Acing early childhood education with ACE MV

Organizations collaborate to clear paths for early childhood educators.

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The numbers are impressive. There are roughly 750 children 5 years old and under living on Martha’s Vineyard. Approximately 440 are enrolled in the 20 licensed early childhood education programs (half of these are center-based), and the rest are in home-based family childcare programs. The programs are critical for the youngsters, but the ripple effect is that they are equally so for parents, allowing them to work during the day. Even with these numbers, there is still a crisis in childcare options on the Island, as in the rest of the country, and the need for preschool educators is high.

Thanks to a vital collaboration between Adult Community Education Martha’s Vineyard (ACE MV) and Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS), a grassroots effort is addressing the problem by opening up new career pathways in the field. The Early Childhood Education program at ACE MV is in its third year. The West Chop Community Foundation, Martha’s Vineyard Bank, and the Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation fund the program, allowing ACE to cover the students’ tuition, books, and laptops. This level of support cultivates a diverse student body in terms of age, background, and experience. There are young students just out of high school, moms with little babies, and older students who want a career change, whether they wish to obtain certification, be a lead teacher in a preschool, or gain their associate’s or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.

Students take the coursework online from Cape Cod Community College (4Cs). They progress at their own rate, enrollinging in the number of classes per semester that is right for them. ACE MV Executive Director Alexandra Bullen Coutts says, “What we see happening a lot is students who previously thought, ‘I don’t have time to do a lot of classes, I can’t go back to school or college’ –– then they start taking these classes, and, ‘See, oh, I’ve done four. If I do X more, I’ll have an associate’s degree.’ So they stay on when they realize it’s more possible than they thought.” The number of classes ranges depending on the career. Here on the Island, this can be lead teacher, assistant teacher, or director in a home-based family childcare setting, private preschool, or the Island’s public preschool, Project Headway.

M.V. Community Services is an integral partner with ACE MV. MVCS Director of Early Childhood Programs Heather Quinn is an advisor to the Early Childhood Education program. She explains, “We had an opportunity to connect students with online coursework through Cape Cod Community College. However, we recognized that it could feel overwhelming for many students to enroll in online coursework without someone to support them through that process. That was really where the partnership with ACE evolved.”

Joanne Lambert, MVCS family childcare network coordinator, who works with the program as co-facilitator of the early childhood cohort, says, “It is a chance for the students to be together and network and help each other. Early on, we would have dinner and bring in speakers from different aspects of early childhood education to bring the subject matter to life. We’ve had directors from different preschools come and speak about their different philosophies in running their programs, to help the students think about what connects with them and which teaching style they prefer.”

As the co-facilitator for Portuguese-speaking students, Izadora Santos provides guidance regarding career trajectory. She likewise helps with doing homework, navigating personal problems, and obtaining necessary resources, transportation, and childcare.

Karmen Ohme, the lead teacher at Felix Neck’s Fern and Feather Preschool, cherishes the group aspect of the program: “I’ve been here for a year and three months, and working with the same cohort the entire time, and it has served me well.” With all the classes being online, having people on the Island who share the same interests and provide different perspectives is essential to her. She notes, “It offers a space to meet with other students and facilitators who help to discuss what we’re learning in our classes, and how to apply it, because most of us are already working in early childhood. It’s experiential, and even though we’re adults, we still learn by experiencing it to make it real.”

Coutts says of Lambert, Santos, and herself, “What we love about the model we’ve developed is that it hinges on the relationship between the students and the facilitator.”

Santos, who went through the program herself, speaks of its impact: “For me, it was being able to do something new, something different, because at the time, I didn’t have many opportunities. ACE allowed me to achieve great things in my life. They believed in me, which meant a lot, because when I came here eight years ago, it was for a better life and opportunities. And ACE gave it to me. This is all we want … to be seen.”

Another student already in the workforce is Claudia Wilson, who is originally from Peru. She worked in the cafeteria at the high school, and is now teaching at Project Headway. “I was always interested in early childhood education, but just did not have the opportunity to go to school for it. Then I started a family, so that option seemed further away, because I now had to work and take care of my son. However, when I heard about this program where I could go at my own pace, I did not have to leave the Island, and it was also free, which is great — there was no excuse anymore.” Wilson says about her future, “I plan to work in the school system for a while, and maybe one day open a small home daycare.”

There are also three students from the Brazilian cohort working at MVCS. Lambert notes, “That’s fantastic, because it’s a very diverse group of youth, and the students are working in a very diverse center, so it’s been a great match. It is magical to see this happen. I’ve watched people transform their lives by being able to take these courses, get college credits for their certification, and get all these supports along the way to their career path.”

Laura Noonan, who is finishing the program, was motivated by the growing need for quality childcare, and advocates for it as well: “I hope more people can take advantage of the program, and we grow a professional network of early childhood providers on the Island.”

For more information about the Early Childhood Education program and the spring semester, visit bit.ly/ACE_EarlyChildhood.