Last night, we celebrated the community and our newest Early Childhood workforce.

The first cohort of 15 students in Story Tapestries’ EARN Maryland workforce training program completed 16 weeks of learning, professional development, and preparation for careers in early childhood education.

All 15 earned Clock Hours that support their development, 13 of the 15 participants earned their 90-hour Early Childhood Education Certificate,—and 9 graduates have already secured jobs with the rest getting ready to be employed.

But last night was about more than certificates.

It was a moment filled with stories of triumph.  Gabe Albornoz communicated “So honored to help. That event was like chicken noodle soup for the soul!!!”

It was about hearing Gabriella describe discovering that an opportunity she thought was financially out of reach could suddenly become possible.

It was listening to Mia remind her classmates that opportunity can sometimes arrive “disguised as hard work.”

And it was a demonstration of the power of partnership where the government plus non-profits plus high education plus donors plus business leaders plus early childhood centers build a pathway together so that talented young people can enter the early childhood field, keep learning, and help shape what comes next shifting the sands of the economy one step at a time. 

Congratulations to every graduate. We can’t wait to see where you take this.

Deep thanks to the Maryland Department of Labor, LAYC, INEDUIN/Instituto de Educación Infantil, CHEER, Montgomery College, Montgomery County Recreation Department, Children’s Opportunity Alliance,  Kids MCS, The ARC Montgomery County, CentroNia, Easterseals, Hope Grows, Chevy Chase Lifestyle Magazine, and Catherine Leggett and everyone who helped make this first cohort possible.

#EARNMaryland #EarlyChildhoodEducation #WorkforceDevelopment #CareerPathways #StoryTapestries

For a deeper look at what the program was like, watch the video below.

 

See the program through another lens in this Spanish-language video created by one of our partners, INEDUIN.