In a new partnership, National University (NU) has teamed up with the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) to provide more educational pathways to careers in childcare and early child
development. NU is a veteran-founded nonprofit that provides accessible higher education to adult learners in the military and out, in-person and online. The ASYMCA is one of the oldest military-support groups in the US and provides childcare for the Department of Defense (DoD), among its myriad of programs.
According to the ASYMCA, seven in 10 military parents struggle to access affordable, quality childcare. To answer that need, ASYMCA has begun to not only increase the number of its
childcare facilities but also, together with NU, boost the number of qualified childcare workers to staff them. Bill French, a retired US Navy veteran who now serves as president and CEO of ASYMCA, said that childcare is the top focus area for the ASYMCA.
“We think it’s the critical element that supports everything that that family does,” he said. “It’s critical to spouse employment, it’s critical to stability within the family, and it’s critical for
investment in those children’s futures.”
Among the locations where the ASYMCA is planning new or expanded childcare centers are Washington, D.C., Norfolk, San Diego, San Antonio, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii.
At NU, meanwhile, new approaches to certification and opportunities to gain experience in the field are benefiting students, childcare centers, and military families. Alongside its new
partnership with the ASYMCA, the university has also partnered with the National Head Start Association to design a first-of-its-kind stackable certificate pathway toward a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.
Students can learn at their own pace, earning five Childhood Development Associate (CDA) credentials that combine toward the overall degree. Each certificate consists of an eight-course
sequence that focuses on a specific area of early childhood education, from foundations and advocacy to curriculum connections and leadership development. Students can complete each
sequence within eight months. But for Dr. Robert Lee, Dean of Sanford College of Education, NU, it’s the impact in the field and for military families that makes the program even more distinct.
“The other piece that I think is really exciting is all of the clinical requirements – that’s the field part – are all going to be embedded in that Early Childhood Education learning space that our students are already employed in,” he said.
Meg O’Grady, M.Ed., Sr. VP, Military and Government Programs, NU, and a US Army Veteran and military spouse, agrees.
“NU works with the ASYMCA in a variety of ways, but one of them…is to provide them with well-qualified childcare providers, and professionals in the early-childhood development
profession,” she said. “We want to identify where there are issues with getting [childcare] providers in the communities, and then we want to ensure that our students are aware of those opportunities and match them up so that they can go work for one of the world-class childcare systems in the country.”
For Bill French, that degree of opportunity and long-term employability are key elements of the NU-ASYMCA partnership. It allows students to leverage their educational opportunities for career advancement while they’re still in school, and supports the needs and goals of the families who seek out their services.
“Child development workers with experience are like nurses and doctors,” he said. “Anywhere they go, they can find a good job that allows them to put to use the skills that they’ve developed over time. So I think the more we can do to attract folks into this line of work will allow us to address shortfalls in childcare. Not only in DoD, but across the nation.”
For O’Grady, who’s among those who oversee the NU-ASYMCA partnership, the combined goals of the organizations support an even bigger mission.
“Childcare is absolutely essential to national security, and the Department of Defense recognizes this,” she said. “In fact, they have an entire office – the Office of Military Community
and Family Policy – that studies these issues and helps provide solutions along with community partners. “That is how the ASYMCA has become such a strong partner for childcare. …We believe that child development and student development is essential for a successful community and successful country and we understand the importance of having that development throughout our communities.”
More information on a career with the DoD or the ASYMCA is available at militaryonesource.mil. More information about a career in early childhood development, childcare, or even K-12 teaching is available at NU.edu.