Educating Northside pre-k educators.
Ask Judy Graca why pre-k education is so important for children, and you don't need to wait long for an answer.
"Oh, my goodness. It's going to set them up for success. It leads them to better social interactions. It leads to self-care and self-independence," said Graca, Trying Together's Quality Initiatives Strategist. "And it leads them to foster a love of learning... "Graca pauses for a moment before finishing her thought. "...If that learning is done correctly."
Ensuring the quality of pre-k teachers and the education they provide is a top priority for Graca and Trying Together. Although the organization advocates for early childhood education throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh's Northside is one of its main areas of focus. Recently, this commitment was on display as they helped Northside pre-k teachers increase their own education by earning Childhood Development Associate (CDA) accreditation certificates.
Certification in action.
Teaching the Northside's pre-k teachers is the responsibility of Baylee McCarrell, Trying Together's Workforce Development Strategist. The most recent CDA training was hosted by the Northside's Providence Connections, a ministry founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence to provide early education to children and support to their families. McCarrell said the multi-month in-person training program is intense, focusing on critical subjects such as health and safety, social and emotional development, proper classroom set up and family interactions. However, she said the hands-on aspect of the learning is what will truly benefit Northside children.
"It's a really important way to pull the pieces together," said McCarrell. "You can sit down and read a textbook and hear a PowerPoint being taught to you. But it's different whenever you get to pair that with working in the field."
Certification in action.
Teaching the Northside's pre-k teachers is the responsibility of Baylee McCarrell, Trying Together's Workforce Development Strategist. The most recent CDA training was hosted by the Northside's Providence Connections, a ministry founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence to provide early education to children and support to their families. McCarrell said the multi-month in-person training program is intense, focusing on critical subjects such as health and safety, social and emotional development, proper classroom set up and family interactions. However, she said the hands-on aspect of the learning is what will truly benefit Northside children.
"It's a really important way to pull the pieces together," said McCarrell. "You can sit down and read a textbook and hear a PowerPoint being taught to you. But it's different whenever you get to pair that with working in the field."
Certification in action.
Teaching the Northside's pre-k teachers is the responsibility of Baylee McCarrell, Trying Together's Workforce Development Strategist. The most recent CDA training was hosted by the Northside's Providence Connections, a ministry founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence to provide early education to children and support to their families. McCarrell said the multi-month in-person training program is intense, focusing on critical subjects such as health and safety, social and emotional development, proper classroom set up and family interactions. However, she said the hands-on aspect of the learning is what will truly benefit Northside children.
"It's a really important way to pull the pieces together," said McCarrell. "You can sit down and read a textbook and hear a PowerPoint being taught to you. But it's different whenever you get to pair that with working in the field."
Certification in action.
Teaching the Northside's pre-k teachers is the responsibility of Baylee McCarrell, Trying Together's Workforce Development Strategist. The most recent CDA training was hosted by the Northside's Providence Connections, a ministry founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence to provide early education to children and support to their families. McCarrell said the multi-month in-person training program is intense, focusing on critical subjects such as health and safety, social and emotional development, proper classroom set up and family interactions. However, she said the hands-on aspect of the learning is what will truly benefit Northside children.
"It's a really important way to pull the pieces together," said McCarrell. "You can sit down and read a textbook and hear a PowerPoint being taught to you. But it's different whenever you get to pair that with working in the field."
Certification in action.
Teaching the Northside's pre-k teachers is the responsibility of Baylee McCarrell, Trying Together's Workforce Development Strategist. The most recent CDA training was hosted by the Northside's Providence Connections, a ministry founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence to provide early education to children and support to their families. McCarrell said the multi-month in-person training program is intense, focusing on critical subjects such as health and safety, social and emotional development, proper classroom set up and family interactions. However, she said the hands-on aspect of the learning is what will truly benefit Northside children.
"It's a really important way to pull the pieces together," said McCarrell. "You can sit down and read a textbook and hear a PowerPoint being taught to you. But it's different whenever you get to pair that with working in the field."
Certification in action.
Teaching the Northside's pre-k teachers is the responsibility of Baylee McCarrell, Trying Together's Workforce Development Strategist. The most recent CDA training was hosted by the Northside's Providence Connections, a ministry founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence to provide early education to children and support to their families. McCarrell said the multi-month in-person training program is intense, focusing on critical subjects such as health and safety, social and emotional development, proper classroom set up and family interactions. However, she said the hands-on aspect of the learning is what will truly benefit Northside children.
"It's a really important way to pull the pieces together," said McCarrell. "You can sit down and read a textbook and hear a PowerPoint being taught to you. But it's different whenever you get to pair that with working in the field."
Certification in action.
Teaching the Northside's pre-k teachers is the responsibility of Baylee McCarrell, Trying Together's Workforce Development Strategist. The most recent CDA training was hosted by the Northside's Providence Connections, a ministry founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence to provide early education to children and support to their families. McCarrell said the multi-month in-person training program is intense, focusing on critical subjects such as health and safety, social and emotional development, proper classroom set up and family interactions. However, she said the hands-on aspect of the learning is what will truly benefit Northside children.
"It's a really important way to pull the pieces together," said McCarrell. "You can sit down and read a textbook and hear a PowerPoint being taught to you. But it's different whenever you get to pair that with working in the field."
Certification in action.
Teaching the Northside's pre-k teachers is the responsibility of Baylee McCarrell, Trying Together's Workforce Development Strategist. The most recent CDA training was hosted by the Northside's Providence Connections, a ministry founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence to provide early education to children and support to their families. McCarrell said the multi-month in-person training program is intense, focusing on critical subjects such as health and safety, social and emotional development, proper classroom set up and family interactions. However, she said the hands-on aspect of the learning is what will truly benefit Northside children.
"It's a really important way to pull the pieces together," said McCarrell. "You can sit down and read a textbook and hear a PowerPoint being taught to you. But it's different whenever you get to pair that with working in the field."
Free thanks to One Northside.
Like all educational programs, earning a CDA comes with a price tag. However, thanks to the Buhl Foundation's One Northside Initiative and its mandate to help improve the lives of all Northsiders, the program is free to Northside pre-k educators. That's something Kelly Hall views as critically important to providing top-notch early childhood education. As Providence Connections' Manager of Educational Quality and Innovation, she's seen many teachers within the field struggle with their own challenges, including personal finances. By covering the cost of books, applications, teaching sessions, computers on loan and other elements, Hall said One Northside is removing major barriers to continuing education.
"I think it's huge because you may have teachers who really wants to do this, but they're at the bottom of the mountain looking up," she said. "When someone is there to help out, they think, 'I can do this' because they’re building confidence."
You can sit down and read a textbook and hear a PowerPoint being taught to you. But it's different whenever you get to pair that with working in the field.
