UC Distance Learning Degree Program Plans to Go Bilingual

The University of Cincinnati’s Early Childhood Learning Community (ECLC) was awarded a $93,000 planning grant from the Head Start Bureau in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funding will begin the process of translating the ECLC’s online courses into Spanish, to deliver them to Spanish-speaking teachers who work in Head Start centers in Hispanic communities. The ECLC delivers an online associate degree in early childhood education through VHS, CD-Rom and CVD (CDs that can be played in newer DVD players), allowing students to take their courses around their work schedules and families.

ECLC director Lisa Holstrom says the new funding will support the development of two online workshops: one that prepares the Spanish-speaking student for college by building on study skills and note-taking, and another that helps students develop their writing skills. Holstrom adds that the Hispanic Resource Center in Covington, Ky. is providing assistance with the translation of the courses. Holstrom says registration for the workshops could be available by fall. The ECLC anticipates that courses translated into Spanish could open to students by early 2005.

The ECLC was first initiated by UC in 2000 to meet new federal requirements for Head Start teachers. A federal mandate required college degrees for half of the staff in Head Start centers by 2003, but Spanish-speaking teachers have found very few educational opportunities that met their language needs. The Migrant Head Start program is one program that has an immediate need for college coursework in Spanish. Spanish-speaking teachers assist migrant families as they move across the United States to work the seasonal agricultural jobs. There are eight sites in Ohio that serve the state’s agriculturally based counties.

Holstrom adds that the benefits of the Spanish translations will reach beyond these Head Start centers, because the ECLC is also open to early childhood educators outside Head Start. “For instance, Palm Beach County in Florida has a high number of Spanish-speaking teachers who serve Latino children and their families,” says Holstrom. 

Holstrom says the Spanish version of the ECLC program will provide bilingual online instructors, a bilingual academic advisor, and DVDs that allow the student to choose courses delivered in either Spanish or English. She adds that the Spanish-speaking teachers will build their literacy skills in both English and Spanish through their written assignments and support from their tutors.

The ECLC celebrated its first graduating class of 11 students in 2003, will graduate 15 students this June, and is now available to childcare workers at military installations around the world. Holstrom says nearly 300 students are taking 550 classes this spring.