Pennsylvania Registered Apprenticeship
Early Childhood Career Pathway

Shaping Young Minds

Find the Right Career Path for You

Pennsylvania’s registered Early Childhood Education (ECE) Apprenticeship program is an approach to address workforce shortages and advance the qualifications of the existing ECE workforce. The goal of the program is to assist employed ECE professionals move beyond the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential to attain an ECE associate (AA) or bachelor’s (BA) degree and earn higher wages. Apprentices are offered educational supports and coaching throughout the process. Relevant work experience and prior learning counts towards credit release, which expedites the process to complete the degree.

We Can Help!

Employers from across the state are able to work with an Apprenticeship Coordinator to learn how to support apprentices through a combination of credit-bearing on-the-job learning, classroom instruction, mentorship and credit for prior learning. Apprenticeship seeks to streamline a career pathway and lowers barriers to higher education including financial challenges and logistical concerns such as time commitment, childcare, transportation or access to technology. Click here to contact an Apprenticeship Coordinator in your region.