$1 Million Grant Funds UC Distance-Learning Partnership to Benefit Youngest Learners

The University of Cincinnati’s distance-learning Early Childhood Learning Community (ECLC) in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) is forming a new partnership with $1 million awarded this year by the Office of Head Start. The award is part of an anticipated $3 million, three-year project to create a new track to an online associate degree program to prepare professionals serving children from birth to age three, when children’s brains are growing the fastest. The first courses for the new online degree program will be offered in fall 2009.

The partnership, “Mentor Infant and Toddler Teachers” (MITT) will provide a high-quality education for English- and Spanish-speaking teachers serving infants and toddlers in Early Head Start programs. In order to expand higher education efforts to prepare educators for these youngest learners, the developed courses will eventually be offered at no charge to other higher educational institutions through the support of the Office of Head Start, says Lisa Holstrom, CECH director of marketing and communication.

The new degree option will support teachers as they fulfill federal Head Start requirements while providing them with the flexibility and convenience of taking their college courses around their busy work and home life, says Mary Boat, program coordinator for the CECH early childhood education program and co-principal investigator for the grant. “Working with infants, toddlers and their families requires a skill set that is unique,” says Boat. “For years, we have been fighting the notion that teachers who work with infants, toddlers and their families are glorified babysitters. The knowledge and skills children acquire from birth to age three are critical foundations to success in school. This grant will enhance the professional profile of infant-toddler teachers and quality education for children,” says Boat.

“The 2007 Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act requires that all Head Start educators of these youngest learners must hold at least an associate’s degree with a focus on infant and toddler development by the year 2012,” Holstrom says. “Currently, 50 percent of those teachers need to earn a minimum of an associate’s degree to keep their jobs,” Holstrom says. The goals of the legislation include improving teacher and classroom quality as well as building school-readiness for children – goals supported by the program under creation by the ECLC. “For Early Head Start to meet the latest mandate before 2012, primary caregivers will need extensive resources and support from a variety of sources, including higher education,” Holstrom says.

The partnership is formed by UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, which is nationally accredited through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE); ZERO TO THREE, a national, nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to promoting the healthy development of babies and toddlers; WestEd, a nonprofit research, development and service agency that is dedicated to ensuring success for every learner; and Child Trends, an independent, social science research center dedicated to improving the lives of children by studying every stage of development. The partnership will work together in developing content for the courses and evaluating the effectiveness of the program.

Head Start teachers who earn their associate degree can also expand on their education through the ECLC’s online bachelor’s degree. Holstrom adds that the ECLC provides an extensive system of bilingual, non-traditional student support so that workers can develop the technology and college-readiness skills needed for success through an online program.

Early Childhood Learning Community (ECLC)

UC College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services