Grant Empowers ESL Students to Pursue a Career in Early Childhood Education

With the help of the Buell Foundation, based on national and local data, ACC’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program will continue the RESPECT Initiative at ACC in Fall 2020. The goal of the RESPECT Initiative is to continue building a pipeline of high-quality dual language early childhood educators meeting the needs of the local community. The grant provided by the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation will offer tuition assistance to students who are English language learners in our early childhood education pathway. Classes will be taught in English. No college placement test will be required. 

High-quality early childhood education can lead to greater school readiness, academic aptitude in elementary school, as well as increased success into adulthood. Teachers, specifically, are a key factor of the quality of ECE programs, however Colorado is experiencing a shortage of well-prepared dual language early childhood professionals. Across Colorado, there is a lack of dual language early childhood educators in the workforce. According to the Transforming the Early Childhood Workforce in Colorado report conducted by Early Milestones, 70% of early childhood education directors report they are having difficulty in filling early educator positions. This gap is expected to widen as Colorado is predicting a 33-43% increase in need for teachers in the next six years (2018).

Testimonial from a student in our inaugural cohort:

The RESPECT Grant let my wish come true, to grow in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) field which I am greatly passionate about. The two-semester program was an enriching experience and exceeded my expectations. The RESPECT Grant not only provides early childhood educators, whose second language is English, with a foundation in the field, but it builds a community of learners and friendships among the students. Besides ECE 101 and 103, the grant includes an English class that teaches essay writing techniques as well as how to properly include citations and references in college papers. The guidance and support by all of the professors in the program are top notch and access to all college amenities and learning materials are a huge plus.
~ Zsuzsanna Moritz, Owner of Suzie's Neighborhood Child Care

If you have interest or know someone who would be a good candidate for this program, check out our Early Childhood Education program webpage and RSVP and register. We have space for 15 students. College application & registration / orientation Zoom sessions will be on August 5 and August 12 at 6pm. Register today.

We look forward to working with another great group of ECE professionals!