mateo County, as well, McVean said. 

In 2022, the state allocated an ongoing $15 million to community college systems for juvenile justice programming. More than 40 colleges throughout the state have a program based on the model of Project Change. 

Further state legislation has required probation officers to offer higher education opportunities for incarcerated youth and for programs to be able to offer dual enrollment credits, McVean said. 

At Hillcrest, the school within the Youth Services Center, students are offered college level transferable courses, tutoring, workshops, matriculation services and dedicated counselors at each of the colleges that go into the facility. 

While the program supports career technical education programs, a key focus on Project Change is ensuring students can continue with a degree or transfer, because “we do not want to limit the students in their experience,” McVean said. 

“This has to be for transfer, to give the students the options, because they can go anywhere they want to,” McVean said. 

The juvenile detention facility has a capacity for 180 youth, but the average daily populations are usually far lower, averaging at 64 a day in 2018. The goal of many is to make the facility unnecessary, McVean said. 

“If we have the right alternatives in place, I strongly believe that the need for that goes away,” McVean said. 

Chief Probation Officer John Keene has been a critical supporter of Project Change, McVean said, and there are many hurdles to navigate when integrating the educational and justice systems. 

“These two systems were never meant to go together,” McVean said, and Keene “removes barriers every single semester.” 

Looking ahead, the district and its partners are looking to expand the program’s reach and look into “less restrictive programs” which would allow students to be furloughed from the juvenile hall facility to attend a class in person on campus, McVean said. 

Another area of interest is establishing student housing dedicated for students within the juvenile justice programs, similar to what is provided at Sonoma State University. 

This proposition piqued the interest of Trustee John Pimentel, who said the option should be considered within the incoming student housing development at the College of San Mateo’s campus.

“It’s something we ought to put on the front burner before we execute the construction,” Pimentel said. 

When asked what else the district and Board of Trustees can do to interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline, McVean said an increase in presence in educational spaces is critical. 

Following the presentation, trustees also approved two memorandums of understanding with the San Mateo County Office of Education and the San Mateo County Probation Department for continuing services.