For the love of children: Alumni benefit from Early Childhood Education program

Haley Robertson loves children. Her mother was a preschool teacher, and her childhood home was next door to a daycare. Growing up, she assisted with vacation Bible school and anything else that involved helping youngsters.

I have always loved kids and explaining things to them. When I turned 18, I called a preschool repeatedly until they gave me a chance to work there, Robertson said.

Earning an OSA

Years later when the owners of Summit Private School in Wylie asked Robertson if she would be interested in taking Collin College child development classes, this single mother was excited about the opportunity. In May, she earned an Occupational Skills Award (OSA), and this fall she will be a pre-kindergarten teacher at the school. Robertson said she hopes to become a director one day.

As educators, we help children expand their minds, Robertson said. I love when parents say, My kid loves being in your class. They come home so excited every day. Thats the best gift I could have.

According to Professor Ann Butler, Collin College Childhood Education discipline lead based at the Wylie Campus, the program has articulation agreements with four-year colleges and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

We have iPads and laptops for our students to use in the classroom and to assist with research and lesson creations, a NewLine touch screen to help kinesthetic learners explore interactive whiteboard lessons, and RealCare Babies, the worlds most advanced infant simulators, Butler said. We can also help connect students to the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) Scholarship which pays for Child Development Associate (CDA) credential fees and degrees in early childhood education.

Earning an associate degree

Karen Barron worked at an area mothers-day-out program when her children were young and discovered she truly enjoyed teaching preschool children. When Barron decided to work for Apple Creek Preschool in Frisco, she learned that she needed to take classes to work for this NAEYC-accredited school.

I took all of my child development classes at Collin, and I loved it, Barron said. The professors were very engaging and allowed for discussion.

Barron earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Child Development, summa cum laude, in May 2017 from Collin College. Today, as the director of the preschool, she is still in touch with her classmates and has hired two Collin alumni. She says the hands-on experience she received was invaluable.

The administration classes were beneficial to me as a director, Barron said. At Collin, you get practicum experience in your second year. Universities may not offer that until junior or senior year.

Barron says a career in child development is rewarding.

Teachers can have such a positive impact. If you are a person who loves to nurture and help, education is the place to be, Barron said.

In addition to early childhood education classes, the Wylie Campus also offers education classes such as Learning Framework, Introduction to the Teaching Profession, and Introduction to Special Populations. Students can also pursue bachelors and graduate degrees in education from the colleges university partners at the Collin Higher Education Center (CHEC).

For more information about Collin College early childhood education and education classes, visit www.collin.edu/department/childdevelopment.

For more information about education classes at CHEC, visit www.collin.edu/chec.

To register for classes at the Wylie Campus, visit www.collin.edu/campuses/wylie.

Photo by Nick Young, Collin College photographer.

Reprinted with permission from Wylie The Connection magazine.