CLC leads the way in early childhood education

As Lake County and the rest of the nation looks for more high-quality early childhood education professionals, College of Lake County (CLC) has been selected to be part of a new pilot program for infant and toddler education that will take it to the forefront of the field.

The Infant and Toddler Competency Project is being paid for by a $170,000 Preschool Development Birth through Five (PDG B-5) grant from the state of Illinois' Governor's Office of Early Childhood Education. CLC was one of five institutions in the state selected to test out the new online education modules.

"Piloting this program shows how CLC is setting students up for degree and credential completion in the future," said Early Childhood Education Instructor Diane Schael. "We are supporting individuals in Lake County with obtaining their credentials at no cost to them. At the forefront of supporting early childhood education, we can serve as a template for the state."

Schael was one of the instructors chosen to help write the new modules. These lessons are broken down into different levels that range from someone starting their education (level 2) to someone earning their master's degree (level 6).

The modules will be enacted in actual courses at CLC and the other participating institutions this summer and fall. As the students go through the modules during class, feedback will be collected from students and faculty. This research will then impact any modifications made.

CLC will be piloting level 2 and 3 courses, which are for people who are already in the workforce. Level 2 allows someone to become an assistant teacher and level 3 allows someone to become a lead classroom teacher.

After the piloting phase, the modules can be used by any instructor in Illinois starting in 2023.