STCC to offer class this fall for family child care providers
Members of SEIU can enroll for free
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Springfield Technical Community College will offer a class in the fall for family child care providers in partnership with the union that represents early childhood educators.
The course, Administration of Family Child Care, is free for members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 509. It will run during the “Fall 2” session which begins Oct. 27. Anyone in the community who is not affiliated with SEIU can enroll in the course for a fee.
STCC has partnered with SEIU to offer the course free to members. The union represents nearly 20,000 human service workers and educators throughout Massachusetts.
Lakisha Coppedge, who teaches the class, said STCC is thrilled to partner with SEIU in offering the course.
“We recognize the importance of specializing courses in support of family child care programs in a way to revitalize and strengthen our partnership in the great cities we are connected to and support their specialized learning needs,” Coppedge said.
The class is open to family child care providers who serve children with state Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) child care vouchers.
Administration of Family Child Care will provide specific family child standards of care, strategies of implementing equitable and inclusive learning and parent provider skills as it relates to relationship building, Coppedge said.
“It’s targeted to family child care providers, specifically those who are in the SEIU Local 509 union from the metro area of Springfield, Holyoke and Chicopee,” Coppedge said.
Jynai McDonald, Family Child Care Coordinator for SEIU Local 509, the Massachusetts union for human service workers and educators, said SEIU does more than bargain for wages and benefits. It provides leadership development and training opportunities for its members.
SEIU first partnered with STCC to offer the class in 2020.
“This is an opportunity for the union to formalize a partnership again with STCC to expand the training opportunities we have so providers can have access to a college course,” McDonald said.
Students can apply the credits toward an associate degree in Early Childhood Education or a related one-year certificate program in child development.
“We are thrilled to continue this partnership. And we look forward to having a longstanding relationship with STCC so that we can help our providers stay connected, meet their education needs and matriculate on to credit bearing courses or getting their degrees,” McDonald said. “I’m so excited to see that STCC has stepped to the plate again to serve the needs of the community, specifically the family child care community.”
To register for the class, visit stcc.edu/explore/summer-sessions. For questions, email Lakisha Coppedge at lmcoppedge2001@stcc.edu.
About Springfield Technical Community College
STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequalled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu