ECE Advisory Board Minutes
April 4, 2024
Present: Kim Freeman, Deb Gass, Chloe Leary, Leigh Marthe and Paige Neal
Agenda
Kim reported the following:
1. What the end of the year looks like:
a. Numbers of students (first year/second year) 12 first year and 4 second year
b. Senior goals: Most either CCV or going away to college, all to study ECE
c. Completion of Pre-Apprenticeship Four students will complete “Youth Apprentice”
d. Numbers of returning students: Ten potential returning students
2. What next year could look like:
a. Preliminary application numbers Do not have numbers but have been told there is a lot of interest
b. Youth Apprenticeship: All students who plan to return next year will apply for Youth Apprenticeship this spring, and I would like to set up preliminary placements for them.
c. Non-typical enrollment:
i. One student will return for a third year to complete an independent study and 2nd year Youth Apprenticeship.
ii. One student would like to return for a second year despite graduating in the spring. Leigh explained that she had referred Anne Doran to Natalie Searles for the answer to this question. The Board agreed that it would be in the student’s best interest to have continued support at WRCC.
3. Ideas for further improvement/Feedback
a. Summer Work Fair: I would like to host a work fair featuring ECE employers interested in hiring “trainees” for the summer. We will brainstorm ECE participants in a shared document. Best to hold it when the students are in class (Friday AM).
b. Adding more members: Chloe suggested that we include a person to represent Home-based ECE and that we look at the outlying towns due to students who enroll from Twin Valley, Bellows Falls, and Leland and Grey.
c. Additional Training?: “Handle with Care” training to train ECEs to handle challenging behavior safely. Should I become a trainer and provide this certification to my students? The Board was in support of this. Paige referenced that more training on challenging behavior would be helpful to students.
d. What should I add to better prepare students for today’s ECE world?
Suggestions included focusing on infant and toddler teacher training, self- care as it relates to anxiety prevalent in newer early childhood educators, and understanding the signs of Burnout and how to prevent it. Additionally, it was discussed that the students need to understand how to make connections with New Americans and be culturally competent.
