To help alleviate a shortage in child care workers, a new registered apprenticeship program was recently announced to attract more people to the field and improve the quality of home-based child care.

The new Family Child Care Registered Apprenticeship Program is a collaboration between the Connecticut Department of Labor, Office of Early Childhood and CSEA SEIU Local 2001, and is designed to encourage jobseekers to enter careers in home-based child care.

Goals for the program include partnering with families and communities to create culturally and linguistically appropriate child care, improving the quality of early care through coursework in child development, and increasing much-needed awareness of the important work that child care providers perform.

The apprenticeship requires a minimum of 2,000 hours on the job combined with hundreds of hours of classroom instruction. Successful completion earns a designation as a Child Development Associate and credentials from the National Association for Family Child Care.

According to the Office of Early Childhood there are 1,822 home-based family care centers in Connecticut, and a high demand for workers in both center-based and home-based childcare settings. OEC is also piloting a workforce development effort that will lead to registered apprenticeships for child care centers.

Finding quality affordable child care is a daunting challenge for many working families, so expanding the workforce in this field is critical to our overall economy and a means for people to pursue rewarding employment.

For more information visit the state Office of Early Childhood's website or call 860-500-4412.