The Career Academy launches new program to help students get head start into childcare careers

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Career Academy offers high school students a chance to get closer to their future career goals.

For those pursuing a career in early childcare, the academy has launched a new program to prepare them to earn a Child Development Associate (CDA) certification.

The new CDA program is among the first of its kind in the nation, offering courses that earn micro-credentials through practical lessons both in and out of the classroom.

Lincoln Littles, an organization dedicated to improving early childhood education and daycares throughout Lincoln, is supporting the initiative by helping develop both in- and out-of-classroom courses.

A celebration was held Tuesday night at Southeast Community College to celebrate the end of the program’s first semester.

Makayla Watson is a special education teacher with Lincoln Public Schools and joined the career academy this year, mainly due to the launch of this new CDA program.

“We found that there were maybe some places in Lincoln, or throughout the nation, that needed additional support with personnel for daycares,” she said.

“We thought this would be a way to get everyone involved and create an opportunity for all those kids,” said Watson.

Most students here have a learning disability and come from a variety of Lincoln Public high schools, including Lincoln Southeast and the Independence Academy.

They also range in age from high school juniors and seniors to slightly older, ages 18-20, coming together for what the school refers to as “an alternative pathway.”

Autumn Brown, a senior, says she already feels ready for the workforce thanks to the program.

“We’ve been to a lot of different daycares and learned a lot of different things from those daycares,” said Brown.

“It was very easy, with me having dyslexia, it helped with that,” she said.

Brown says her favorite part was talking to and being around children, adding, “Also, our teachers are amazing, and they help us.”

The Career Academy invited Lincoln Littles to join the journey to develop the CDA program, and accepted their guidance and insights from their background in the field.

“This is just an excellent pathway for young people who want to get into the field and work in early childhood,” said Suzanne Schneider, the associate director at Lincoln Littles.

“We worked together to help develop a pathway program including micro credentials and hopefully the full CDA,” she said.

Although students aren’t receiving college credit for the program, they are receiving something Watson considers better.

“The goal is that they can build these professional skills and then potentially go take the CDA exam, which means they will be CDA certified,” she said.

Watson adds that once students ultimately complete a CDA certification, it “looks phenomenal on a resume.”

She also says the program has built connections with external partners and has partnered students with various daycares that look forward to hiring them when they are ready.