The Early Childhood Education Pre-apprenticeship Program was designed and is being implemented through the partnership between the Center for Community Inclusion and Disabilities Studies (CCIDS), Maine UCEDD, and the Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network (MRTQ PDN). The concept grew out of an ECE Apprenticeship Action Research fellowship awarded to two staff members at MRTQ PDN and CCIDS by Bank Street College of Education in 2023. The new program takes a proactive approach to build flexibility into the lesson plan, recognize that every individual learns differently, and remove obstacles that often get in the way of learning objectives. Informed by the learning of surveys, interviews and focus groups, the model will include additional training that will increase the capacity of new workers to build competence, and their own toolkits to remain working with young children, which is some of the most important, challenging and undervalued work that supports our local economy.
The Maine Department of Labor recently approved MRTQ PDN as the sponsor of the Maine Certified ECE Pre-Apprenticeship Program, an initiative that benefits Maine residents by addressing childcare workforce shortages through paid, supported career pathways. Youth and Family Outreach, a licensed childcare center with a long history of serving a diverse population, has signed on as the first Sponsoring Employer for this new program. Additionally, the United Way of Southern Maine (UWSM) is helping make this pilot program possible by removing common obstacles like transportation and childcare. These supports ensure participants can attend training regularly and complete the program successfully. Beginning in February 2026, UWSM will also partner with childcare providers in Cumberland and York Counties to recruit and retain the trained teachers needed to deliver high quality care for Maine’s hardworking families.
