September 2024 Employee of the Month

It is with pleasure that we honor Nellie Garza-Castillo, Area Supervisor in Safe & Healthy Kids, as the September 2024 Employee of the Month.

Nellie has been an inspiration to many people, always going above-and-beyond doing things for children and the community primarily in Riverdale. She started with FCSS as a Paraeducator and was promoted to other positions over time, culminating in Area Supervisor. The increase in responsibility is due to her dedication, commitment, hard work and passion for expanded learning.

In Riverdale, she built programs at the elementary and middle school that met the community’s needs and provided enrichment opportunities for students. During Covid, she and her team ensured students had the materials needed to participate in the online expanded learning program. 

Nellie was Site Lead of the Year in 2016. The following year, Fipps Primary School in Riverdale was also Program of the Year. She was chosen for this honor because she was the most creative with her programs. She never used the excuse of having a small budget as a reason to not do the most, instead, she leaned on the community and partnerships for donations and help.

In her current role, Nellie supports the programs in Coalinga-Huron Unified School District. This was a new role to the department, and she was ready to jump right in and immerse herself in the district to ensure their families and students are receiving the best service from expanded learning. Having Nellie in Coalinga-Huron has strengthened the communication and collaboration between the department and the district.