CAC, First Things First offering aid to early childhood ed students

Central Arizona College and the First Things First Pinal Regional Council have unveiled a program designed to help students enter the early childhood education field.
 
The First Things First Pinal Regional Council is providing scholarship opportunities. The grant provides full tuition each semester (up to 24 credit hours yearly) and a book stipend toward an associate of applied science degree in early childhood education at CAC. This program is funded by the ADES/Child Care Administration and First Things First Regional Partnership Councils. For more information, contact Shirley Harter at [email protected].

First Things First (FTF), approved by Arizona voters, works to ensure that the youngest children have access to quality early childhood experiences so they begin school healthy and ready to succeed.

To qualify for a scholarship, students must be interested in obtaining a degree in the early childhood field but may not be presently working in the early childhood environment. In addition, students must be willing to work in Pinal County upon completion of the degree program.

Tuition funding through the Professional Career Pathway Project is available to those currently working in childcare centers or family childcare homes.
 
“Teaching and caring for children is an exciting, rewarding profession,” Michelle Williams, CAC’s preceptor of the program, explained.
 
Students who complete the A.A.S in early childhood education may earn positions such as:
 
• Family childcare provider
• In-home childcare specialist
• Preschool teacher
• Head Start teacher or teacher’s aide
• Elementary school teacher’s aide
• Childcare center provider
 
In CAC’s early childhood education department, instructors work individually with students to meet their needs. Instruction is available in a variety of delivery methods, including:
 
• On-site classes
• Online classes
• Distance learning using Interactive Television (ITV)
• Self-paced study
• Traditional classroom
• Short-term classes and seminars
• Evening and weekend classes
 
For more information about the First Things First Scholarships at Central Arizona College, please contact Michelle Williams by phone at 520-494-5022, or by e-mail. 
 
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