The dual-credit Early Childhood Education (ECE) program between Lethbridge College and Kainai High School is continuing to prove successful in helping students build a solid foundation for life after graduation. The program, which sees grade 11 and 12 students undertake two of the college’s ECE introductory courses, has given those enrolled a head start on building a successful career path.
Seventeen-year-old Kainai High School student Tiana Weasel Moccasin has successfully completed her level one and two certifications in the program. Weasel Moccasin says her experience with the dual-credit program has significantly affected the way she views the world. Seeing the way children learn and experience the environment around them has taught her a great deal about how people relate to one another.
“It’s just changed my whole point of view and how I look at life,” says Weasel Moccasin. “Watching how they (children) learn to use their motor skills, their creativity and their intellectual skills and then being able to relate that back to what we’ve learnt from (childhood education) philosophers has been really valuable.”
The college launched the unique program in 2015 and so far, 29 students have successfully completed the course offerings. Having guided 14 students through the first year of their program, ECE instructor Anita Cooper says they have been able to improve how lessons are delivered in order to gain more student engagement for the second class of Kainai students
“One of the difficulties we had initially was classroom engagement. Teaching through Skype, it can sometimes be hard to get the back row of students involved in conversation,” laughs Cooper.
Through time and in-class experiences, Cooper says students blossomed and she saw significant improvement in levels of confidence and interaction. Cooper hopes the skills and self-esteem learned in the ECE program will make the path to post-secondary education less intimidating.
Kainai High School principal Annette Bruised Head has seen students embrace the opportunity and capitalize on their learning with the program.
“We have two students who are completing work experience in early childhood with our partner Kainai Board of Education’s Head Start program and they are getting paid for the work they’re doing,” says Bruised Head.
Looking to the future, both Bruised Head and Cooper say they are excited to see how the students grow and learn new skills which will lead them to a rewarding and promising career path.
More information on Lethbridge College’s programs is available online.