Meet The Participants

My Second Home is located in Bradford, near the intersection of Routes 5 and 25. A licensed home, it serves up to 12 children daily, with a total enrollment of 19 children. Age ranges from 1 to 7 years with owner. Meri Saladino and apprentice Nicole White work side by side on a daily basis. My Second Home enrolled in the Apprenticeship Program in July 2004.

Nicole White graduated from high school in 2000 and has taken several classes at Castleton State College during the 2001 school year. She writes, “The Registered Apprenticeship Program appealed to me at first because of the six college local courses and credits. Reading in more detail, I learned about the on-the-job training. This will help me to maintain my current child care occupation and expand my knowledge with Meri. I am eager to earn my apprenticeship in two years letting me spend an equal amount of time at home with my family. I am also in the process of becoming a Child Development Associate (CDA) and this program will give me the extra classroom training. I feel the Apprenticeship Program is a great first step towards an Associates Degree in the future.”

Owner and mentor Meri Saladino is a Child Development Associate (CDA) currently working towards her Associate Degree. Meri licensed her home child care program in 1995, allowing her to increase the number of children for whom she provided child care. Meri successfully ran a registered family child care home for 8 years prior to expanding her business.

Meri writes, “The Apprenticeship Program appeals to me because it generates a pathway for me to further my education and gain valuable knowledge, which I can put to use immediately and continuously with my daycare families. For the past 16 years, I have gathered my resources by attending workshops and conferences in Vermont and New Hampshire. For the past two years I’ve been feeling that I’m not finding the stimulus and challenge I want. The past year and a half I worked very hard putting together the necessary paperwork and obtained my CDA credential in February. The Program offers me a viable means of continuing my educational journey at a pace, which feels doable and right.”

Vermont Child Care Industry & Careers Council. All rights reserved.
Revised: 1/5/10