Early Childhood Occupations Students are First in State to Earn New Credential

January 8th 2010     Posted from: St. John Valley Technology Center

Early Childhood Occupations students at the Saint John Valley Technology Center are the first in the state of Maine to earn the credential of Certified Early Childhood Assistants. Kaci Caron and Blair Pelletier are the first two students to earn this distinction. The girls got their certification on December 12^th after a couple of months of waiting.

Pam Caron, the Early Childhood Occupations instructor expresses her pride in both the program and her students. “This certification has been in process for the past 2 years. We’ve worked hard to make this happen, it’s actually quite incredible what we’ve accomplished.”

Caron was instrumental in creating this credential along with other instructors across the state, in cooperation wiith Janine Blatt from DOE, Carolyn Drugee from DHHS, and Priscilla Armstrong from Maine Roads to Quality. Initial discussions centered around who would provide the credential and what would be required to earn the certification.

After numerous meetings it was determined that requirements for certification would include passing the NOCTI exam with a grade of 80, completing a portfolio with all required components based on NAEYC standards, maintaining current first aid and CPR certification, participating in 180 hours of field experience, and successfully completing the 2 year ECO program. Students would also become members of the Maine Roads to Quality Registry.

It was also determined that Maine Roads to Quality would be responsible for certifying students since the purpose of this organization is to promote and support professionalism and training in the early care and education field. This credential will be renewable every three years with renewal based upon completion of one college class towards a degree in a related field.

Renewal for certification will be easy for Early Childhood Occupations students at SJVTC because they have already been earning 8-9 college credits for the past several years as part of a dual credit agreement with Northern Maine Community College, Caron explained, “this is significant because these credits transfer to pretty much any community college or university in Maine, giving students much more academic flexibility.”

The ECO students are excited about their work within the playgroup setting, with the parent infant program, as well as with their internship experiences. Caron expects another 10-12 students to become certified before the end of this year. “It’s hard to believe that people still think we’re about babysitting.” says Caron as she marvels at the quality and quantity of work these students accomplish. There are eight levels to the early care career lattice in the state of Maine. Level 8 recognizes practitioners with a doctorate or a masters degree with five years experience. These girls are now at a level 4, making them true paraprofessionals in the field. Blair is attending UMFK and is completing a double major in elementary education and behavioral science. Kaci is attending the University of Maine and majoring in psychology and pre-law. In conclusion Caron says “we’d like to congratulate both of these students and to others who may be in the process of applying for certification. We are very proud.”