October 2024 Newsletter
October 2024 BBF Stats
…and counting!
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How One Buncombe County Child Care Program Is Helping Local Families Affected by Hurricane Helene
Corrie Price, Director and Founder of Evolve Early Learning Center in Asheville, NC has been assisting local children and families after Hurricane Helene took a devastating toll on the community. Learn how she and her team have worked together to provide a place of safety and normalcy following the storm.
Read More...
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Spotlight: Kelley Huff, Director, Richfield Child Development Center in Richfield, NC
As the Owner and Director of Richfield Child Development Center in Stanly County, Kelley Huff has experienced the benefits of implementing an ECE apprenticeship program. Richfield CDC sponsors its own ECE apprenticeship, where currently one-third of staff are apprentices. Kelley also joined the DPI-sponsored pre-apprenticeship and recently had her first pre-apprentice graduate high school and move into an ECE apprenticeship! Learn how apprenticeship has influenced the quality of her program.
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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 that reflect the impact BBF has 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.