A typical career trajectory in early care and education looks like this: You start out as an assistant teacher in the classroom, and eventually move up to lead teacher as you gain experience and, if you have the desire and ability, one day become an assistant director. Also the director or program owner.
In theory, it seems reasonable. Each role prepares the educator for the next role over time, right?
Not necessarily. Because while a classroom teacher’s primary responsibilities include educating and caring for young children, their work often shifts dramatically to the next level, the leadership level, to managing staff and running a small business. Because it’s transitioning.
“You train to be an early childhood educator,” said Anne Banks, apprenticeship program manager for the New Hampshire Community College System, which oversees three apprenticeship pathways in early childhood education. “Just because you know how to work with kids doesn’t mean you know how to run a business that works with kids.”
This has created a huge gap between the role of the classroom level and the role of instructors in early childhood education. It’s often so daunting that many educators don’t bother trying to get promoted. And for those who do, many find themselves unprepared. Some are resigning and “this turmoil and constant turnover of directors” occurs, said the owner and director of A Place to Grow, an early learning program franchise. New director level training program For early childhood educators in New Hampshire.
As EdSurge reported last year, registered apprenticeship programs have seen a boom in early care and education in recent years, with most states now offering some version of this long-standing workforce development pathway. . These programs primarily cater to students who lack the expertise or experience working with young children and want to quickly improve their skills to qualify for more senior, higher-paying classroom teaching roles. It corresponds to the individual.
But within that growing trend, another smaller movement is gaining popularity. So far, three states are also offering customized apprenticeships for emerging leaders in early care and education: Kentucky, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
These director-level apprenticeship programs are leaving many aspiring early childhood leaders, and frankly many existing leaders, feeling unprepared to manage the myriad responsibilities of the job, filling the gap. reflects the recognition that additional skills and training are needed to fill the gap.
Vinal Patel, Chief Program Officer, Neighborhood Villages; 2 apprentice tracks Her own experience as an early childhood program director, including one for early childhood educators in Massachusetts, one for entry-level educators, and one for directors and future leaders in the field, led to this new kind of He said he would have benefited from practical training. Apprenticeships offer.
“You might take a course, you might think you have some book knowledge or some theoretical knowledge, but you might have a first staff meeting, a first difficult conversation with a staff member, or It’s very different when you have those first difficult conversations. You’re talking to your family, you’re working on your budget, and the auditor comes in and asks you very specific questions about your finances.” says Patel. “So we really wanted to build a wealth of training to support directors and administrators in that role.”
The business side of early education
Kentucky is First boot state The Director-level apprenticeship program will begin in Spring 2022. Currently one of four There is an apprenticeship stage available to early childhood educators.
Back in 2019, preschool program owner Brenda Hagan, who was then hired as an apprenticeship coordinator with the Kentucky Office of Early Childhood, sent a survey to early childhood program leaders to gauge interest in apprenticeships.
About 70 percent expressed interest in apprenticeships for directors and other leaders in the field, Hagan recalled.
Currently, director-level certifications exist in most states, but many feel they are lacking. For example, in Massachusetts, qualification Director certification includes an additional six months of work experience and completion of a child care management course in addition to lead teacher certification.
What these certifications typically overlook, state leaders say, is what early childhood educators want and need: business training.
Hagan, who is the lead architect of Kentucky’s early childhood education apprenticeship program, admits, “Just having a director’s credential wouldn’t have taught me how to run a program.” Over time, she added, the stress of that skills gap will cause many early childhood directors to burn out and quit, destabilizing programs rushing to fill vacant leadership positions. “We don’t just have another director lying around.”
Hagan noted that Kentucky’s director-level apprenticeship program sought to include what was missing in its qualifications. This includes not only business training, but also compliance (such as licensing ratios for each age group), state and federal programs ( federal food program and National subsidy system), employee engagement and family engagement. On average, the program takes approximately two years and 288 hours to complete. ”Related technical guidance” and 4,000 hours of on-the-job learning.
The Massachusetts training course, which will begin in early 2023 with Massachusetts leaders inspired by what Kentucky has produced, has similar goals.
In addition to the child care management courses required for state director certification, Neighborhood Villages offers leadership development training that focuses on staff relationships, educational leadership training that focuses on curriculum and instruction, and budgeting, among other things. Added business training to cover. , Forecasting and Financial Systems, Family Involvement Training. Patel said apprentices tend to take about 15 to 18 months to graduate, based on 150 hours of technical training and 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning.
Since the apprenticeship first began in Massachusetts, leaders in neighboring villages have adjusted the program based on feedback from graduates. Patel said trainees have recently asked for more training on human resources policies and to help educators manage the mental and behavioral health needs of children. They are considering whether and how to incorporate these topics into their practicum experiences.
Not only do our apprentices gain practical knowledge, they also appreciate the guidance they receive from participating in the program.
This was a most rewarding experience for Jess Jarvis, who graduated from the first cohort of the Early Childhood Emerging Leaders Apprenticeship at Neighborhood Villages in February 2024. (That cohort ultimately had 32 graduates and consisted primarily of current early childhood children.) Program directors said they needed additional training and support to succeed in the roles they already held. Patel noted that he felt he needed guidance. )
Jarvis joined the program as the lead teacher in the early childhood classroom at a Boston-based early childhood center. During her apprenticeship, she was promoted to Director of Teaching and Learning at the school and now spends most of her time supporting teachers and children.
For Jarvis, the apprenticeship and subsequent promotions came with multiple raises, which was very attractive to her. She also appreciated getting to know other early childhood educators from across the city and state. Her fellow trainees met regularly via Zoom and in person for graduation ceremonies, she said. But her biggest takeaway came from a mentor who helped her understand the role trust plays in communicating effectively with staff.
“That work helped me keep my sanity and momentum,” she says of the mentorship.
A new path for progress
Kentucky and Massachusetts currently have several clusters along the director-level apprenticeship track. New Hampshire is just getting started.
The first two states were able to gain approval for their programs through their state apprenticeship agencies. In New Hampshire, apprenticeships are federally funded and must be approved through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeships.
That created an additional hurdle for New Hampshire people who had hoped to see this path become a reality in the Granite State, especially Legere, the program director and owner who spearheaded the effort.
Legere wanted to create opportunities for its staff to grow and advance their careers, and eventually to own and operate their own early learning programs. She was passionate about bringing a director-level apprenticeship program to New Hampshire.
She was working with a team at Apprenticeship NH, the New Hampshire Community College System’s workforce training program, when she applied for a new role, Early Childhood Operations Manager, which has been approved by the U.S. Department of Labor as an apprenticeable occupation. I did. It was approved last summer, paving the way for the creation of director-level early childhood apprenticeship programs in New Hampshire as well as every other state.
It’s still early, but Massachusetts leaders are already saw the impact Our goal is to provide early childhood educators with this leadership path.
Patel said some Emerging Leaders Apprentice graduates have gone on to become directors, while others have moved on to other management positions or taken on more responsible jobs in teaching.
“We’re very interested in not only what happens after graduation, but also what happens in six months,” she says. “We’ve seen so many people stay in the field and wages continue to rise. …The feedback has been very positive.”
