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Apprenticeship Hub Applies Hands-On Learning Toward Degree Attainment
Excerpt from the 2022 Carlow President's Report
APPRENTICESHIP HUB APPLIES HANDS-ON LEARNING TOWARD DEGREE ATTAINMENT
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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.
— SUSAN POLOJAC
— KATHY W. HUMPHREY, P h D
BRI
Years after graduating from community college with an Early Childhood Associate Certificate, Bri Fitzgerald thought she might be done with school forever. She loved her job as a pre-K teacher and the idea of traditional school never appealed to her. That all changed when she applied for funding and enrolled in Carlow University’s Early Education Apprenticeship Program in fall 2021.
“I feel supported 100%,” says Bri. “Everyone at Carlow has impacted me in their own way. They share their own stories, and they inspire me because I want to help people at a higher level, too. Now, I encourage my colleagues to continue their educations.”
But Bri’s favorite part about the Apprenticeship HUB is the way the program is set up. From tailoring every semester’s course load to fit into Bri’s schedule of work, parenthood and dancing for the Steel City Angels, to the options of different class models, Bri’s courses have looked completely different from her last college experience.
“Everything has been so much easier—the teachers know we are in school but also understand that we have lives outside of school, and that is so important.”
For someone who at one point wasn’t quite sure how to fit school into her schedule, Bri is already on track to begin a master’s program as soon as she finishes her bachelor’s degree. “I went from ‘I’m done with school’ to ‘I can’t get enough of school,’” she says.
Deanna
For Deanna Lucas, expanding her education past her Childhood Development Associate (CDA) credential felt like a lofty goal. Between her fulltime teaching job and two kids, she didn’t believe she would ever find the time to pursue a degree. Plus, it had been more than 12 years since she’d been a student and she wondered if she’d be able to handle it all.
After putting the idea off for a few years (and thanks to some persistent encouragement), Deanna enrolled in Carlow University’s Early Education Apprenticeship Program in August 2021 and has never looked back. “I was nervous because I didn’t believe in myself,” Deanna says. “But now I get more excited with every class I take. This is the best I’ve ever felt.”
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.”
Jamel
Jamel Hazlip had been working in infant and toddler care for years before she earned her CDA two years ago through CCAC. And she might have stopped her education there had it not been for Carlow reaching out to the director of her program. “Carlow had a short list of potential students for their Apprenticeship HUB program, and I was delighted to be on it,” she says. “No other universities have a rivaling program, and no other college reached out to recruit me,” she says.
Jamel currently works for a child development center in downtown Pittsburgh. Despite many years of experience prior to her enrollment in Carlow’s apprenticeship program, she is still learning and applying new concepts from her classes to her teachings, particularly learning through play.
Child care centers can have high rates of turnover among instructors, and the center where Jamel works is no different. A pre-K teacher’s absence in summer 2022 opened the door for Jamel to work with school-age children. At first, she did not have confidence working with this age group after all her years with babies and toddlers but, with the knowledge and confidence she has been building with Carlow, she was able to fill the role so well that the students have come to expect her as their regular teacher.
Jamel now is pursuing the four-year bachelor’s degree program in Early Childhood Education and says the support she has received from the advisors and mentors has been instrumental to her success. That support has given Jamel the confidence to consider something she never thought she might—a master’s degree. As the first person in her family to go to college, Jamel was accepted into Carlow’s TRiO program, which gives her the opportunity to take specialized classes in resume building, schedule keeping and—most important for Jamel—technology training courses.
“I did not have 100% confidence in returning to school, but through this apprenticeship program, I’ve come to realize that I’m a lot stronger and more capable than I thought,” she says.
JESSICA OLESNEVICH
Like many high school graduates, Jessica Olesnevich thought she’d missed her chance to go to college when she found herself pregnant and then raising a young son shortly after graduation. While working in a child care center, one of the directors told her about the apprenticeship program at Carlow University. It sounded like the perfect fit for her.
“I appreciate the fact that most of the instructors have been in the same position of working full time while also pursuing a degree,” she said. “I always thought once I had kids, I wouldn’t have time, but there’s so much time that goes unnoticed. And I’m glad that I’m putting that time now into schooling.”
Jessica is on a four-year track to receive her bachelor’s degree in education and her Pre-K to 4 certification. She had looked at other colleges, but none had the support structure that Carlow offered. And she knew she was going to need that support because she currently works full-time as a preschool teacher and assistant director of a child care center.
Jessica likes the wide variety of classes that are offered through the program and the ability to choose the courses that most interest her and apply most to her field of education.
Even after eight years of working with children, Jessica still finds herself surprised by the knowledge she gains through her classes—particularly from other students sharing their experiences in child education. She hopes to use her degree to continue working with children and be the support for kids who might need some special attention.
Her experience with Carlow has been so great that she encouraged one of her employees to pursue the same program. “I told her, if I can do it with two kids, a husband, and all my other responsibilities, you can do it too.”
