Making It All Work: Students Balance Work and Life in CLC's ECE Career Training Program
4/30/2025 • 7 months ago
Training to be a teacher isn’t easy. The Community Learning Center's Early Childhood Education (ECE) Career Training Program is designed to help people successfully complete their training and start a career in early childhood education.
Students in the program must complete four big tasks to earn their Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential and become a teacher. They take an online early childhood education course and work part-time in a Cambridge-based early childhood education center. They also must attend a CDA prep class and compile a CDA Professional Portfolio to apply for their Credential. The path to earn CDA credential is a lot to manage!
In addition to managing all the program requirements, most of this year’s students have significant family or childcare responsibilities. “Staying in class was so hard!” exclaims one of this year's participants in the ECE Career Training Program. “I have 3 kids (ages 11, 9 and 2 years old). I work 3 days a week as an intern in a preschool classroom and my husband has work on the other days,” she explains. “It has been hard finding time to do my course work when my 2-year-old was running around the house! But I tell myself, this will not last forever and then I will be a real teacher!”
The program's CDA teacher and program advisor work hard to give the students the support they need to finish. The program’s CDA teacher coaches students at their internship site. She also helps them complete their CDA Professional Portfolio and apply for the CDA credential. The program’s advisor helps students with tech issues, career plans, and accessing local resources.
“My husband and I started a construction business a few years ago. Now that my kids are a little older, I want to do something I am passionate about, but I also still need to work for my family business until I get a job as a teacher,” explains Carla, another ECE student. “I appreciate my teachers for always being available to help me and give me constructive feedback that helped me to develop my teaching skills and confidence.”
All of this year’s students will graduate from the program in June and are on track to earn their CDA Credential. “I appreciate this opportunity; it deepened my understanding and confirmed my passion for this field,” says Carla. “I am excited to be a teacher. I want to continue learn more about this field as I start my career.”
Do you want to be an early childhood educator or know someone who does? Sign up for an online information session to learn more!
The next program will start in October 2025. The deadline to apply is August 8.
Questions? Contact Sarah Figge Hussain at sfiggehussain@cambridgema.gov or 617-798-0250.
Photo Caption: Carla, a participant in the ECE Training Program, participates in a sensory activity during a CDA prep class.