STARS and the Registered Child Care Apprenticeship Program
Vermont’s STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS) and the Vermont Child Care Apprenticeship Program are quality initiatives, which support each other in several ways.
Child care, early education and afterschool programs that are involved in the Apprenticeship Program – either participating in the opportunity for college coursework or with staff pursuing Apprenticeship certificates – will find that these activities meet some of the standards in STARS. Programs that participate in STARS will find that the resources of the Apprenticeship Program provide opportunities that contribute to program growth and increasing point levels. Registered child care programs as well as licensed centers will find that these two initiatives complement each other.
The following arenas in STARS have standards that are supported through the Apprenticeship Program:
Qualifications and Training arena – This arena recognizes achievements in overall education and annual professional development and the standards are applied to half of the people working in the program. Educational level, annual training, years in the field, and professional development planning are included in the standards of this arena.
One of the standards in this arena is the number of hours of professional development taken in the past year. Courses taken through the Apprenticeship Program in the past year count towards a person’s total number of points. As a rule, a 3 credit college courses involves 42 to 45 hours of class time, meeting standards at the 1, 2 and 3 point level in this arena.
The college credits earned for taking coursework through the Apprenticeship Program can be used towards meeting the educational level standards at the 2 and 3 point levels.
Staff members who have received a certificate upon completion of the Registered Child Care Apprenticeship Program meet the educational level standard at the 2 point level.
Families and Community arena – This arena recognizes contributions to families, community and the profession.
At the 2 point level, the mentoring work of apprentices and their supervisors is acknowledged as a community service activity (as it supports the profession).
At the 3 point level, leadership activities recognized include being a sponsoring site for the Apprenticeship Program and participating in the course series for supervisors.
Administration – This arena recognizes the practices that support the people working in the program.
for Registered Programs – Registered family child care home programs that complete the Program Management course in the Apprenticeship Program may find this course useful in meeting the standards of this arena, especially at the 3 point level.
for Licensed Programs – Staff and directors in licensed programs that complete the courses relating to program management, leadership and supervision in the Apprenticeship Program may find these courses useful in meeting the standards of this arena.
For more information contact Learning Partners at , by phone at 802 479-5261 or visit the STARS website at www.STARSstepahead.org