The Shadow
Editor’s Note: February is Career and Technical Education Month in Virginia. In conjunction with this designation, Jackson River Technical Center is submitting articles highlighting programs that are available at the facility.
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The Early Childhood Education Program at Jackson River Technical Center is a three-year program that teaches high school students from Covington and Alleghany how to teach young children.
Some of the careers that the students are preparing for relate directly to teaching children in either public or private schools, day care centers and preschools, counseling, social work, and occupational or speech therapy.
The high school students learn about child development and developmentally appropriate teaching practices two days a week. Three days a week they practice what they have learned in the Child Development Center Preschool.
This practice of learning academics and practicing the related hands-on skills in a guided classroom is why so many people, for so many years, have loved this particular learning experience.
The Early Childhood Education Program at Jackson River Technical Center demonstrates best practices in numerous ways.
One important practice is the inclusion and shared knowledge and skills of high school and preschooler parents, the high school student-teachers, preschoolers, and Ms. Nonette Cosgrove, the ECE Program Teacher and Child Development Center Director.
Each person is a part of the ECE Learning Circle in which they are both the learner and the educator.
Parents are a child’s first teacher. They continuously inform us about their child and we in return share our knowledge and skills with them.
One of the predominant themes in the program is the importance of being a lifelong learner. Whether one is the preschooler, high school student, parent or teacher everyone is encouraged to be a lifelong learner and educated citizen.
Ms. Cosgrove models this by continuing her formal and informal studies beyond her two masters from the University of Virginia and encouraging all of those in the learning circle to pursue educational experiences.
Many of the graduates from JRTC work in our community and around our nation. They are assets in their communities.
A couple of years ago the Early Childhood Education graduates who were working in our community were invited to a recognition ceremony. We had teachers from our public schools, private preschools and day care centers join us.
After the ceremony more graduates were located at the Autism Center and other locations.
On behalf of Jackson River Technical Center’s outreach to our graduates, we would like to hear from those working in their field of study.
Please contact JRTC by calling 862-1308 so that we can update our contact information and network with you in the near future. The best time to reach instructors is during their planning period from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
JRTC invites all past graduates and members of the community to an open house, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 29.
Come and and see what our current students are learning for their futures.
