More than half of the students who completed the YES Program last year were from Covington County.

The program, Youth Enrichment Services, helped 100 students in Coffee, Covington, Dale and Geneva counties last year, YES Job Pilot Donna Cauley said. Fifty-six of those were from this county.

Cauley said that seven of them earned their GED and 20 of them earned diplomas from James Madison High School, while 18 rolled over to the new year.

She has served 56 so far this year, with three completing their GED and seven earning diplomas and two or three being very close to completion.

The program, which is funded through the Alabama Department of Commerce by the Workforce Investment Opportunity Act, provides participants assistance in overcoming barriers that have contributed to their lack of success in achieving educational and career goals.

YES Program benefits include:

• Free tuition to James Madison High School, which enables those who leave school before earning their high school diploma to receive a diploma.
• GED preparation and testing is paid for by the program.
• Once clients earn a GED or diploma, they can become eligible for financial aid up to $12,000 for higher ed programs – typically technical programs.

The program is designed for high school dropouts, ages 17-24, but 16-year-olds can participate with a court order.

Potential students must have a reading and math level of at least 5.8 to be eligible for the program.

They also target students who are pregnant or have children, are homeless or have a history as a runaway or foster children.

Cauley said all current students are working toward a diploma rather than their GED.

For more info, call 334-393-3783 or 334-881-2312.