To make the course culturally specific and accessible to refugee women, the Women’s Center’s Transition teacher has spent many hours “filling the gaps” between accepted “best practices” in early childhood development in America and how children were traditionally raised in East Africa. Child rearing and getting children “school ready” have also become important topics for cross cultural dialogues between Women’s Center staff, refugee women who are part of the Center’s community, and professional women from the community at large.
Women’s participation in these classes is important for the East African community. Refugee women are learning best practices in early childhood development AND they are combining their new learning with their traditional cultures and values from “back home.”
(See ESL/Transition)

Seven members of the Women’s Center’s afternoon Transition class have taken on the challenges of the Child Development Associate (CDA) program. This accelerated training is designed to teach the basic principles of early childhood education. Upon completion, women will earn Child Development Associate certification (CDA) through the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition.

This course of study is intense and demanding. It requires a minimum of 120 hours of class time and another 480 hours of field experience. Women study topics including the ages and stages of children’s development and children’s social/emotional, physical, and intellectual development. Successful course completion requires good spoken and written English language skills. It also means job opportunities nationwide.