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CHILDCARE ASSISTANT TEACHER PROGRAM
Submitted by: Work and Learning Center, Madison, WI
The Work and Learning Center requires all students in their first semester to complete a voluntary work experience in a childcare center or other educational setting. Some students elect to do the necessary steps to obtain their Assistant Child Care Teaching Certificate from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Reasons for Practice Students come to the Work and Learning Center in their junior year.
They have had difficulty at large high schools and are credit-deficient
for graduation. WLC offers an alternative program for such students
with a priority placed on work and career skills. Length of Time in Effect The Childcare Assistant Teacher Program began in the fall of 1998.
TARGETED WORK IS a central focus of the Work and Learning Center (WLC) because of the opportunities it provides for self-development. All WLC students go to school half days and work half days throughout their tenure. First-semester students are required to complete a volunteer placement in a childcare center or other educational setting. This is the first in their four-semester sequence of work experiences. WLC also helps those students interested in a potential career in childcare to complete the requirements towards certification. Each student in the childcare sequence completes between 220 and 250 hours of volunteer time. Much of the training is hands-on and done at the childcare or education center itself. Each center working with WLC maintains close contact with the WLC supervisor as the center provides training to students. In addition, student volunteers are permitted to participate in other staff development activities at the center. At least three times during the semester, an assigned supervisor will sit down with each student to evaluate his or her progress and to suggest needed training. Also, students are allowed only three absences per semester. This strict attendance policy is important in reinforcing students' work habits in both employment and school settings. Because many students have not been successful with paper/pencil tests in traditional academic settings, WLC has implemented a portfolio approach to fulfilling the competencies required for the childcare program. Many of the competencies are developed through a project done in class in which students design their own childcare facility. WLC uses a computer design program to plan play spaces, spreadsheet software to develop budgets, and publishing programs to develop handbooks. Approximately eight students per semester become interested in childcare as a possible career choice. The WLC teacher, along with the participating center's cooperating staff member, first determines if the student has sufficient competencies to meet certification standards. WLC then assists qualified and interested students in acquiring licensure in two ways. First, the school provides them with a strong background in childcare by placing them in sites that allow interactions with children. (At this point, those who are less interested in childcare fulfill their work requirements in other settings.) WLC then assists interested students in completing the coursework necessary for licensure. In the past, WLC accomplished this by helping students to attend the local technical college. The school recently adapted its childcare curriculum to more closely align with the requirements from the state Department of Health and Family Services approved guide and those of the technical college course. Now, interested students are able to complete their coursework at the Work and Learning itself, thereby providing them with a direct route to certification.
The large number of hours actually spent in the childcare facility is the strength of this program. Hands-on learning has proven to develop leadership and confidence. Many of the competencies are developed through a project done in class where students design their own childcare. We use a computer design program to plan play spaces, Excel to develop budgets, and publishing programs to develop handbooks.
Sharon Billmeyer Tel: (608) 442-0939
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