Jillian Boyles knew she liked kids. What she didn’t have, as a high school senior in Columbia, was any real way to find out whether working with them could be a career.
Up to that point, her work experience had been janitorial work. She had a strong interest in early childhood but no way into a classroom, no way to test whether the interest would hold up against the day-to-day reality of the job. That’s the gap the WIOA In-School Youth program was built to close.
Jillian learned about the program through Columbia Public Schools and started on October 21, 2025. The draw was simple: she wanted to explore a career working with children and gain real work experience to build skills and confidence in a professional setting.
The program placed her in a paid Work Experience at Tiger Tots, a local childcare center. There, Jillian worked alongside the staff in a real classroom, assisting with daily activities, interacting with the children, and learning what early childhood education actually asks of the people who do it. It was hands-on, and it was the exact experience she’d been looking for.
The work changed her. Over the course of the placement she grew more confident, sharpened her communication, learned to carry herself professionally, and figured out how to work as part of a team, all skills that transfer to any workplace she steps into next. People in her life noticed the difference.
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She reached two milestones along the way. Jillian earned her high school diploma, and she finished the program on March 18, 2026, with something many young people spend years searching for: proof that the career she imagined was the right fit.
The best sign of that fit is where she is now. Tiger Tots hired her. Jillian is employed at the same center where she did her Work Experience, earning a steady paycheck for the first time and building on the foundation the placement gave her. She left janitorial work behind to do what she actually wanted to do, work with children.
Jillian’s story clearly shows how the WIOA In-School Youth program works when it works well. A young person with an interest and little else gets a real placement, real support, and a real chance to test a career before committing. The support came from several directions: WIOA staff who guided the process, a job coach who worked with her directly, and the supervisors and staff at Tiger Tots who trained her on the floor.
For a student who started with a passion and no path, that’s the whole point: an interest in childcare turned into a first real job in the field.
Way to go, Jillian!
Interested in a program like the one that helped Jillian? The WIOA In-School Youth program serves eligible young people ages 14 to 21 with career exploration, paid work experience, and support toward a diploma and a first job. To learn more, visit the Central Region Job Center or explore youth services at cwdregion.com/youth.