East Bay CNA Academy was founded with a simple mission: to provide high-quality, affordable, and career-focused Certified Nursing Assistant training to the East Bay community. Built by healthcare professionals who understand the real needs of today’s workforce, our academy prepares students with the skills, confidence, and compassion required to thrive in long-term care, hospitals, rehabilitation, and home-health settings.

Located in Concord, California, our program follows the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Nurse Assistant Training and Assessment Program (NATAP) standards, offering 160 hours of comprehensive training—including 60 hours of classroom instruction and 100 hours of hands-on clinical experience. Our goal is to graduate competent, confident CNAs who are ready for immediate employment in a rapidly growing healthcare field.

Who we are

Edgar Giron, LVN

Founder, Program Administrator & Instructor

Hi, I’m Edgar Giron, LVN, founder and instructor of East Bay CNA Academy.

I bring 20 years of healthcare experience to the classroom, including hands-on experience in home health and long-term care. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of caring for patients, supporting families, and working alongside healthcare teams in real-life care settings. That experience has shown me how important CNAs are to patient safety, comfort, dignity, and daily care.

I created East Bay CNA Academy because I wanted to offer CNA training that feels personal, supportive, and realistic. My goal is to help students feel confident, prepared, and proud as they begin their healthcare careers.

I believe good caregivers are built through practice, encouragement, patience, and high standards. At East Bay CNA Academy, students can expect hands-on training, real-world guidance, and a learning environment where they are treated with respect.

April Giron, RN, BSN

Program Director

April Giron, RN, BSN, serves as the Program Director for East Bay CNA Academy.

April brings 17 years of nursing experience to the program, with a strong background in skilled nursing, medical-surgical nursing, outpatient surgery, and her current role as an advice nurse. Her experience has given her a well-rounded understanding of patient care across different healthcare settings, from bedside care to patient education and clinical guidance.

Throughout her nursing career, April has seen the important role CNAs play in patient comfort, safety, communication, and dignity. She believes that strong CNA training begins with compassion, professionalism, and hands-on learning.

At East Bay CNA Academy, April is committed to helping build a program where students feel supported, encouraged, and prepared to enter healthcare with confidence. Her goal is to help students understand not only how to perform skills correctly, but also why those skills matter in real patient care.

Together, Edgar and April designed East Bay CNA Academy to be a school where students feel supported, respected, and prepared to begin meaningful careers in healthcare.

Our Commitment

At East Bay CNA Academy, we believe that exceptional training leads to exceptional caregivers. Our values guide everything we do:

• Professionalism – Preparing students for the standards of the healthcare workforce

• Integrity – Teaching with honesty, transparency, and accountability

• Compassion – Emphasizing person-centered care and empathy

• Excellence – Delivering high-quality instruction in both theory and clinical practice

• Compliance – Meeting all CDPH and Title 22 training requirements

We maintain small class sizes, personalized instruction, and hands-on skills practice to ensure every student receives the attention and support needed to succeed.

Our Vision

We strive to become the leading CNA training provider in Contra Costa County — known for high pass rates, strong clinical partnerships, and successful job placement. As demand for healthcare professionals continues to grow, East Bay CNA Academy will remain dedicated to shaping the next generation of CNAs who will deliver compassionate, skilled, and reliable care throughout the East Bay and beyond.