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Free Degree Program for Early Childhood Workers Marks Milestone

Posted on February 4, 2025

Johnstown, PA (Feb. 4, 2025) – It’s no secret there is a crippling staffing shortage in the child care industry. Although recruiting new staff remains challenging, efforts to retain and elevate existing staff with opportunities to earn free college degrees and corresponding higher wages are gaining momentum regionwide. As hub of the Early Childhood Alleghenies Shared Services network, The Learning Lamp recently enrolled its 100th participant in free Early Childhood Education (ECE) Registered Apprenticeship and higher education pathways.

Since 2018, The Learning Lamp has dedicated a workforce coordinator to recruit and support child care workers in earning a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, Director’s Credential, and/or associate and bachelor’s degrees in Early Childhood for free. And not just its own staff, but workers employed at providers throughout west central Pennsylvania.

“We currently have 100 adult learners enrolled in Registered Apprenticeship and other higher education pathways earning college credits at multiple participating colleges and universities,” explained Amanda Manges, workforce coordinator at The Learning Lamp. “Eighteen are from The Learning Lamp. The remaining 82 work at other centers and family-based providers across eight counties.”

In all, participants in ECE Registered Apprenticeship and parallel pathways offered in partnership with the Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organization at the PA State System of Higher Education (ECE PDO@PASSHE) have completed a combined 2,028 college credits—at no cost. That’s a value of $1,624,428. Students’ tuition at 15 partner colleges is covered by PA’s T.E.A.C.H. program, PDO dollars from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, and traditional financial aid. Students are attending schools include Shippensburg University, Delaware County Community College, Northampton County Community College, Westmoreland County Community College, Penn Highlands Community College, and Saint Francis University.

To date, 21 individuals have earned credentials and/or associate and bachelor’s degrees. More than half of students opted to keep learning. Victoria Roudybush enrolled in the program in 2021 to earn a Child Development Associate (CDA), but she didn’t stop there. In addition to her own personal and professional growth the program enabled her employer, Start Smart Learning Center in Gallitzin, to expand with a second location.

“My passion has always been to work with children, and I always wanted to move up in this field, but was never able to,” explained Roudybush. “Getting the education for free was an opportunity that I could not pass up. It allowed me to get my CDA, associate’s degree, a pay raise, and take on a director position at our child care facility.”

The Learning Lamp became involved in a statewide push for Early Childhood Apprenticeships as a critical workforce development strategy as the Southern Alleghenies Regional Coordinator. In 2024, it received PA Department of Labor & Industry approval as its own ECE Registered Apprenticeship sponsor. It also sponsors an approved ECE Registered Pre-Apprenticeship Program and alternate concurrent enrollment pathway helping 29 high school students work toward their CDAs or transfer completed college credits toward associate and bachelor’s degrees.

“These programs enable people who may never have considered college an option because of cost or family responsibilities to set and reach new goals for themselves, earn a higher wage, and advance in a career they love,” said Leah Spangler, president & CEO of The Learning Lamp. “While there is no one solution that’s going to resolve the child care crisis impacting parents and employers struggling to find workers in all industry sectors, our emphasis on workforce development is a meaningful, tangible step in the right direction.”

With more work to be done, The Learning Lamp applied for and was awarded a PA Department of Labor & Industry PAsmart Pathways Innovation Grant to keep this effort going. The 26-month grant will expand ECE Registered Apprenticeship for early learning workers in underserved communities throughout western PA.

For information about The Learning Lamp, visit thelearninglamp.org. To learn more about ECE Degree for Free programs, visit ecalleghenies.org.

The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high-quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. In 2023, The Learning Lamp and our school-based division Ignite Education Solutions directly served 37,524 children and adults. In addition to our own program locations, we worked with 87 public and private schools in 36 Pennsylvania counties. We also supported 473 child care and community-based youth organizations with free or nearly free shared resources, positively impacting another 44,190 children statewide.

 Our programs include: child care and preschool, after-school programs, tutoring, SAT prep, school staffing, alternative education programs for at-risk students, online learning, credit recovery, drug and alcohol prevention programs, and grant writing and project consulting for schools.