Rialto Unified Students Paid to Teach Through CTE Program Backed by Kaiser Permanente Grant
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Rialto Unified graduates pose with their $1,411.76 scholarship checks after being recognized during the June 25 Board of Education meeting for completing 100 hours of paid work-based learning through the Teach Rialto CTE Teaching Apprenticeship Program. They were joined by the Board of Education, Interim Superintendent Dr. Judy White, District staff including Joseph Williams and Juanita Chan Roden, CTE teacher Jessica Bravo, and Kaiser Permanente representatives Martha Valencia and Daniel Enz.
In the Rialto Unified School District, students aren’t just dreaming about their futures — they’re building them, while enrolled in high school, and earning pay through the District’s Career Technical Education (CTE) program and a generous grant from Kaiser Permanente.
Seventeen recent RUSD graduates were awarded $1,411.76 checks during the June 25 RUSD Board of Education school meeting after earning a grade of B, or higher, in their Career Technical Education (CTE) coursework and completing 100 hours of work-based learning through the District’s Teach Rialto CTE Teaching Apprenticeship Program. Funded by a grant from Kaiser Permanente, the program prepares students for careers in education and childcare while giving them real-world experience.
Smiles and applause filled the room as the graduates were recognized by each Board of Education trustee and Interim Superintendent Dr. Judy D. White.
“This is more than a program — it’s a transformational investment in our students,” Dr. White said. “These checks symbolize more than compensation; they represent belief in our young people’s futures.”
This specific Teach Rialto program is led by Juanita Chan-Roden, Rialto USD’s Director of Science and Career Programs, and supported by Joseph Williams, the Senior Director of Community Partnerships. Together, they helped shape and expand the apprenticeship initiative, blending classroom learning with real-world experience and industry support.
Through their leadership, Teach Rialto offers students hands-on learning, professional certifications, and career exploration that connects education to meaningful, purpose-driven work. Participants earn certifications in CPR, mandated reporting, and child development, and take part in site visits to locations such as Kaiser Permanente’s Fontana Medical Center and the California University of Science and Medicine.
“Our goal is for every senior in a CTE pathway to have access to paid, real-world experience before graduation,” said Williams, a parent in the RUSD, who also serves as Vice Chair of the San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees. “Programs such as these open doors and make success tangible. We appreciate a stable and solid business partnership with Kaiser. This opportunity is about purpose, preparation, and putting students on a path to thrive.”
Kaiser Permanente representatives Martha Valencia, Kaiser’s Community Health Manager, and Daniel Enz, Manager of Government and Community Relations, were both at the televised board meeting to personally congratulate the students and provide the Board of Education scholarship checks to hand out at a dias.
Valencia added, “We are proud to support Rialto USD in launching this innovative effort. Thanks to the leadership of Mr. Joseph Williams, Ms. Juanita Chan-Roden, and staff, we’re helping build a generation of future educators and community leaders. This is how we connect health, education, and opportunity.”
District leaders say this is just the beginning. Through a new partnership with California State University, San Bernardino, the apprenticeship will serve as the foundation for a Registered Teaching Apprenticeship, offering students a long-term, supported path from high school to a career in education.
