Growing up in the Central Valley of California, Amanda Grigsby and her husband relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area looking for better opportunities for themselves and their five children. In 2016, Amanda joined the YMCA of the East Bay as an Early Childhood Educator. At that time, her goal was to find full-time employment to help support her family.
Soon after she started working, she learned from coworkers about the YMCA’s Early Educator Apprenticeship Program – a program dedicated to fostering the growth and development of early childhood educators through structured on-the-job learning and mentoring, college coursework with coordinated academic supports, cohorted learning communities, and steadily increasing compensation. Early Educator Apprentices earn college credit and degrees (at no cost to the participant) that articulate to state-recognized teaching permits and advanced degrees required for higher-wage positions of greater leadership and responsibility.
“My coworkers mentioned the apprenticeship would cover the cost of textbooks, provide stipends for classes, and offer a pay raise when I earned my teacher permit state certification,” explained Amanda. “My husband and I have five children. For years, we discussed finding an opportunity where my employer would pay for my education. With our children’s future in mind, it was important for me to earn a degree with no student debt.” So, with support from the YMCA, Amanda enrolled in the Early Educator Registered Apprenticeship Program in the Fall of 2016.
Her journey through the apprenticeship program had its challenges. “Being a non-traditional student has definitely been a barrier. It has been a challenge being a mother of five, working full-time, and going to school full-time.” Nonetheless, in January 2020 Amanda received her California teacher permit certification. And in 2022, she obtained her bachelor's degree in human development from California State University, East Bay. These academic and professional achievements led to receiving steadily increasing wages, and opportunities for professional growth and assuming positions of increasing responsibility within the organization.
Today, Amanda works as a Success Coordinator for the YMCA, helping other Early Educator Apprentices to achieve their academic and career goals, and drawing upon, her own experiences to provide guidance, insight, and support. For those who may be considering enrolling in an apprenticeship in the early care & education industry, Amanda offers words of encouragement, “I had to overcome many barriers to accomplish my educational goals. But it can be done, it can be done!”
Publish Date: 08/27/2024