Washington Business Winter 2020 | Washington Business | Page 41

business backgrounder | education & workforce
“Folks can jump in and out as they need too.”
– Samantha Dolan, facility coordinator for early childhood
education, North Seattle College
To help address these concerns, DCYF partnered with the Washington
State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) to develop a
clear pathway for providers. The result was a program in which providers
can earn certificates that build on one another, allowing them to deepen
their learning and expertise as they progress through their courses and
their careers.
“We pulled faculty together from colleges across the state and
developed 14 common courses that lead to different credentials,” said
Kathy Goebel, workforce education policy associate at SBCTC. “Providers
can earn seven credentials within the stackable sequence of 14 courses.”
Students first earn the Initial Early Childhood Education (ECE)
Certificate, which requires 12 credits. This allows them to serve in entry-
level roles in the field, such as assistant teacher. Next, they can complete
an additional eight credits to earn the ECE Short Certificate in one of five
specializations: general, infant-toddler care, school-age care, family child
care or administration. The final certificate, the ECE State Certificate,
requires 47 total credits, including college-level math and English.
Twenty-eight community and technical colleges across the state now
offer this stackable certificate program.
“Providers have five years to attain the initial certificate,” Goebel
said. “We want to support them in every way we can to make sure their
transition to higher education is as easy and seamless as possible.”
offering support and flexibility
Working parents across the state can attest to the
difficulty of finding affordable child care. Forty-nine
percent of Washington parents found it difficult or very
difficult to find, afford and keep child care, according to
a recent report produced through a partnership between
the Association of Washington Business Institute, Child
Care Aware of Washington, the Children’s Alliance, the
Washington State Department of Commerce and the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. In addition,
27% quit their job or left school or training due to child
care issues, and 9% were fired or let go due to child care
issues.
“Wait lists can be up to 18 months at in-demand
centers. Pregnancy and maternity leave aren’t that long,”
Dolan said.
But it’s not just access to care that’s the issue. The care
needs to be high quality to promote a child’s learning
and development.
“Children need access to early childhood education.
There’s a shortage of care period, but when looking at
high-quality care, there’s even less available,” said Alexis
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