Meet The Participants

Welcome!
We are excited to extend our family of Sponsors.
Creative Spirit Children’s Center joined the Vermont Child Care Apprenticeship Program in Winter 2011!

Creative Spirit Children’s Center is located at 894 Vermont Route 113 in West Fairlee and serves children from ages 6 weeks to 12 years old. Creative Spirit Children’s Center’s hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Director Sheila Bedi is committed to providing support for the mentor and apprentices at Creative Spirit Children’s Center. Sheila writes, “I have hired a licensed teacher who comes throughout each week and observes teachers for 2 hours apiece, and meets with them for an hour, then meets with me as well, keeping me up to date on their progress and growth.”

Apprentice Melissa Berry signed on as an apprentice in the Winter of 2011. Melissa received her GED in 2006 and has completed the 120 hours of training needed to apply for her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. She writes, “I feel that enrolling in the Apprenticeship Program is the next step in furthering my education and helping me to become the teacher I hope to be. I believe that it will enhance my interactions with the children and families that I work with. By taking these classes I hope to learn new ideas and strategies to implement in my classroom to better benefit the children in my care.”

Apprentice Dawn Phelps signed on as an Apprentice in January 2011. She graduated from high school and received her Human Services Program Certificate from the Randolph Area Vocational Center in 1999. She has taken classes at CCV and is working toward her CDA Credential. She has ten years of experience working in preschool settings. She sees the great benefit of the opportunities for learning offered through the Apprenticeship Program. She writes, “I hope to gain knowledge related to the childcare field as well as meeting other professionals I can communicate and share ideas with. I aspire to learn more about the development of children and the ability to implement the skills learned within my classroom. I’d like to further develop my curriculum planning and better incorporate ideas into our daily routine.”

Mentor Jill Koppers graduated from Ball State University in 1993 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She holds a New Hampshire K-8 Teacher Certificate, earned in 1999, and worked as a Grade 4, 5 and 6 teacher for eleven years. She started working as an advisor to early childhood teachers in 2010. Jill appreciates the professional status that the Apprenticeship Program gives to the mentor and the apprentice. She writes, “I strive to be the guide my mentors were to me. Because of these experiences, the Registered Apprenticeship Program appeals to me on many levels. I crave the opportunity to be both teacher and student again as there is much I can teach my apprentice but learn from her as well. Finally, the Apprenticeship program offers a level of formality and professionalism that I believe will help foster highly qualified teachers who will give this career a more professional position in communities in the future.”

Vermont Child Care Industry & Careers Council. All rights reserved.
Revised: 2/15/11