Child Care Apprenticeship

The Child Care Apprenticeship is an 18-month program. By submitting this application, you are agreeing to complete all required training over this 18-month period. All training will consist of asynchronous online classes except for medication administration. Medication administration will be held in person at Harford Community College on a Saturday. If you have already completed a required training from another provider, you may be eligible for credit for that specific training. For credit for previous training, submit your unexpired certificates with your application materials. 

Apprentices must maintain full-time employment with a participating early childhood program in Maryland throughout the 18-month apprenticeship. Apprentices must complete 1,000 work hours for every six months of the apprenticeship. Prior work experience may be submitted to assist in meeting that requirement. Documentation of prior work experience in a Maryland licensed childcare program should be submitted with your application materials. Apprentices whose employment is terminated for any reason should immediately contact the Apprenticeship Coordinator. Apprentices whose employment was terminated but who continue to be eligible for employment in childcare will be aided with obtaining employment from another participating employer. 

Apprentices must apply to Maryland’s Child Care Credentialing program. Apprentices are expected to keep their credentials current throughout the apprenticeship. 

The following certificates are completed during the Child Care Apprenticeship:

• 90-hour Preschool
• 90-hour Infant & Toddler
• 90-hour School-Age
• Medication Administration
• Including All Children and the ADA
• 9-hour Communication Skills
• Basic Health & Safety

If you have already earned one of these certificates, you may be eligible for credit for that specific training. For credit for previous training, submit your unexpired certificates with your application materials.

Minimum criteria for admission to the childcare apprenticeship:

• Maryland Resident
• At least age 18 (17-year-olds may be considered if they will turn 18 prior to the end of the apprenticeship)
• Have earned a high school diploma or GED®
• Have reliable transportation
• Be able to pass a medical evaluation and be cleared to work with children
• Be able to pass a background check to work with children (fingerprinting and child protective services check)

There are a limited number of slots in each apprenticeship cohort. Meeting the minimum criteria does not guarantee admission; the most highly qualified applicants will be accepted into each cohort. 

All applicants are required to be employed while in the apprenticeship program.

• No experience is necessary.
• Individuals accepted into the apprenticeship are matched to a participating employer for hiring.
• Individuals currently working for a participating employer may also apply for the apprenticeship.
• Salary requirements for apprentices increase every 1,000 work hours or every six months.
• Apprentices are encouraged to work with the same employer throughout the apprenticeship but may apply to work with a different, participating employer.
• Apprentices must complete 3,000 hours of employment over the course of the 18-month apprenticeship. Prior work experience may be used to meet this requirement when evidence of that experience is submitted with the application.
  • Apprentices must maintain full-time employment throughout the apprenticeship.

• Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) provides grant funding that covers costs for apprentices.
  Note: Funding is dependent upon receipt of MSDE grant.
• The grant requires apprentices to continue to work in licensed child care in Maryland for a specified time after successful completion of the apprenticeship program.
• Applicants who choose to participate in the grant must sign a separate grant agreement after being accepted into the apprenticeship program.
• Those choosing to complete Medication Administration at an alternate location may do so but they will not be paid for through the MSDE grant.

• Apprentices are supported by Harford Community College through site visits, networking, and support
• Apprentices are supported by their employer through a mentoring relationship with an experienced teacher.
• The College's teacher education faculty and staff assist apprentices in successfully navigating the coursework and assist apprentices with their application to the Maryland Child Care Credentialing program.
• Apprentices interested in continuing their education after completion of the apprenticeship receive support from the College in applying for the CCCPDF grant which covers 100% of tuition, books, and fees for select child care providers. 
• Apprentices are eligible to articulate to college credits toward an Early Childhood AAS or AAT degree program after successfully completing the apprenticeship and one 3-credit course with a C or better.

Applicants accepted into the apprenticeship must go through the hiring process with a participating employer including the completion of a fingerprint-based background check, child protective services check and submission of a medical evaluation. Apprentices are expected to begin full-time employment no later than the start of the apprenticeship. Apprentices are expected to schedule interviews and complete the hiring process in accordance with this timeline.

• STEP 1:  BEFORE starting the application, gather the following:
  • Proof of Maryland residence (driver’s license or state identification card)
  • Proof of high school diploma or GED®
  • Name, address, and phone number of employer, if currently employed in child care
  • Name and email address of director, if currently employed in child care
  • Letter of support from director, if currently employed in child care, or someone else knowledgeable about your ability to work in child care. You will receive a confirmation email after completing your submission that will include the letter for the Director to complete.
  • Child care certificates you have earned (e.g., Basic Health & Safety, Including All Children and the Americans with Disabilities Act, CPR/first aid, etc.)
  • College transcript (unofficial is acceptable), if you have passed any college courses
  • Standardized test scores (SAT, GED®, ACT, Accuplacer, PARCC), if available
• STEP 2: Write an essay. You will copy this onto the application.
  Write a paragraph stating why you are interested in pursuing a career in child care. Make sure to include your career goals and how the apprenticeship will help you achieve these goals. Your answer will be scored on your ability to answer all parts of the question and provide sufficient details, as well as your grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
  
  
• STEP 3: Complete the Application
  
  APPLY
  NOTE: Deadline may be extended if space allows.
  
  
• STEP 4: Email the supporting documentation to  childcare@harford.edu:
  • Proof of Maryland residence (driver’s license or state identification card)
  • Proof of high school diploma or GED®
  • Letter of support
  • Child care certificates you have (already) earned
  • College transcript, if you have passed any college courses
  • Standardized test scores (SAT, GED®, ACT, Accuplacer, PARCC), if available   

All selected apprentices will have to sign an apprenticeship agreement further detailing the rights and responsibilities of apprentices. If you have any questions about the Child Care Apprenticeship or the application process, contact the Apprenticeship Coordinator, Laura Hutton, at lhutton@harford.edu or 443-412-2093.

What if I have already taken some of these courses?
That’s not a problem. We will collect all prior learning certificates during the application process and give you credit for what you have already taken. Depending on what courses you have taken, you may receive approval from the college to decrease the program length. Each person’s application is thoroughly reviewed to determine if this is an option.

Do I have to work during the program?
Yes. Working full-time in an approved childcare center is one of the requirements of participation in the program. Individuals accepted into the apprenticeship are matched to a participating employer for hiring. Individuals currently working for a participating employer may also apply for the apprenticeship. Individuals currently working at a childcare facility that is not a participating employer may stay at that facility provided they agree to become a participating employer. Apprentices are encouraged to work with the same employer throughout the apprenticeship but may apply to work with a different, participating employer. Apprentices must complete 3,000 hours of employment over the course of the 18-month apprenticeship. Prior work experience which has been verified at the time of acceptance may be used to assist in meeting this requirement at the discretion of the Apprenticeship Committee. Owner/operators of licensed family child care programs may be participating employers but may not be apprentices.

How are raises given and when?
Apprentices are paid by the child care center, not the college. Salary requirements increase every 1,000 work hours or every six months.  At the beginning of the apprenticeship, you’ll make at least 93% of the lead teacher rate, after you complete the requirements of the first six months, you will make at least 95% of the lead teacher rate. After you successfully complete the requirements for the first year, you will make at least 97% of the lead teacher rate. After you complete the apprenticeship, you will make at least 100% of the lead teacher rate. (If you already make more than this due to seniority, your salary will not decrease but you may not receive raises.)

Who pays for this program?
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) provides grant funding that covers costs for apprentices who accept the grant. The grant requires apprentices to continue working in licensed childcare in Maryland for 18-months after successful completion of the apprenticeship program. You also have the option to self-pay and, therefore, would not be obligated to work in a licensed childcare in Maryland for 18-months after the program. The total cost of the program is approximately $4,500.

Do I have to come to HCC campus to take these courses?
All courses are delivered in an online, asynchronous format with the exception of Medication Administration. Medication Administration will be in person on the Harford Community College campus in Bel Air, Maryland. Those who hold current certification do not need to retake this course. Those choosing to complete Medication Administration at an alternate location may do so, but courses taken elsewhere will not be covered by MSDE grant funding.

I work in a family childcare program. Am I eligible to participate?
An owner/operator of a family childcare can NOT participate as an apprentice, but they can serve as an employer/mentor if they have a full-time employee. The full-time employee could be their apprentice but must be mentored at all times by the owner/operator.

What does my employer have to do to become a participating center?
The Apprenticeship Coordinator will provide your director with information about the apprenticeship program. If your director decides to participate, they will need to complete documents to become registered with the Labor Board. They must agree to assign you a mentor, provide all necessary on-the-job training, adhere to salary requirements and adhere to all other apprenticeship standards.

Definitions of Race

• White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa
• Black or African American: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa
• Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam
• American Indian or Alaska Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America, including Central America, and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community attachment
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands

Harford Community College does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities on the basis of sex/gender. Harford Community College also prohibits retaliation against any person opposing discrimination or participating in any discrimination investigation or complaint process internally or externally. Reports of misconduct, questions regarding Title IX, and concerns about noncompliance should be directed to the Title IX Coordinator. For a complete copy of the policy or for more information, please contact the Title IX Coordinator at Harford Community College using the contact information provided in this link (www.harford.edu/titleix.) or the Assistant Secretary of Education within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) by emailing OCR@ed.gov.

The College reserves the right to award all degrees or certificates earned.

Harford Community College actively encourages the enrollment of all interested students, and supports the employment of all qualified persons, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristics protected by law or policies and practices of Harford Community College. All applicants are accepted, although certain restrictions exist for applicants who are concurrently enrolled in high school, under 16 years old, are not U.S. citizens, or are deemed incapable of exhibiting and practicing professional student behavior. The College prohibits the enrollment of individuals listed on the National or Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Sex Offender Registry or with the Harford County Child Advocacy Unit. Individuals with disabilities who request academic accommodations for courses must register with Disability Support Services and must provide a copy of current documentation of the disability. A minimum notice of four weeks may be needed to provide some accommodations. Appointments can be made, and questions answered by calling Disability Support Services, 443.412.2402 or 443.412.2414.

Administrators, faculty, and staff of Harford Community College are committed to fully implementing enrollment as required by specific Acts of Congress and by federal and state regulations. Inquiries regarding compliance may be directed to the Office of Human Resources.