Early childhood educators care for and teach young children in preschool, daycare and after school programs. They provide the safe, nurturing environments that families and communities depend on.

They’re also part of something bigger. Preschool is the foundation for all future learning and skill building. That makes the educational, emotional, social and physical development that children experience during early childhood vital for future success. Research shows that children who go to preschool are more likely to graduate high school, earn higher salaries and own homes.

Contra Costa College’s on-campus Early Learning Center provides preschool, afterschool and daycare services to diverse groups of children, aged 2-5. After spending time in the classroom studying how to create healthy, safe and stimulating learning environments, students can gain experience observing and working directly with them, there. And if students would like experience working in other environments, an off-campus mentorship can be set up too.

Whatever a student is interested in, at Contra Costa College they will have the support of great, caring teachers, counselors, a career center and like-minded students, who want to see them succeed. The Early Childhood Education department has free tutoring and a book loan program to save money on textbooks. If students are already working with children, they could even get small professional development stipends that pay back part of the enrollment cost, just for passing classes.