VT ECE Apprenticeship
Program

Mentors are experienced head teachers, assistant directors, program coordinators, directors, and others who have agreed to provide guidance and support to the apprentice.

• Have the experience and education to enable them to serve as role models and resources.
• Have a associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education or a minimum of Level IIIB on the Northern Lights Career Ladder.
• Desire the opportunity to mentor and commit to supporting an apprentice for the full term of the apprenticeship program, 2+ years. This includes formal observations and meetings with the apprentice to discuss observations and strategies to build skills on the job.
• Work in the same regulated child care program setting (as the apprentice) for at least 30 hours per week and are readily available to support the apprentice through both formal and informal mentoring.

• Attend mentor training, offered at no cost with option to receive credit
• Develop leadership and mentoring skills while supporting an apprentice
• Use their knowledge and experience to guide their mentee’s professional development and examine best practices for working with children from a new perspective
• Are eligible for stipends up to $1500 annually for timely completion of mentoring activities and submission of documentation to VTAEYC by the 10th of each month
• Receive the appreciation for a job well done!

No, to meet VT Department of Labor requirements, apprentices and mentors must work in the same regulated child care program. This allows facilitation of regular assessment of on the job skills and guidance through this professional journey. Apprentices and mentors must have the support of their employer to participate.

Sponsors are employers who agree to support an apprentice/mentor team in the Vermont Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship Program. The program must be a Vermont regulated child care or Agency of Education setting, with no unresolved violations within the last 12 months, or history of recurring violations, as defined by Child Development Division licensing regulations. Programs must be participating in, or willing to participate in, a quality initiative such as STARS, Head Start or NAEYC/NAFCC accreditation. Sponsors may have up to two employees on active T.E.A.C.H. Scholarships.

• Need qualified mentors on site who are willing to work closely with less experienced staff.
• Commit to the process of ongoing professional development for their staff members.
• Should think carefully about which staff members would be a good match for this on-the-job training program and scholarship model.
• Ensure that the apprentice/mentor team has adequate release time during the regular work week for on-the-job support, including regular observations/assessments and meetings.
• Agree to a progressive wage scale during and upon completion of the program, as prescribed in the Standards of Apprenticeship approved by the VT Department of Labor.
• Enter into a T.E.A.C.H. scholarship contract for each year their apprentice is in class.
• Provide 3 hours/week of paid release time for each apprentice during school terms.
• Ensure their apprentices receive a 1.5% pay increase upon successful completion of each T.E.A.C.H. contract.
• Provide proof of participation, or willingness to participate, in a quality initiative such as STARS, Head Start, or NAEYC/NAFCC accreditation.

• Benefit from participating staff members building strong and open relationships; stronger teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Completed apprentices are able to attain a Level IIIA certificate on the Northern Lights Career Ladder and each college course earns 45 hours of professional development.
• Benefit from participants engaging in reflective practices, which will enhance staff’s quality over time.
• Benefit from a more skilled and better educated staff; completing Apprenticeship qualifies employees as Teacher Associates under Child Development Division licensing regulations.
• Sign, with their apprentice, a contract with T.E.A.C.H., which states apprentices will stay at their employer for one year after the end of each educational contract.
• Receive partial reimbursement for the 3 hours/week of paid release time granted to Apprentices.

The Vermont Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship Program (VECEAP) is managed in collaboration with the VT Department of Labor, through the efforts of Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC) and T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Vermont. As a statewide, not-for-profit organization, VTAEYC blends state and federal funding, private foundation and community grants, membership dues and private donations to benefit apprenticeship. VTAEYC funds will contribute to the T.E.A.C.H. Apprenticeship scholarship cost. VTAEYC conducts outreach and orientation, provides materials for apprentice/mentor teams, maintains files, collects monthly documentation from apprentices and mentors, and offers support to all participants throughout the course of the apprenticeship program.

Teacher Education And Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) is a comprehensive scholarship program that provides the early childhood workforce access to educational opportunities and is helping to establish a well-qualified, fairly compensated, and stable workforce for children.  First established in 1990 in North Carolina, T.E.A.C.H. is now available in more than 25 states, including VT.

To view more information about the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Vermont Program, please click here.

VTAEYC provides funding and counseling for the T.E.A.C.H. scholarships and provides supports for the Vermont Department of Labor aspects of VECEAP.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Vermont pays for 100% of tuition and books, provides an access stipend each semester, reimburses the program for a portion of the release time given, provides a $400 contract completion bonus for apprentices and provides counseling and administrative support for the program, including:

• conducts outreach and orientation

• provides materials for apprentice/mentor teams, maintains files

• collects monthly documentation for apprentices and mentors

• offers support to all participants throughout the course of the apprenticeship program

As long as funds are available, and as long as both the ECE program and apprentice continue to be eligible, T.E.A.C.H. will award scholarship contract renewals so the apprentice can continue taking courses. At the conclusion of the Apprenticeship Program, the apprentice and sponsoring program will have the option of rolling into a T.E.A.C.H. Associate Degree Scholarship.