Develop Your Career
We strive to maintain the most qualified and well-trained staff possible at ABCD Head Start, as such employees are better able to do their jobs effectively and meet the changing needs of the children and families we serve. We also value our staff members and want to help them to achieve professional success.
Ongoing Educational Opportunities and Continued Professional Support
ABCD has implemented a Professional Development Program to provide ongoing educational opportunities and to help staff members become well versed in our program philosophy and their own individual job requirements. This program helps our staff to acquire and increase the knowledge and skills they need to fulfill their job responsibilities. It also builds relationships among our staff members. ABCD believes staff training and development is a constant process, which should be individualized to meet the goals of each staff member. Strategies to support implementation of this system include individual coaching, mentoring, and formal college classes. The Professional Development system includes a structured orientation process for all new staff, plus staff training and development opportunities, including individual training plans for all teaching staff.
ABCD offers extensive staff training. These include a three-week pre-service training period, monthly professional days, and a four-day training session during February school vacation week.
Ongoing Head Start training includes the following:
Workshops provided by staff and/or professional trainers and consultants
Writing/literacy support
The Child Development Associate training program
Courses in conjunction with Urban College of Boston and area colleges and universities
Monthly Professional Days provide on-site training for staff in the following areas:
Education
Family services
First aid and CPR
Health issues
Nutrition and food services
Mental health issues
The Professional Development Component provides specific training for staff in the following areas:
Literacy training
Computer training
Writing support
Curriculum development
Observation and assessment
Academic Training
ABCD strongly supports the efforts of individual employees to improve their job-related skills and knowledge, and to acquire the education necessary to enhance their professional skills and prepare for career-related promotional opportunities. Employees are encouraged to take college level courses at the Urban College of Boston and many other area colleges. Staff members receive help reviewing their transcripts and assessing the options available to them academically. They are encouraged to undertake course work that will enhance the skills required to perform their present job assignments, remain current with innovations and emerging trends in their field, improve administrative and management skills, and prepare for positions within the organization that may be attained through promotions.
Programs Available
Child Development Associate: The Child Development Associate (CDA) National Credentialing program enhances the quality of childcare by defining, evaluating, and recognizing the competence of childcare providers. A CDA Credential is awarded to a person who is able to meet the specific needs of children, and who, along with parents and other adults, works to nurture children’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth within a child development framework. ABCD Head Start and Children’s Services offers training for the CDA Credential in three areas: Preschool, Infants and Toddlers, and Family Child Care. Staff members who are working on their CDA will earn up to 12 college credits through the Urban College of Boston.
Associate of Arts in Education: The Urban College of Boston, a two year college, offers an Associate of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Education. This degree provides the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to work successfully with young children in a variety of institutional and agency settings. Access to internships and job placement sites are readily available through Head Start and other childcare programs. Transfer agreements with other colleges allow students to continue their education in this important career field.
Associate of Arts in Human Services: This major provides a carefully structured curriculum that is focused on the wide spectrum of human services and the clients who receive them. Areas of study include delivery of services, case management, interpersonal relations, the nature of prejudice, methods of changing behavior, public policy and decision making, and organizational management. Graduates are well-prepared to work with urban populations in a professional capacity and to foster positive change among clients and communities. This well-planned course of study facilitates continuance to a baccalaureate program in the human services career field.
Associate of Arts in General Studies: This degree provides a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences that prepares students for transfer into a broad range of academic and professional baccalaureate programs and for eventual career advancement. Students will acquire communication and learning skills, knowledge and appreciation of the humanities and the natural and social sciences, and an understanding of the direct relationship between the liberal arts and the world of work. The individual studies component of the major is developed to address students’ specific career objectives and to build upon their life experience.
Health/Nutrition Food Safety Certificate Program: Beginning in 2008, Urban College of Boston will offer a certificate in “Health, Nutrition and Food Safety” within the General Studies Division. Students who complete the curriculum successfully will be eligible for employment in a variety of food service establishments, including child care centers, schools, restaurants, hotels, and hospitals, whether working directly under a chef or on a team at a larger organization.
