Collaborative early childhood center celebrates success with beam signing [Video]

DOVER — As the workforce in Delaware continues to evolve, so, too, does the need for early childhood professionals and one partnership is ready to tackle the issue head on.

A new, state-of-the-art learning facility is now underway as a result of that collaborative effort between Delaware’s Department of Education, Governor John Carney’s office and Delaware State University (DSU)’s Education Department which was officially announced in November 2021. Plans quickly started taking shape as DSU worked to develop a statewide infrastructure for those hoping to enter the early childhood education profession through the Early Childhood Innovation Center, or ECIC for short.

Last year, efforts were finally realized when the group’s first cohort of students vying for a Child Development Associate (CDA), a nationally recognized credential, graduated from the ECIC program in June. That first cohort included 223 students. Meanwhile, all of the students also work at least 20 hours in a licensed early education facility concurrently while doing …