Governor Markell Recognizes T.E.A.C.H
Early Childhood ® Scholars
Speaking at a joint meeting of the Delaware Early Childhood Council and Wilmington Early Care and Education Council on December 15, Governor Markell and Secretary of Education Godowsky honored nine early childhood scholars and their programs for participating in T.E.A.C.H., which provides scholarships to early learning professionals for college coursework leading to a cred
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| | Gov. Markell and Krysta Thomas |
ential or degree in early childhood education. To date, over two-hundred scholars have furthered their education and careers through the T.E.A.C.H. program, resulting in higher quality services to the young children and families they serve every day.
"The T.E.A.C.H. program is a great public-private partnership that creates opportunity for our teachers to receive advanced education, leading to higher wages and helping them gain additional skills to serve our state's youngest learners," said Markell. "Investing in early childhood education is the best return on our tax dollars."
T.E.A.C.H. is one of many successful early learning initiatives that have been accelerated
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| | Gov. Markell and Carrette Cameron |
since 2011 when, despite budget challenges, Governor Markell proposed and the General Assembly passed a $22 million to increase early childhood funding by one third, and the state subsequently received a competitive federal four-year, $50 million dollar Early Learning Challenge grant which will expire in 2016.
Three of the scholars noted that T.E.A.C.H. broke down financial barriers for them, and that without the program they would not have been able to pursue their education. They spoke not only of their commitment to furthering their education, but also to their commitment to the young children they teach.
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| | Gov. Markell and Jacquie Greene |
Jacquie Greene, an early childhood educator and T.E.A.C.H. scholar from Parents And Children Together at Tech of United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware, used the occasion to ask Governor Markell to prioritize support of continued funding for the program. Tina Edwards, a family childcare provider in Dover, said she was motivated by her desire not to see "a child's potential squashed because no one invested in their future."
Dr. Godowsky paid tribute to the educators for seeking opportunities to further their education and professional development to continue to provide their students with a quality early education: "Just as great teaching is key to great learning when children reach school age, quality teaching and early education is critical to the development of our youngest learners."
Most T.E.A.C.H. scholars are women earning less than $15 per hour -76 percent of whom are married with children. Nearly half of the scholars are people of color and 41 percent are the first family member to attend college. The state funds the T.E.A.C.H. scholarships, centers commit to providing a bonus or raise to the teacher once the coursework is completed, and in return teachers commit to successfully completing coursework and to remaining in the same early childhood program.
"T.E.A.C.H. embodies the core principles that drive the Early Childhood Council's work -collaboration, evidence-based, and outcome driven," said Mary Kate Mouser, Council Chair and Operational Vice President of Nemours Health and Prevention Services.
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| | Governor Markell's Weekly Address |
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