WORDS: Gabrielle Versmessen
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Early childhood education is an integral part of ensuring that students in our community are not only prepared for grade school but also excel in it. Our children begin learning at home, but all too soon, those little ones go off to child care, where their first experiences of a structured learning environment are formed.
Before becoming a mom, I thought child care was where you sent your child to be cared for during the day, and I had no clue why people would call them “schools.” What can a two-year-old be learning? Doesn’t that start at the VPK level? Working at the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County, I saw the parameters these providers have to abide by, went to the facilities to observe the programs being implemented, compared the statistics, and wrote about how it’s all making a difference. It was then that I fully understood how necessary our child care facilities and the teachers working at them are for our smallest learners.
The heart of each learning facility is the teachers that fill the classrooms. Thankfully, these teachers are vetted for safety and are required to go through courses where they are trained to prepare young children for school readiness. Manatee Technical College (MTC) offers an excellent Early Childhood Education (ECE) program that equips those wanting to become teachers at a child care site with all the necessary skill sets. They provide hands-on classroom instruction that even has a mock child care lab for students to immerse themselves in the role of a teacher fully.
Michelle Meluch, program coordinator for ECE at MTC, says that they’re preparing their students to be eligible to obtain a job in the child care industry and learn the fundamentals of child care education. The ECE program begins with the pre-apprenticeship course. This course is eight weeks (150 hours) long with two start dates a year: one in January and the other in August. Initially, the pre-apprenticeship course was created as a partnership with the ELC, MTC, and PACE for Girls. The pilot course was started in the spring of 2022.
“The training we provide includes the necessary 45 DCF hours, first aid, CPR, inclusion training, PEARLS training, and more. In the pre-apprenticeship program, we’re giving them the tools necessary for an entry-level position in the child care industry,” Michelle says.
Along with educating the students on how to promote the various skills that define school readiness, the students in the ECE program are also taught soft skills, such as resume writing and interviewing skills. All the students get the opportunity to go on tours of different child care facilities in the community.
Brittany Aca-Orea, a student in the program, appreciated the interview training. “It can be nerve-wracking when you first go into an interview and don’t know what they’re going to ask. Mrs. Carleton went really in-depth on what questions they could ask us and how to be prepared in our answers.”
AnnaMaria Mascherino Carleton is one of the instructors at MTC. She brings fun into her instruction and likes to ensure her students know what to expect. She tells them that in an interview at the facilities, they are likely to ask questions such as, “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “tell me about yourself.” While these on-the-spot questions might feel awkward to answer at first, the students at MTC have their responses already prepared.
She says, “I’ve gotten good feedback from the providers after their interviews that the students had all been professional and can answer their questions. But I’ve also gotten good feedback from the students that they feel prepared when they go out and that they’re being asked questions that they can answer and not be caught off guard.”
Upon completion of the program, the students have their 40 DCF hours and 5 hours of emergent literacy training (all required for their DCF staff credential), trained in both child and adult CPR, and three of the ten required service hours. Each year, the teachers are required to have ten service hours in addition to the DCF classes, so when the students start teaching, having the three hours already under their belt is a good marketing tool when talking to providers about possibly hiring them.
The hope is that the students will secure a position at one of the local providers after completing their 150 hours at MTC. Once they are employed, the next step for them as students is to enter MTC’s evening ECE Apprenticeship Program which is roughly a year and a half long. That program goes even further into the childhood education world. They’ll attend class one night a week, but most of their training is done on the job at a child care facility.
“We want them to continue on in that program. After or in conjunction with the end of our apprenticeship program, we offer a child care center operations program that gives students the tools to be center directors. So, we would hope they would continue on those paths to further their education and career development,” Michelle explains.
Ralitsa Funez, another student in the program, wants to further her education. “I want to take it as far as it leads me. I hope to own my own child care center one day.” Ralitsa works night shifts, gets home at six in the morning, takes a shower, and goes to MTC.
Brittany also plans to continue the program in January to obtain her Child Development Associate credentials to become a VPK lead teacher. “I’m also working on my associate degree in Early Childhood Education at SCF. My end goal career-wise is to be an elementary school teacher, and this program has been a perfect stepping stone for me.”
AnnaMaria beams with pride over her students. “I think these two students really say a lot about the program here at MTC. Brittany maintains two different school schedules, and Ralitsa provides for her family while also attending school. This field takes a lot of dedication. Sometimes people feel like it’s a thankless job or they’re not paid as much as other people, and the fact that these girls are putting in so much effort into wanting to be here shows their drive and passion.”
It’s never too late to start a new career path, and there will always be children ready to learn. As a mother and a member of this community, I’m grateful for MTC’s early childhood education program and the teachers that instruct the students, who will then become the early educators for our children.
- For more information regarding the ECE pre-apprenticeship program, contact Francesca Ricciardo at fricciardo@elc-manatee.org or call (941) 212-4994.
