Strengthening the Knowledge, Skills, and Professional Identity of Early Educators: The Impact of the California SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship Program. Executive Summary
Author: Copeman Petig, Abby
Date: 2019-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Early Childhood Teachers,Apprenticeships,State Programs,Teacher Education Programs,Student Characteristics,Program Effectiveness,Early Childhood Education,Student Attitudes,Employer Attitudes,Professional Identity,Faculty Mobility,Well Being,Barriers,Educational Change,Teaching Skills,Teacher Characteristics

A number of apprenticeship programs, collectively referred to as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Early Educator Apprenticeships, have recently been undertaken in California. The programs were supported by two California Apprenticeship Initiative grants, four Workforce Accelerator Fund grants, and in-kind donations from individual program sponsors. The program sponsors contracted with local institutions of higher education to offer special courses targeted toward current early educators and individuals new to the ECE field, and provided apprentices with stipends or wage increases associated with meeting certain criteria. All apprentices across programs received a set of academic and professional supports throughout their participation in the programs, including ongoing coaching and mentoring, tutoring, individual advising, and courses located in community settings. Apprentices also received financial assistance for Child Development Permit application fees, participated in no-cost college courses, and received textbooks and laptops used in their coursework. The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) employed a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the apprenticeship program. The data collection took place between January and April, 2019. The evaluation consisted of online surveys of previous and active apprentices; focus group discussions with active apprentices; and interviews and focus group discussions with key program informants. The evaluation sought to answer these research questions: (1) Who has participated/is participating in these programs; (2) What impact(s) do participants perceive as a result of their participation in the program; (3) What impact do sponsors/employers perceive as a result of their implementation of these programs; (4) What elements/aspects of the program were most beneficial to participants, employers, and families; (5) What challenges did participants face in participating in the apprenticeship program; and (6) What challenges did employers/sponsors face in implementing the apprenticeship program? The evaluation findings add to the growing evidence that apprenticeship programs present a promising approach to improving the knowledge, skills, and professional identity of early educators. The evaluation revealed the numerous ways in which the strategies employed by the apprenticeship programs--namely access supports like paying for the cost of education and holding classes in community-based locations, academic supports, and peer supports--removed barriers and supported success. Apprentices participating in this evaluation benefited from flexible course scheduling to coordinate with their work and family commitments, support from dedicated staff to ease the transition into college coursework and expectations, and a network of other early educators similarly committed to advancing their credentials and working together to improve their practice with children and families. Further, the apprentices reported gains in their knowledge and enhancements to their practices. [For the main report, see ED602988. The California SEIU Early Educator Apprenticeship Program evaluation is a project of the Service Employees International Union Education and Support Fund (ESF) with grant funding from the California Apprenticeship Initiative and Workforce Accelerator Fund.]