November 2024 Newsletter
November 2024 BBF Stats
…and counting!
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BBF Mentors: Save the Date for the next Mentor Community of Practice with Early Years!
"Seeds or Weeds? Examining Biases in Mentorship"
Tuesday, December 10 at 1pm
*Visit the Mentoring section on our Participants Access page to register.
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NCBCE Celebrates Apprenticeships and Youth Pre-Apprenticeships at 2024 Annual Meeting
The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), the non-profit organization that includes work-based learning initiatives like Building Bright Futures, LiNC-IT, and Tech Team, held its 2024 Annual Meeting on November 21 at RTI International. The event featured "A Salute to Governor Cooper", highlighted several NCBCE initiatives, and introduced a new youth pre-apprenticeship program geared toward high school students.
READ MORE...
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Durham Early Years Holds Signing Event for New Cohort of ECE Apprentices
Durham Early Years, currently the largest sponsored ECE apprenticeship program in the state, held an event on November 20 where 17 new apprentices signed on to its apprenticeship program. Current apprentices were also recognized for their progress toward earning their ECE certificates and degrees. Congratulations, apprentices!
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Spotlight: Ronald Brooks, ECE Apprentice, Little Sunshine Academy in Greenville, NC
Ronald Brooks is an ECE apprentice at Little Sunshine Academy in Greenville, NC. From a young age, he knew he wanted to work with children. Learn more about what he enjoys about apprenticeship and how the experience has contributed to his professional growth.
Interested in being featured in a BBF Spotlight?
If you would like to nominate a person or program to be featured in an upcoming spotlight, contact Megan Johnson, Program Manager, at megan.johnson@nc.gov.
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Has Your Organization Benefitted from Building Bright Futures? We Want to Hear About It!
As our two-year pilot winds down, we are collecting photos and testimonials on the impact that BBF and apprenticeships have had on participating organizations across North Carolina. If you would like to share your thoughts or photos, please email Megan Johnson, BBF Program Manager, at megan.johnson@nc.gov.
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The Early Childhood Workforce Connector (ECWC): An Additional Resource for ECE Registered Apprenticeship Programs
BBF is committed to providing resources to support our participating child care programs and organizations along their ECE apprenticeship journey. One such resource is the Early Childhood Workforce Connector (ECWC), an organization that promotes developing, launching, and expanding Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs across the country to support and sustain a diverse, inclusive, well-qualified, and well-compensated ECE workforce. In addition to the resources and support provided by BBF, the ECWC is a resource anyone can utilize, whether you are interested in learning more about ECE apprenticeships, need assistance getting started with one, or are already participating in an ECE apprenticeship.
As a U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL)-funded Early Childhood Education RA Industry Intermediary, ECWC provides customized technical assistance, including help with curriculum development, outreach and recruitment, mentor training, accessing available funding, and much more. ECWC provides these services to early childhood program employers, state and local agencies, community organizations, higher education institutions, sponsors, current early childhood educators, and career seekers – all at no cost.
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T.E.A.C.H. Apprenticeship Scholarship
Did you know there is a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship program exclusively for apprentices? If you are already utilizing a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship and are a new apprentice pursuing an Associate's Degree, the Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeship Scholarship may be a better fit! To learn more, contact Amy Duffy, Senior Program Manager of the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® North Carolina Scholarship Program at amyd@childcareservices.org.