Apprenticeships, which are commonplace for careers in the building trades, now are now being applied to early childhood education through a new, pioneering program at Carlow University. The early childhood education workforce has been a traditionally underserved population. The Apprenticeship HUB is making higher education more accessible to child care workers by opening barriers to school enrollment and degree attainment for working adults in the field.
Launched in 2018 and bolstered by a $1 million private grant in 2019 and a $1 million grant and $1 million endowment from The Heinz Endowments in 2020, the Western Pennsylvania Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship HUB was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor as the state’s first four-year early childhood apprenticeship program. “This program provides opportunities to diversify the child care and teaching workforce and improve educational quality, while recognizing the value and contribution of each working professional,” said Susan Polojac, director of the Early Childhood Apprenticeship HUB. “It will serve as the model for programs across the state and is expected to help improve child care workforce retention, increase child care quality and boost teacher diversity—all of which are key to future success for Pennsylvania’s children.”
The Apprenticeship HUB provides support to help current child care workers attain their degrees, which will increase the quality of child care across the state. Students in the program complete 24 credits of their degrees on the job with the support of mentors and coaches. Additional courses can be completed in the evenings and online to accommodate working adults, and a one-month paid practicum in an elementary setting provides invaluable field experience needed in pursuit of Pre-K to 4 teacher certification. In addition, students receive free access to a professional lending library of course materials, textbooks and digital media tools, as well as the ability to borrow early childhood materials and resources. They also receive free tutoring and career and academic support services for coursework and preparation for required certification tests to help ensure student success.
“Teaching young children is the most important work one can engage in. Teachers are agents of change who are needed to instill values of humanity, compassion, empathy and love of learning in each child they are privileged to teach.”
— Susan Polojac
DEANNA
With an expected graduation in 2025, Deanna has the
ability to take her time through her classes and directly
apply the lessons to the one- to three-year-olds she works
with in Washington County as lead teacher of an early
Head Start classroom.
But her favorite part of the program has been the people.
“My mentors at Carlow have been a great support—always
quick to reply to emails and questions, always asking
about my life and encouraging me,” says Deanna. “When
I’m having a hard time, they remind me to take a step
back and tell me I’m doing great.”
For someone who has been around kids her whole life,
Deanna’s outlook toward teaching children has always
been to learn something new every day. And, thanks
to Carlow University, Deanna is fulfilling her personal
education goals while simultaneously applying her
curriculum to her current students. “Knowing I will leave
this program with a bachelor’s degree is the greatest
accomplishment of my life.”