Kellogg Community College, under the leadership of Professor Jamie Bishop of the Early Childhood Education Program and Ann Miller, director of Early Childhood and Teacher Education, will participate in a grant awarded to the University of Toledo by the U.S. Department of Education.
KCC is the latest institution to join UT faculty and colleagues from five other Michigan community colleges to work together on Great Start for Higher Education (GSHE), a project from the DOE Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to enhance the quality of preparation for future early childhood education professionals.
The purpose of GSHE is to help prepare early childhood teachers with associate degrees to meet the needs of young children with disabilities and their families. The grant is for $1,250,000 over six years (January 2019 to December 2024) and is a competitive award based on peer review and ranking of a national pool of applications.
UT faculty member Dr. Laurie Dinnebeil and national consultant Camille Catlett of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, will partner with Bishop and Miller, as well as other campus and community partners. The GSHE team will provide intensive professional development for KCC colleagues related to their emphasis on evidence-based practices for supporting children and families of diverse abilities, cultures, languages and life circumstances.
“The Great Start for Higher Education project will provide an opportunity to enrich our curriculum with experiences that enhance the knowledge and skill set of our associate degree candidates to be more prepared to meet the individual and diverse needs of the young children and families they serve,” Bishop said. “We are committed to continuous improvement and serving as a resource and advocate for our local communities.”
For the KCC Early Childhood Education Program, which is fully accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, this project represents an investment of time and effort to make an excellent program even better.
Regional advisory boards comprised by early childhood experts, family members of children with disabilities, graduates of community college early childhood education programs, representatives from state agencies, and other early childhood and early childhood special education professionals will guide the work of Great Start for Higher Education.
Kellogg Community College is the sixth and final partner to join project colleagues from Monroe County Community College, Grand Rapids Community College, Mott Community College, Bay College and Lansing Community College.
Kellogg Community College’s Early Childhood Education Program aspires to teach individuals to become the best early childhood professionals possible, thereby increasing the quality of early childhood services in our communities. KCC offers an Associate in Applied Science degree in Early Childhood Education as well as Child Development Associate training. KCC’s ECE Program trains students to meet the state of Michigan’s Child Care Licensing Regulations for child care providers, federal mandates for Head Start teaching staff and the Michigan Department of Education Great Start Readiness training guidelines for preschool paraprofessionals.
For more information about the GSHE project or to learn more about the KCC ECE Program, contact Miller at millera2@kellogg.edu or Bishop at bishopja@kellogg.edu.
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