High School Equivalency Program (HEP)
About the High School Equivalency Program (HEP)
The High School Equivalency Program (HEP) serves migrant/seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs), including their spouse and dependents, with supplemental support and resources in an effort to assist them with earning their GED (General Equivalency Diploma) or High School Diploma.
How will HEP help me?
Participants receive academic advising, financial assistance, college‑transition support, and occupational training services to help them succeed. High School/GED tuition is fully covered by the HEP program.
Classes are available every quarter (fall, winter, spring, summer), and you can start anytime! Credits can be transferred from past high school classes, college classes and/or other prior learning experiences can be counted toward your BBCC HS diploma. Many successful residents of North Central Washington have completed their HS diplomas at Big Bend.
All HS+ students have the opportunity to walk in the BBCC Graduation Ceremony
Am I eligible for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP)?
You may qualify to participate in HEP if you answer “yes” to the following:
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I can provide documentation for myself or my immediate family members living in the same household who have worked a minimum of 75 days during the past 24 months as a migrant or seasonal farm worker. (Includes production of crops, dairy products, poultry, livestock, cultivation or harvesting of trees, and fishery.)
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I am at least 18 years of age. (If age 19 or younger, I can provide a release form from the last school district I attended.)
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I have not earned a High School diploma or GED.
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I can demonstrate competency to complete Washington State High School Diploma Requirements and earn a Big Bend Community College High School Diploma.
How to Get Started
Please Contact Us to schedule a meeting at (509) 793-2304 or HEPinfo@bigbend.edu. We’ll help with every step along the way.
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Gather documents that prove you are an eligible migrant/seasonal farmworker such as pay stubs, W-2 forms, and/or an existing Certificate of Eligibility (COE) issued by the Title I Migrant Education Program, and/or a copy of the eligibility certificate for the OIC/WIA 167 (JTPA 402) Youth Program.
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If under 18 years old, you will also need to provide a Request for Approval to Test signed by the last school you attended.
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Collect your high school transcripts, records of previous training, and employment or volunteer documentation. This will allow you to begin the program sooner and reduce the number of credits required to complete your diploma.
Seasonal farm work is an agricultural activity related to the production of crops, dairy products, poultry, livestock, tree logging, fishing, and so forth on a temporary or seasonal basis.
Migrant farm work is similar to seasonal farm work in that it includes the same agricultural activities (production of crops, dairy products, poultry, livestock, tree logging, fishing, and so forth) but also requires travel that keeps an employee from returning to a permanent home within the same day.
Examples of typical activities that are directly related to the production of crops include: planting; cultivating; weeding; pruning; thinning; fertilizing; and harvesting any type of crop. Similarly, raising, caring for, or milking dairy cattle; working in hatcheries; producing chickens, turkeys or other poultry; raising cattle, sheep, or other livestock are examples of activities related to the production of dairy products, poultry or livestock.
What are some examples of forestry work? The program will accept activities directly related to the cultivation or harvesting of trees. Cultivating or harvesting of trees includes soil preparation, planting, tending, pruning, and felling, tree cutting, bundling, and planting seedlings for restoration of forests.
What is the Migrant Education Program, Title I, Part C? The Migrant Education Program, Title I, helps a migrant child who is, or whose parent or spouse is, a migratory agricultural worker; defined as a person who, in the preceding 36 months, has moved from one school district to another, or from one administrative area to another within a State that is comprised of a single school district, in order to obtain temporary employment or seasonal employment in agricultural work, including dairy work. Eligibility for MEP is determined by the state Migrant Education Program.
Our staff speaks Spanish and English
Email: bedainfo@bigbend.edu or HEP@bigbend.edu
Phone: (509) 793-2304
Address: 7662 Chanute Street NE (Bldg. #3700), Moses Lake WA, 98837
Meet Our Staff
