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Workforce, Community and Economic Development Project TEACH helps child-care professionals advance their education By Andrew Fisher
Kimberly Guschel (center), a participant in Project TEACH at Penn State, is a child-care professional at the Bellefonte, Pa., YMCA. Here she is helping Helena Swanger (left) and Bethany Dolan create arts and crafts projects based on the theme of the ocean. YMCA child-care staff members use a theme-based curriculum with the children, reinforcing learning through a variety of ways—play, drama, arts and crafts and science. Photos by Dave Shelly—Campus Photography In the “ocean” area of the child-care room at the YMCA, children listen to Kimberly Guschel, a child-care professional, as she tells them about the ocean and shows them some ocean-related toys and activities they can try out. From left are Tiana Kline, Luke Holler and Jaiden Boone.	A new collaboration between Penn State and the Pennsylvania Child Care Association is helping to promote and coordinate early childhood education through Project TEACH Early Childhood® Pennsylvania at University Park.   Project TEACH (Teacher Education And Compensation Helps) Early Childhood® Pennsylvania was established in 1998 by the Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) and is offered at nearly 20 universities and colleges across the state. The program was launched at University Park during the spring semester with a cohort of 12 students. The goal is to provide scholarship programs that help child-care professionals complete course work and increase their salaries in the child-care field.   Students enrolled in Project TEACH are pursuing the associate degree in human development and family studies offered by the College of Health and Human Development through the Office of Continuing Education at University Park. Funding for the scholarship program is provided by PACCA and Smart Start–Centre County, a collaboration of the Centre County Community Foundation, Centre County United Way and the Child Development and Family Council of Centre County Inc. PACCA contributes roughly 60 percent of the tuition cost, while the other 40 percent is raised by Smart Start–Centre County through community support.   Dr. Fred Vondracek, associate dean for Undergraduate Studies and Outreach in the College of Health and Human Development and an enthusiastic supporter of the program, said, “Project TEACH is a great example of how an engaged university can and should respond to a community need by finding innovative ways to provide education to the nontraditional student. The College of Health and Human Development has a commitment to support the educational needs of child-care professionals, and by partnering with the Office of Continuing Education, PACCA and Smart Start–Centre County, we have been able to extend our reach. Project TEACH is a real town-and-gown success story.”   Admission into Project TEACH is open to child-care staff members and family-care providers currently working in a state-regulated child-care setting. Qualified students are admitted to Project TEACH by completing an application process with PACCA and by going through the standard Penn State admission process.   Many people benefit from the Project TEACH Early Childhood® Pennsylvania program. The students who participate are able to gain an education from a respected university, along with valuable career experience, while working. This program gives them the opportunity to advance their education in direct application to their chosen field of child or family care. Since every participant must be employed by a child- or family-care facility while participating in the program, they must also have extensive time-management and organizational skills.   One participant, Kimberly Guschel, is a 24-year-old single mother of one who, until recently, had never considered a career in child care. It was not until she moved to Bellefonte, Pa., that she accepted a child-care position with the Bellefonte YMCA. After only one year of experience in the field, she was introduced to Project TEACH by her supervisor, Liz Toukenen. Toukenen believed in Guschel’s work ethic and dedication enough to advise her to apply to the program. Guschel is now one of the 13 students in the program.   According to Toukenen, “Project TEACH is a fantastic program. It’s an extremely rewarding experience.” It gives child-care professionals like Guschel the release time from work and the tuition assistance that make it possible to pursue their education.   Although she has a long way to go, Guschel has already noticed the impact Project TEACH has made on her life.   “I believe that without a higher education in the child-care field, you really miss out on understanding the reality of what children are about,” Guschel said. She also noted, “I go to class and learn about children, then I take what I learn and apply it to the children that I work with and also to my son.”   She plans to earn an associate degree in human development and family studies, but would like to see the program grow to include a bachelor’s degree.   Participating in the associate degree program while working full time is a challenge, but employers become active partners in the program by agreeing to provide paid release time and bonuses and/or wage increases as incentives for employees to accomplish their educational goals. In return, employers benefit by having an educated and dedicated member of their staff who has taken the initiative to advance their professional skills. Project TEACH reimburses the employers for 75 percent of the release time, and students commit to extend their employment at their child- and family-care centers upon completion of the program.   Although the students, educators and employers who participate in the program benefit greatly, it is the children who benefit the most. When children are paired with specialists who have made a commitment to excellence by obtaining education and professional experience, those children will have their developmental needs met as they continue to grow. Under the Project TEACH Early Childhood® Pennsylvania program, child-care organizations, providers, parents and children are able to bond in a mutual circle of learning that produces positive results for all involved. An outreach program of the Pennsylvania Child Care Association, the College of Health and Human Development and Penn State Continuing Education