BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The Burlington YMCA is helping train the next generation of child care providers and preschool teachers. It comes as Vermont is in dire need of providers and teachers amidst a shortage of spots for kids.
Like many child care centers in Vermont, the greater Burlington YMCA is facing a shortage of qualified teachers, so officials say they take matters into their own hands.
“We need people to join this field. Vermont’s workers need people to join this field,” said the YMCA’s Tammy Colquhoun. She says to bring more teachers into the profession, they engage and trains people with a range of experiences, not just an education degree. “We treat our teachers like they’re professionals.”
People like Sofia Yanez, who has a degree in sociology and human development. “I’m still learning, I still make mistakes, and I have amazing co-teachers that correct me and show me new ways to approach certain situations. I have mentors that have been here long before me, that are still teaching me, and I’ve become a mentor, so it really is full circle,” Yanez said.
The assistant teachers learn from lead teachers who meet all the state’s required qualifications.
Samantha Jean studied psychology and says the interaction and training give her the confidence to do her best work. “It gives you this sense of confidence to continue this career, and you want to because you feel good about what you do. You’re making strong connections and you feel important — and you should — because this is one of the most important things, if not the most important thing to be doing for children,” she said.
Both women say the supportive environment makes them want to continue working in the field. For Yanez, that could mean going to grad school. “I hope that people can see that it is such an amazing career to have, to work with children, to be in the education field,” she said
The Y is still hiring assistant and lead teachers.