President Harrison and Mayor Ginther tour classroom

Campus News | Wednesday, November 1, 2017

With standards for early childhood teachers continuing to increase, the City of Columbus is providing a $200,000 grant to Columbus State Community College to provide a unique educational program.

Completing the program will help early childhood teachers meet more stringent standards being phased in at the state level. This grant follows a $90,000 grant earlier this year which funded a similar pilot program.

The grant allows the college to offer scholarships to 75 early childhood teachers in Columbus who are enrolled in the Child Development Associate (CDA) program. Upon completion, participants will be prepared to take an assessment to earn their CDA credential, an entry-level credential for early childhood teachers.

Participants will each earn nine credit hours toward their Early Childhood Development and Education associate degree.

On Oct. 18, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther toured teacher Michele Bird’s pre-K classroom at the Glenwood Center for Early Childhood. Bird is among the current 75 CDA students in the city. The students take classes in the evenings so they can attend after the work day.

A state-wide policy known as the Step Up to Quality (SUTQ) rating and improvement system will require childcare centers to meet stringent guidelines by 2020, including employment of qualified teachers. All early childhood education programs funded by the state are required to participate in SUTQ.

 

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