Vermont Child Care Apprenticeship Program
News

2/19/01 - Burlington Free Press - Monday's Business Section

The VT Child Care Apprenticeship Program gets ink! Excerpts from the article are as follows:

Excerpts: Burlington Free Press, Business Monday, February 19, 2001

Reporter: Eve Thorsen

Topic: Vermont Child Care Apprenticeship Program

• Participation in the Program brought Erin Prim back into the field of child care at Early Years Development Center, Colchester-
  
• Parents, children and staff were delighted with her return-
• Child’s play merits more than child’s pay and deserves respect as one of our oldest and most critical professions-
  
• The Apprenticeship Program was officially launched in December of 2000-
  Vermont was one of ten states chosen for the pilot program with US Department of Labor-
  
• The Child Care Apprenticeship program will be bring educational opportunities and an increased pay scale to the industry-
  
• The increased fee scale will be funded through a Trust Fund-
  “Child care isn’t a charity. It’s a very important part of the economy”-
  
• 31 apprentices at 21 sponsoring sites have signed on to the Program-
  
• Apprentices must complete 297 hours of training and work 4000 hours over a 2-year period-
  
• As apprentices complete each of the eight levels of the program, their pay will increase-
  
• Pay and benefits were what led to the development of the Child Care Apprentices Program-
  
• Federal recognition of the child care industry meant a set of national standards for training people in the field
  
• The Child Care Apprenticeship Trust Fund has been established to address pay issues for Vermont’s apprentices and supervisors
  
• The Trust will solicit donations from individuals, foundations, unions, and businesses
  
• College level classes through Champlain College are funded by the Workforce Education and
• Training Fund, through the Department of Employment and Training
  
• After enrollment of the child care apprentices, classes are expanded to the child care workforce at no charge
  
• The program is proving its value, and it is an effort that deserves continued support

For more information, contact Jan Walker, 802 241-2198.