The goal of the Urban Teacher Fellowship (UTF) is to prepare youth and adults from low-income communities for employment in the afterschool workforce, and create career pathways leading to teaching careers in Los Angeles County. The program begins by training participants to work in afterschool programs, using this employment as a source of financial support and as a career-linked learning lab for participants as they move through a multi-year sequence from Associate's to Bachelor's degrees and ultimately to a teaching credential. The program includes participation by four pairs of Los Angeles County community colleges and CSUs, as well as support from LAUSD and most major area school districts and afterschool employers. Recognized for its potential as a model to address the looming teacher shortage in California, and to effectively support low-income youth and youth of color in entering teaching at a time when the diversity of the profession is threatened by low enrollments in credential programs, the UTF model has served as the major source of inspiration for the statewide California Teacher Pathway strategy.
A significant portion of Los Angeles County UTF participants enter the program as high-school-age youth at risk for dropout, pushout, and long-term unemployment. Participation of these youth, and the life-changing impact of the UTF program, is made possible through the support of the Everychild Youth Pathway Initiative. The Everychild Foundation has provided significant funding and support for program development and operation over the past four years in order to accommodate the unique needs of under-18, at-risk youth as UTF participants.