National Apprenticeship Registered!
SEIU Education and Support Fund (ESF) and the Health Care Career Advancement Program (H-CAP) are proud to announce the national registration of an Early Childhood Associate Teacher Registered Apprenticeship through the National Center for Healthcare Apprenticeships. This achievement marks a new collaboration of these two organizations committed to equitable and accessible career pathways in healthcare and early childhood education.
Apprenticeship is a workforce development strategy that addresses significant barriers to meaningful career pathways, including cost and recognition of prior education and experience. It is a closely integrated package of key elements, including cohort based coursework with academic support, and structured on-the-job learning, under the guidance and supervision of a Master, Lead, and/or Head Teacher. In addition, and as appropriate, peer mentors provide additional support and encouragement to ensure that apprentices gain the knowledge, skills and mastery of the competencies described in the apprenticeship standards. Registered apprenticeships help to establish a pipeline of qualified workers for employers and a pathway to self-sufficiency for the low-income, female workers that predominantly make up the Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce.
Upon completion of the Associate Teacher Apprenticeship, graduates will meet the qualifications for the position of Associate Teacher in various ECE settings (e.g., child care centers, Head Start programs, state-funded preschool classrooms, etc.). This Apprenticeship is constructed to be adaptable to the regulations of different states and the expectations of communities, ECE centers, local apprenticeship committees, and organizations that employ these workers.
The workforce competencies and related instruction described in these national standards grew out of the experience of a California partnership, led by ESF, SEIU Local ‘s 99, 521 and 1021 and the YMCA of the East Bay in California. The California Registered Apprenticeship developed by this partnership was then reviewed by ECE labor and management partnerships and educators from states including Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Based on their input, the competencies were modified slightly to make this national registration applicable and customizable to the needs and requirements around the country.
ESF’s positive experience with other innovative apprenticeships and on-the-job learning programs in California, has encouraged us to continue its work on registering additional national and state apprenticeships in ECE jobs including one for Family Child Care Providers in the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut.
For more information on ESF’s work on apprenticeship in California see: