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After receiving an overwhelming response from local child care centers interested in early childhood apprenticeships, Durham CCSA held a signing event for apprentices at Durham Tech on November 17. The evening event allowed for child care center staff, apprentices, and their families to attend the celebration of this first cohort in Durham County.
The event began with a special congratulatory video message from Governor Cooper. In it, he stated, "This apprenticeship program will be the largest for early childhood education in the state. That's something to be excited about." In all, 43 apprentices and 13 employers have signed on to Durham CCSA's sponsored apprenticeship agreement, with many more interested. In fact, several soon-to-be apprentices also attended the signing event, beginning a great pipeline of early childhood educators!
Representatives from ApprenticeshipNC, the Child Care Services Association, Building Bright Futures, and Durham Tech provided remarks to highlight the significance of this occasion, citing that the investment in apprenticeships is the key to addressing retention and emphasizing the importance of continued education. Mentors and apprentices were applauded many times over for their dedication to teaching and caring for young children as well as their exciting future as early educators.
Maggie West, Durham PreK Workforce Manager, stated, "We are so grateful to the 43 apprentices who have joined the pilot of the Durham Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeship for the commitment they are making to teach and care for young children. We look forward to supporting this inaugural cohort of apprentices along their journey towards a debt-free college degree, higher pay, and a rewarding career as an early childhood educator. With 13 partnering employers engaged in the pilot, we are thrilled by the potential of this program to positively impact the quality of early care and education for hundreds of Durhams' youngest children."
Durham Pre-K has created a web site specifically for those interested in participating in an early childhood education apprenticeship. Their sponsored agreement allows for both pre-apprentices in high school as well as apprentices, who will receive related technical instruction from Durham Tech while completing their on-the-job training at a local child care center. They are developing a bachelor's degree track in the agreement as well.