The Basic Skills & Transitional Studies Division provides varied educational opportunities for adults and families to address their diverse academic, occupational, personal, cultural, and literacy needs. Within the division are seven programs:

• Adult Basic Education (ABE)
  Consists of two main areas of focus, instruction in reading, writing, and math to serve the needs of students who lack these basic skills, and GED preparation for those students preparing to take the GED test.
• Developmental Education
  Provides classes for students who possess a high school diploma but are not yet ready for college level English, math, or reading and also provides transfer-level classes addressing student success.
• Early Childhood Education (ECE)
  Provides students with skills needed to work in a variety of early childhood settings.
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
  Offers instruction to non-native English speaking students to develop or improve their English language skills.
• I-BEST 
  Designed to provide educational access and support for Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) students to progress further and faster along career pathways. I-BEST pairs ABE/ESL and professional-technical instructors in the classroom to concurrently advance student gains in basic and professional-technical skills. Classes are in programs that build toward degrees and/or certificates and prepare students for employment.
• Parenting & Early Learning
  Parenting classes where parents and children (from birth to 5-years-old) attend class together.
• WorkFirst 
  A Washington state program whose primary goal is to assist TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) recipients and low-income working families become self-sufficient. WorkFirst programs at CBC assist in this effort by providing training, tuition, and book assitance for parents to get a job, keep a job, and to move up a career ladder.
• Worker Retraining 
  Designed to assist indviduals with tuition who are seeking to upgrade job skills or pursue a new career in a professional/technical field considered "in demand" in the Benton-Franklin region. CBC has more than 40 different professional/technical programs ranging from accounting to welding.

Classes are taught both on campus and at community locations. The division also includes a Learning Opportunities Center, a workplace component, WorkSource, integrated vocational training, and literacy tutoring. Technology is used extensively throughout the division.

The Basic Skills & Transitional Studies Division also offers an Opportunity Grant for eligible students:

• Opportunity Grant
  Eligible students may receive funds to cover tuition/mandatory fees and up to $1,000 for books and supplies for 45 college credits. Support services such as tutoring, career advising, college success classes, emergency child care, and emergency transportation are also part of the Opportunity Grant program.

Programs/Disciplines

• Adult Basic Education/GED
• Developmental Education
• Early Childhood Education 
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• I-BEST
• Opportunity Grant
• Parent Education & Early Learning   
• WorkFirst
• Worker Retraining