Gateway Pupil Services Director Kurt Garivaltis visits the preschoolers in their new playground in the Gateway courtyard. (Photo submitted)
HUNTINGTON – Students at Gateway Regional High School have the option of getting a head start in a career in early childhood education.
This past fall, the school received Chapter 74 certification for its new Early Childhood Education and Care vocational program for high school students after receiving initial approval last February, said Superintendent David B. Hopson.
Students have begun the preliminary course work for the program, which will roll out in the fall. This is the second Chapter 74 program for the school district, which also offers welding certification. Hopson said Early Education and Care (EEC) is not offered at either Westfield Technical Academy or Smith Vocational School.
High School Principal Jason Finnie said accreditation was granted Oct. 31, following a needs assessment, curriculum development and a site inspection of the new full day preschool program located in the middle-high school complex. The preschool takes up space formerly used by the middle school, which moved its classes upstairs.
The district also met with regional work force boards to determine need, surveyed interest among students, and put together an advisory council with members from higher education, daycare operators, parents and students. They also formed an articulation agreement with Holyoke Community College, which has a certified EEC program, which will allow students to earn college credit towards an associate’s degree. An Early Education teacher, Kelly Bartolo, was also hired.
Eleven students began the introductory course prior to the certification in the fall, but the five that chose to go forward to the second section are considered enrolled in the state-approved vocational program, and the course work they have taken this year will count toward the required 900 hours for certification. The other students that did not choose to commit to the program will have their coursework credited towards social studies requirements.
Students in the EEC program will be prepared for three possible tracks upon graduation. They will receive the hours needed to be a preschool teaching assistant; have a jump start towards an associate’s degree to become a lead teacher, or they could pursue a four-year degree in education.
“For this one, there are a lot of career opportunities,” Finnie said.
Finnie said in a high school setting, students in the EEC program still have access to all other liberal arts courses of study, and some of their EEC classes will count toward those requirements, such as child psychology towards social studies credits.
Finnie said their hope was to get five to seven students to initially commit to the program, which they achieved with the five students who are continuing in the program this year. He said once it’s fully implemented, they expect to have 20 to 25 students in the program.
In addition to classroom studies, students in the EEC program will also have observational time in preschool classrooms, and work-study placement with community preschool providers during their junior and senior years.
In addition to the full-day preschool program in the middle-high school, which is connected to the Chapter 74 program, Gateway has half day preschool in Littleville Elementary, and full and half-day preschool in Chester Elementary.
“We developed the new PreK program in response to public demand for additional slots and to create full day slots for working parents. The following year, we developed the Chapter 74 program to create additional vocational opportunities for our youth here in the hilltowns,” said Gateway Pupil Services Director Kurt Garivaltis.
