WAF I NNOVATION T OOLKIT W EBINAR S ERIES SEIU EARLY EDUCATOR APPRENTICESHIP R ANDI B. W OLFE , P H .D. President, TIKKUN Consulting Training Grants Coordinator SEIU Early Educator Training Center August 22, 2017
SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship E ARLY C ARE AND E DUCATION ECE includes in-home and out-of-home settings for children from birth to age 5 ECE workforce is large and diverse W HY FOCUS ON THE ECE W ORKFORCE ? Inequality in early care and education results in inequality in ability, academic achievement, health outcomes, adult success Investment in ECE results in huge benefits for children, families, communities The KEY to program quality (i.e., optimal child outcomes) is teacher quality PROBLEM: There is an alarming shortage of qualified ECE workers and that shortage is projected to grow dramatically over the coming years
SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship WAF B IG I DEA Transform ECE from being viewed as a dead end job to an entry point to a sustainable career pathway Develop workforce development programs that recognize the tension between increasing professional requirements and inadequate compensation Evidenced-based, economical, scalable models that utilize a collaborative, comprehensive, state-of-the-art approach Programs designed to increase skills and competencies of the ECE workforce while simultaneously increasing compensation, without placing any additional financial burden on parents
SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship T ARGET G ROUPS Center-based assistant/associate teachers Licensed FCC providers (home-based) Head Start teachers and parents Licensed exempt providers (pre-apprenticeship) C OMPONENTS On-the-job mentoring College coursework and supplemental supports Wage increases tied to achieving milestones T OTAL E NROLLMENT : 190 Center-based teachers: 39 Licensed FCC providers: 58 Head Start teachers and parents: 93
SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship E MPLOYER /S ERVICE -P ROVIDING P ARTNERS Service Employees International Union Locals 99, 521, 1021 Mexican American Opportunities Foundation Child Care Resource Center YMCA of the East Bay – Early Childhood Services E DUCATION P ARTNERS Los Angeles Trade-Technical College Berkeley City College Brandman University F UNDING S OURCES WAF 2.0 – WAF 3.0 – WAF 5.0 CA Apprenticeship Initiative 2015 CA Apprenticeship Initiative 2016
SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship S UCCESSES 1 st cohort of 12 center-based workers graduated in June 2016 Successful track record of program design and implementation in three areas across the state, working with three discrete segments of the ECE workforce Registered (or will be registered) with DAS and DOL Development of models that could easily be replicated nationally, given the similarity of these sectors across the ECE landscape Established ECE as a worthy and viable sector to include in apprenticeship and other WFD initiatives
SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship B ARRIERS / C HALLENGES Due to rigid definitions and policies, FCC program has to be registered as an “other OJT” option (not an apprenticeship) Took over a year to get resolved Challenges of working with many IHE’s, different kinds of employers and service-providing partners, working in multiple locations across CA Square peg/round hole phenomenon Female workforce in a male-dominated workforce development world ECE doesn’t quite fit into K - 12; doesn’t quite fit into trades Long-term sustainability (i.e., funding) is always challenging and uncertain
SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship FOR MORE INFORMATION: R ANDI B. W OLFE , P H .D. President, TIKKUN Consulting Ph: 626-497-7645 Em: randiwolfe@tikkunconsulting.com Website: http://seiuearlyeducatortraining.org/
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