Initiatives Supporting & Inspiring Early Educators

• The Cambridge Office of Early Childhood is working to address workforce needs and to assist with employment supply and demand. 
  
  

• The Early Childhood Education Career Training Program offers a paid internship track for participants interested in entering early education and a scholarship track for those currently working in the field.  
  
  

• There are additional professional development opportunities with the Early Childhood College Scholarship Program, offered in partnership with Fisher College.

This December, applications will open for the Cambridge Preschool Program (CPP), a joint initiative of the City and Cambridge Public Schools. It will offer free school-day, school-year preschool to every 4-year-old in Cambridge and some 3-year-olds. Led by the Cambridge Office of Early Childhood (OEC), CPP will ensure that all of Cambridge’s preschoolers have equitable access to high-quality learning experiences spanning a variety of preschool programs that families can apply to through a single application. As we prepare to launch this pioneering early education system for the 2024-2025 school year, OEC is focused on the true foundation of every successful classroom: our educators.  

“Supporting workforce development is a critical component of sustaining high-quality early childhood education,” says, OEC’s Workforce Development Manager Emily Callejas. “Without offering professional development opportunities, we run the risk of losing valuable educators and not attracting new talent to the field.”

In her role, Callejas is responsible for developing positive long-term relationships with representatives of the early childhood field that will address workforce needs and assist with employment supply and demand. Her work — informed by a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) lens — focuses on fostering career growth, creating job opportunities, offering leadership development, and supporting continued education. “Our goal is to support the full spectrum of early childhood educator needs, whether you are entry-level or have been in the field for a long time,” explains Callejas.  

This commitment is reflected in the design of the Early Childhood Education Career Training Program, launched last fall in collaboration with the City’s Community Learning Center and Office of Workforce Development. It offers a paid internship track for participants interested in entering early education and a scholarship track for those currently working in the field. It prepares all participants to receive their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, which is a nationally recognized credential that leads to opportunities for career growth and advancement.  

“I was looking for a way to make a career change and this program has been the perfect way to learn and explore early childhood education. [The program] is a great way to put your learning to practical use and to discover if the work is right for you,” said Becca, a participant in the pilot program’s internship track. The annual program, which runs October – June, is in its second year and has expanded to enroll 9 interns and 11 scholarship educators.  

In addition to preschool professionals, OEC’s professional development opportunities extend to the full spectrum of early education providers: family childcare, center-based childcare, and home-visiting programs.  

The OEC is partnering with Harvard University to offer enrollment and access to the Certificate in Early Education Leadership (CEEL) program, which aim to support early education leaders with foundational knowledge, skills, and tools necessary for cultivating optimal learning environments and experiences.  

An additional professional development opportunity is the Early Childhood College Scholarship Program, offered in partnership with Fisher College. Scholarship applications are available to Cambridge-based early childhood educators three times a year for educators to take one online college courses from a selection of early childhood offerings.  

“I have learned about the significance of effective communication, handling complex situations, and understanding the needs of families,” says Hanna Loetz, a participant in the scholarship program. “I have also acquired knowledge about financial planning and the various options available for managing a childcare facility.”  

Callejas works with more than 114 Cambridge early education programs that serve children from birth through age five. Throughout OEC’s workforce development initiatives, she keeps one word central: inspiration.  

“The pandemic highlighted the importance of the early childhood education field and, equally, of keeping our educators inspired,” says Callejas. “I am inspired by the love that motivates our educators to work with young children. Young children deserve the best that we can give them, and having growth opportunities ourselves keeps us doing our best work.”  

For more information about the Office of Early Childhood’s opportunities for educators, please visit its website at https://earlychildhoodcambridge.org/.