UAH ramps training for pre-kindergarten educators

MADISON COUNTY – State lawmakers are endorsing efforts by the University of Alabama in Huntsville to train the state’s pre-kindergarten workforce to meet the pace of expansion.

North Alabama lawmakers Sen. Bill Holtzclaw, Rep. Phil Williams and Rep. Terri Collins visited UAH College of Education’s Early Learning Center to observe one of the state’s newest high-quality, voluntary First Class Pre-K classrooms on Dec. 13. Alabama School Readiness Alliance advocates joined the tour.

The UAH Early Learning Center, a university-lab school for new teachers, received a $120,000 First Class Pre-K grant this year. The fall 2017 semester was the first time that UAH offered classes specializing in early childhood education.

Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education manages Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program. For 11 consecutive years, the National Institute for Early Education Research has ranked Alabama’s program as the country’s number one state-funded pre-kindergarten program.

Madison City Schools’ First Class Pre-Kindergarten Center has earned a reputation as a model for the state’s prominence in pre-K nationwide. Recently, a video team from Harvard University visited the center to interview and record footage of the youngsters engaged in learning.

The documentary will feature Madison pre-K center as an example of the importance of early childhood education. The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, which heavily emphasizes pre-kindergarten programs, has made the film possible. Assistant Principal Angie Bush directs Madison’s First Class Pre-K Center.

To work in an Alabama First Class Pre-K classroom, lead teachers must have at least a bachelor’s degree specializing in early childhood education. Assistant teachers must have a Child Development Associate credential.

In other efforts, the UAH College of Education now offers bachelor’s degrees and dual certification in early childhood education and early childhood special education. “The Early Learning Center classrooms provide an invaluable experience for our preservice teachers to learn from teams of effective, certified early educators in a developmentally appropriate inclusive setting,” Dean Dr. Beth N. Quick said.

“Educational achievement remains the greatest challenge in our state,” Rep. Williams said. “I’m happy to support efforts targeted toward our youngest citizens and hope they have every opportunity for success in their lives.”

Madison County has enough funding to enroll only 31.2 percent of the area’s four-year-olds.

For more information, visit alabamaschoolreadiness.org.