Leading in Today’s Child Care Industry: HCC Introduces New Child Care Professional Apprenticeship Program
Howard Community College (HCC) is proud to announce the launch of its new Child Care Professional Apprenticeship program. It provides a learning pathway for individuals who are passionate about working with children and who are eager to pursue leadership opportunities in the child care and early learning industry. The apprenticeship is designed to generate opportunities for higher-skilled and higher-paying positions, with focus on supporting the development of children through early experiences in a positive, supportive, learning-based environment of care. The program, supported through a grant from the Maryland State Department of Education, is set to launch this fall.
Leaders from HCC are working to promote the new apprenticeship program and recruit students for participation in the first learning cohort. Applications are being accepted now.
Facilitated through HCC’s Division of Workforce, Career, and Community Education, the Child Care Professional Apprenticeship program is completed over a period of 18 months, integrating coursework at HCC and 3,000 hours of paid, on-the-job training. The curriculum emphasizes the importance of creating safe and productive learning environments for both children and staff, collaborating with families and co-workers, facilitating continuous learning opportunities at a young age, and efficiency in completing administrative tasks associated with managing a child care center. As is the case with all apprenticeship learning programs, students benefit tremendously from the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge in the classroom, which can then be applied in their day-to-day work and interactions as paid, entry-level professionals.
“We are incredibly excited to launch our Child Care Professional Apprenticeship program as a way of giving our students a new, hands-on option to learn and grow professionally, while also supporting local workforce development needs,” said Bronwyn Bates, workforce programs manager at HCC. “We know that this new apprenticeship program can and will impact our students, our local business partners, and families with young children who reside in our community, in many positive ways.”
The need to cultivate new talent within the child care industry is strong. The recently-published Hechinger Report indicates that nearly 120,000 child care workers left the field between 2020 and 2022, a time that saw many changes and challenges within education environments, in the midst of the COVID-19 global health pandemic. Re-energizing the industry with eager, talented, and skilled child care providers and leaders who enter the field through apprenticeship-based learning is smart. Statistics released by the U.S. Department of Labor suggest that 91% of apprentices remained employed with the organization that initially brought them on board in a training capacity, upon completion of the program. This data further underscores the value of apprenticeship programs, from a retention standpoint for employers.
As part of their apprenticeship program requirements, HCC apprentices will have opportunities to work for one of three established program employment partners: United Way of Central Maryland, the Community Action Council of Howard County, and the Goddard School of Columbia. Leaders within these organizations oversee implementation of the program at their respective sites, and integrate apprentices and their skills into their day-to-day child care center operations. HCC covers a portion of each apprentice’s compensation as well as all fees associated with related instruction.
“There are so many advantages for local child care centers who partner with us,” said Bates. “Our apprenticeship program supports staff recruitment and retention efforts, and gives local employers an opportunity to truly embed new talent into their organizations in a meaningful way. We are grateful for the commitments we have from the United Way, the Community Action Council, and the Goddard School, and look forward to expanding our network of partners as we continue to build and grow this apprenticeship program.”
Apprentices as well as HCC students pursuing a child care career certificate, an associate of applied science degree, or an associate of arts degree in teaching are collectively supported at the college’s newly-introduced “Pathways to Teaching Center.” The center salutes HCC’s mission of providing pathways for success, with an understanding that every student’s path is different, before they arrive on campus and throughout their journey through higher education. Students are paired with career pathways coaches, who will meet them where they are and help them identify the best learning pathway into the child care industry, based on their personal interests and goals. They will provide program-specific academic support and tutoring services, and can also support students who face barriers when it comes to pursuing and reaching their educational goals – from food and housing to child care, transportation, and financial need.
“HCC has put the right systems in place to assure that students who are interested in careers in the child care industry can be successful, whether they decide to pursue the apprenticeship program, a degree program, or noncredit coursework,” said Bates.
Additionally, as the program evolves, HCC is committed to implementing best practices in collaboration with the Maryland Community Colleges Child Care Training Partnership, which emphasizes the need for evidence-based child care training and an increase in professional certification across the state. Apprentices will be encouraged to the Maryland Child Care Credentialing Program, which certifies professionals who increase their qualifications beyond the requirement of state licensing and registration regulations.
To request further information, visit howardcc.edu/childcareapprenticeship. For answers to specific questions and for guidance on applying, send an email to apprentice@howardcc.edu.