Fresno County Superintendent of Schools (FCSS), FUSE, and the Fresno Cradle to Career (C2C) Initiative are collaborating to turn strong partnerships into a more cohesive system for families. Many families, especially in low-income and historically underserved communities, struggle to navigate health, education, and employment systems that operate separately, from prenatal care all the way through workforce participation. Fresno County already has a lot to build on: C2C brings together over 100 partners; the County and FCSS are developing the Fresno County Information Exchange for real-time care coordination; and community health worker, home visiting, and workforce networks are growing alongside state efforts like CalAIM. This two-year fellowship will pull those pieces into a single, actionable strategy.
Starting in Fall 2026, FUSE Executive Fellow Ivonne Der Torosian will lead a listening tour with C2C partners, FCSS, the Department of Public Health, First 5 Fresno County, community organizations, workforce groups, and healthcare providers, and will coordinate closely with Der Torosian placed at the Department of Public Health and First 5. Der Torosian will then map programs and partnerships, identify gaps and redundancies, clarify roles, and build an integrated framework linking healthcare access, workforce development, and data infrastructure. By Fall 2028, deliverables will include that integrated framework, a systems alignment and gap analysis, a funder-ready investment strategy, an implementation roadmap with governance recommendations, and a shared data and measurement framework. These tools will be embedded in existing governance structures so coordination continues after the fellowship ends.
