Project Description:
While there is a statewide shortage of trained personnel to serve the educational needs of young children with disabilities in Alaska, the need is particularly poignant in rural and remote areas of the state. Project Success is a collaborative project combining the distance delivery education resources and disability expertise of the Center for Human Development (UCEDD), University of Alaska Anchorage with the resources of University of Alaska Southeast, and University of Alaska College of Rural Alaska to deliver coursework applicable to a special needs emphasis for their distance delivered Associate of Applied Science Degree in Early Childhood Education. Project Success recruits rural Alaska Native residents interested in early childhood education careers (e.g., in school districts, Head Start Programs, Infant Learning Programs) and serving children with special needs. The Project provides tuition scholarships and supports a Village Mentor System managed by RurAL CAP, a statewide organization managing a number of rural Head Start Programs and community development projects. Project Success covers travel and other expenses for regional study groups and an annual institute focused on developing skills and strategies for success in college, as well as exposure to professional and family expertise in disability specialty areas. Unlike most scholarship programs, Project Success also provides funding to cover developmental coursework in English, which is a second language for most Alaska Native educators served by this project. It is expected that increasing knowledge, skills, and experience of rural educators will increase community capacity to better serve the educational needs of children with disabilities.
Keyword(s):
Alaska Native, distance delivery, early childhood education, special needs
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Geographic Area - Other, Other
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
