by Helen McCroskey

Nancy Giron’s career wasn’t always where it is today. For eight years she ran a family child care program in her home while caring for her two children, ages 6 and 10. Now she is a Family Child Care Coordinator at the Associated Family Day Care System in Chelsea, MA. This opportunity, and the self-esteem is brings, came through her participation in the Career Advancement Program (CAP) at the Child Care Resource Center.

Nancy’s story is an exciting one not only because she moved forward in the child care profession, but because one of the qualifications needed for her new position was an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field. Nancy did not have this, but she did have a plan for achieving her associate’s degree. Nancy went before the hiring committee and told them about her involvement in CAP and explained how she would complete her degree by June 2000. The hiring committee was so impressed, they gave her a waiver, the first waiver ever given by this organization. Nancy was then hired as a family child care coordinator working primarily with Latino child care providers in Chelsea, her community.

CAP is a program funded by the Department of Education and sponsored by the Child Care Resource Center. The goal of the program is to assist child care workers in obtaining an associates or bachelors degree in early childhood education. Considered a rigorous curriculum of study and experiential learning, the program takes approximately two years to complete.

Nancy began her career in Honduras where she attended college for three years and taught second grade as well as Math, Science and Music in middle school. When she came to the United States, however, her educational credentials did not transfer, and she could not continue her career as a teacher. Professionally, she was back to square one. Since entering the CAP program Nancy has consistently taken 2 to 3 courses a semester, and feels that CAP has helped open the door to many opportunities. The program has provided Nancy with financial assistance for books and coursework, along with guidance in academic, career, and professional development. CAP staff have also provided Nancy with emotional support by listening to and validating her goals and dreams.

Her gain has not been without sacrifice. Nancy’s husband, Ramon, and mother have had to take on many of Nancy’s duties at home, such as caring for the house and the children, cooking, and washing the clothes. Both, however, have been wonderful about it. Ramon encourages Nancy when she has a difficult assignment. He brings her flowers, and recently brought her a new dress for making straight A’s in all of her CAP courses. Her children provide support by giving her ideas for class projects. They all know the impact that Nancy’s higher education will have on their lives in the future.

Nancy says, "Returning to school has required me to make many changes in my personal life. I no longer have a social life; I no longer have time to go out with friends, or talk to them on the phone. I have also had to stop doing volunteer work at church in order to allow myself time to focus on school work." But she certainly would not give up the opportunities or self esteem gained for any of her old free time.

The barriers that Nancy has encountered individually, such as managing her time and trying to create a balance between work, family and school are small compared with the rewards she has gained around her bilingual language skills and the ability to write well. She also sees her decision to return to school as a first step on the road to success. "Through my new job I have been able to make more contacts with people in the field of early childhood education. I have also started to think of pursuing a career as a bilingual trainer." Nancy understands the need that native Spanish speakers have for high quality training in their native language. In becoming a trainer, she hopes to help fill the current dirth of bilingual instructors. Having a college degree will provide her more opportunities to move up in multiple professions.

Nancy’s success may be attributed to many factors, but three important factors to note are: 1) her belief that she could be successful; 2) her family’s willingness to provide the emotional and physical support that she needs in order to focus on her academic work; and 3) the CAP program for providing the financial, academic, moral support and guidance that she needs in order to understand and navigate the higher education system. All three of these factors together have built a holistic support system that has been extremely effective in helping Nancy to achieve her goals.

Discussion on the obstacles Cambridge families face concerning quality child care and proposed policies for change took place this past October 14^th at the Child Care Resource Center (CCRC). The event was coordinated in collaboration with Cambridge Representatives: Timothy Toomey, Alice Wolf, Jarrett Barrios, and Paul Demakis. It was host to such Cambridge public officials as Representatives from Mayor Duehay’s office, City Council and School Committee Members.

Rep. Wolf opened her remarks on the issue by saying, "Early childhood education is one of the Speaker of the House [of Representatives Thomas M. Finneran’s] three main priorities." In agreement, Rep. Demakis noted he has seen a "uniquely bipartisan growth and support for child care issues that cross ideological lines," with welfare reform as the primary impetus for this progression.

Foremost among the topics for discussion was proposed increased spending for after school programs, such as the pilot model North Cambridge Center for Families which supplies a structured after-school program to local children who parents’ workday runs much later than the school day. Both limited facilities and space for such extended care combined with a high demand make this issue extremely important to Cambridge parents and public officials.

Other items such as affordability and higher tax credits; increased respect, pay, and training for child care workers; and maintenance of child care workers in an employment field which experiences one of the highest turnover rates in the country were also brought up in discussion.

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