This three day Institute is designed to provide practical strategies, out of the box ideas, and helpful information to assist MEP recruiters prepare to effectively find and serve eligible students. All information provided can be helpful to know and master prior to the busy recruiting season.
USA
2025
We have speakers from Around the Country : These include
Bethany Alcauter (NCFH), Melissa Schelah (IDRC), Will Messier (NY MEP), Emily Callaghan (NY MEP), Emily Williams (SC MEP), Iggy Campos (NM MEP), Angelica Tackett (IND MEP), Savino Rivera (IN MEP), Tomas Mejia (CO MEP), Isaura Barreto (NE MEP), Jessica Castaneda (IDRC), Marcos De Mateo (IA MEP), Debbie Bourland (KY MEP), Kendra Moesle (NFJP), Sara Stowell (VT MEP), Malena Gutierrez (OH MEP), Emily Cutcliffe (LevelAll, Zuky Au (NM MEP), Bernardo Lopez ( NM MEP)
REGISTER FOR THE CLASSES YOU WANT TO ATTEND.
nONE OF THE CLASSES WILL BE RECORDED.
BELOW IS THE INSTITUTE SCHEDULE.
Join us to learn all about brand new resources IDRC has available. We will also highlight some resources that have been around a little bit longer that were recently updated. These include new self study courses, videos and more!
Jessica Castaneda
8-9 PST, 9-10 MST, 10-11 CST, 11-12 EST 
Join us as we introduce you to the MSIX platform, where we’ll walk you through user roles and permissions, how to navigate the system with ease, and more. This is the first step in mastering MSIX to streamline your recruiting process.
Melissa Schelah 9:15-10:15 PST, 10:15-11:15 MST, 11:15-12:15 CST, 12:15-1:15 EST
Are you comfortable working with farmers? Do you want some practical ideas to help to start working with this very valuable population. Attend this session to learn about tools to make this easier and practical advice that works while in the field.
Debbie Bourland & Jessica Castaneda10:30-11:30 PST, 11:30-12:30 MST, 12:30-1:30 CST, 1:30-2:30
Join us for a beginner-friendly presentation where we’ll explore the essentials of Excel, including practical tips to help recruiters work smarter. We’ll dive into tools like Find and Replace, Password Protection, Removing Duplicates, Printing, and more—everything you need to get started with confidence!
Melissa Schelah11:45-12:45 PST, 12:45-1:45 MST, 1:45-2:45 CST,2:45-3:45 EST
Did you know there’s another association of farmworker service providers that helps farmworker youth (and adults)? It’s called the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, or AFOP. Come meet a representative of AFOP who will share what services they have to offer and how you can collaborate with them for the benefit of farmworkers and your programs. They will also share some compelling excerpts from interviews they’ve conducted with farmworker children in various states.
Kendra Moesle1:00-2:00 PST, 2:00-3:00 MST, 3:00-4:00 CST, 4:00-5:00 EST
Knowing who to look for, where to find them, and how to hold on to them is key for high quality MEP programs. Learn from the experience of two states and how they work to find, train, support and retain staff.
Will Messier & Emily Callaghan & Emily Williams2:15-3:15 PST, 3:15-4:15 MST, 4:15-5:15 CST, 5:15-6:15 EST
Test your knowledge with some new eligibility scenarios. We will cover the basics all the way to some that are a bit more complicated. In addition we will share some training tools to help recruiters hone their skills.
Jessica Castaneda8-9 PST, 9-10 MST, 10-11 CST, 11-12 EST
Join us to learn some techniques and tools to help in reviewing the eligibility history of a family and creating a history map of those moves to ensure no qualifying moves are missed.
Sara Stowell & Malena Gutierrez9:15-10:15 PST, 10:15-11:15 MST, 11:15-12:15 CST, 12:15-1:15 EST
Staying safe is essential for recruiters. Attend this session if you would like to learn some key ideas and actions that recruiters can use to stay safe out in the field.
Angelica Tackett & Savino Rivera 10:30-11:30 PST, 11:30-12:30 MST, 12:30-1:30 CST, 1:30-2:30 EST
In this advanced session, we’ll take your Excel skills to the next level by diving into powerful tools like creating dynamic tables, mastering XLOOKUP, and more. Get ready to unlock new efficiencies and elevate your data management game!
Melissa Schelah11:45-12:45 PST, 12:45-1:45 MST, 1:45-2:45 CST, 2:45-3:45 EST
The National Center for Farmworker Health has excellent resources that can be shared with MEP families and youth. Attend this session to learn more about those resources.
Bethany Alcauter 1:00-2:00 PST, 2:00-3:00 MST, 3:00-4:00 CST, 4:00-5:00 EST
When your program offers quality services the IDR of families and youth is a lot easier. They see value in what you are doing and it makes the program successful. During this session learn about some of the services being provided in the state of New Mexico and Louisiana.
Bernardo Sanchez & Zuky Au & Melanie Mayeau & Jessica Castaneda 2:15-3:15 PST, 3:15-4:15 MST, 4:15-5:15 CST, 5:15-6:15 EST 
During this session we will discuss the current state of MEP, our history, our funding, and looking ahead. We will also look at the history of farmworkers, current trends, and the ever pressing need for the MEP program.
Jessica Castaneda 8-9 PST, 10-11 MST, 11-12 CST, 12-1 EST
It can seem daunting developing a plan to work with Processing Plants. This session will dispel some of your fears as the presenters walk participants through what they do in their state, how they develop partnerships, what tools they use at orientations, and how they work with plant employees.
Isaura Barreto & Marcos de Mateo 9:15-10:15 PST, 10:15-11:15 MST, 11:15-12:15 CST, 12:15-1:15 EST
In this session, we’ll dive deeper into the platform by exploring recruiting-related reports, comparing counts, managing move notices, and more. Get ready to harness the full power of MSIX to enhance your recruiting workflow and make data-driven decisions with confidence!
Melissa Schelah10:30-11:30 PST, 11:30-12:30 MST, 12:30-1:30 CST, 1:30-2:30 EST
Level All is a free online platform designed to help students and families with tools for college planning, career exploration, financial literacy, and life skills.
Emily Cutcliffe 11:45-12:45 PST, 12:45-1:45 MST, 1:45-2:45 CST, 2:45-3:45 EST
There are four Consortium Projects that work with states to provide additional tools and resources for MEP states. Join this webinar to learn about resources from iSOSY and IMPACT.
Tracie Kalic & Michelle Cheney1:00-2:00 PST, 2:00-3:00 MST, 3:00-4:00 CST, 4:00-5:00 EST 
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