Posted on January 24, 2023 by childrenslearninginstitute

This past Fall the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) was awarded a grant from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to develop a Texas School Ready Registered Apprenticeship Model (RAP). Apprenticeships help employers and job seekers by training teachers for jobs with diverse career paths and promising futures. Apprentices are full-time, paid employees who earn while they learn.

“Apprenticeships that address child care worker shortages are vital to growing a much-needed workforce and allowing Texas families with young children to have highly-skilled people caring for their children,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “As I’ve shared before, apprenticeship programs are not game-changers. They’re life-changers!”

Our immediate goal is to create a model, based on the Texas School Ready program, that can be used to create three RAPs in Amarillo, Houston, and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. These local RAPs will leverage the TSR coaching model to provide training and individualized support for apprentices as they complete on-the-job learning requirements and attainment of specific apprenticeship competencies. This will result in, at minimum, a Child Development Associate® (CDA) for those who participate in the entire process. Our RAP planning committee will also include representatives from local higher education agencies to build pathways for apprentices who would like to pursue an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline.

The initial model will include all the necessary support required to obtain a CDA for all apprenticeships. Apprentices will need to commit and complete the apprenticeship and CDA requirements. Participation will be monitored and troubleshooted by a coach, who will be there to help the apprentices along the way. After the trainings are complete, attendees will need to pass the CDA exam and have a successful verification visit to complete the program and receive their certification.

At the end of the grant planning period, CLI will release the Texas School Ready Registered Apprenticeship Toolkit. The toolkit will include Curriculum and Program Guidelines, a Recruitment and Retention Plan, a Supervision and Fidelity Monitoring Plan, and a Five-Year Funding Strategy. While we will be using some structural knowledge from the Texas School Ready program, these activities will be separate from the implementation of Texas School Ready, which currently does not implement activities specifically to registered apprenticeships.

We look forward to working with these diverse communities and implementing the Texas School Ready Registered Apprenticeship Model across our state.

The Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is a research-to-practice institute dedicated to advancing learning and health outcomes for all children. To learn more about CLI and our efforts visit childrenslearninginstitute.org. You can also subscribe to receive email notifications about CLI programs and news.