Wallace State Child Development partners with Cullman High School to offer short-term certificate to CHS students

HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Several students at Cullman High School are halfway to earning a short-term certificate in Childhood Education thanks to a partnership with Wallace State Community College.

Students in Amy Gleaton’s Child Development class at Cullman High School have been instructed by WSCC Child Development program director Dr. Marcie Robinson as part of a Dual Enrollment option that allows the students to earn a short-term certificate in Preschool/Family Child Care.

“One of the benefits of earning the certificate is that they’re going to enhance their resume,” Dr. Robinson said. “No matter what they’re doing, they’re going to be able to have an additional credential listed on their resume. Above and beyond anything else, that’s going to set them aside from others.”

The certificate will enable any student who is 18 or older to apply and be an assistant in a state funded Pre-K program if they are interested in working with children in the classroom.

And for those who may not be interested in working with children, Dr. Robinson said they would still benefit from the program.

“Above everything else, it gives them better understanding and, hopefully, some extra patience in that when you hear screaming children at Walmart or out in the community, you understand that there’s a reason for that,” she said. “Hopefully taking some child development classes will help them to better understand children’s needs and have more appropriate expectations.”

“The opportunity to partner with Wallace State through the Child Development program allows our students to see career opportunities in the field that they might not have thought about,” Gleaton said. “It also allows them to experience career directed courses at a college level.  Often our dual enrollment courses are core courses like math or English and although those opportunities are beneficial, they often don’t spark a student’s passions like a specific career directed course can. Hopefully, this will provide some extra motivation and clarity to those students debating post-secondary education.”

The students have appreciated the opportunity to take the classes and learn more about college.

“This opportunity is important and valuable to me because it gives us an insight to the college life and gives us the ability to obtain course credits,” said Sophia Caretti. “This can be highly useful to those who want to go into education or any career involving children, even babysitting.”

“This class is important to me because I want to be a teacher and make differences in children’s lives,” said Emma Dodd. “I’m getting a head start, which I believe will help me to obtain my dream career.”

“The Child Development class is valuable not only for us students now but also in the future,” said Ashleigh Drake. “This allows us to learn how to one day parent a kid, teach kids, or get a better understanding of how children learn and how they grow.”

“I will be able to use this throughout the rest of my life,” said Aysia Hausler.

The students will continue Child Development classes for the remainder of the school year, taking the two remaining classes required for the short-term certificate in two mini-terms during Wallace State’s Spring 2022 term.

Students who wish to continue their education in Wallace State’s Child Development program can apply the short-term certificate toward the associate degree option, accelerating their pathway to completion.

For more information about the Wallace State Child Development program, contact Dr. Marcie Robinson at 256.352.8383 or marcie.robinson@wallacestate.edu.