Equity-Focused Teacher Apprenticeships

Equity-Focused Teacher Apprenticeships

Expanding an Equity-Focused Teacher Apprenticeship Program

Building equitable pathways for a stronger, more diverse early learning workforce

Santa Clara County faces a significant shortage of qualified early childhood educators. Low wages, high turnover, increasing education requirements, and the high cost of living all create barriers to building and retaining a strong early learning workforce.

Workforce projections estimate that 4,500–6,750 new early educators will be needed in Santa Clara County, in addition to thousands of Transitional Kindergarten teachers and after-school staff.

To help address this challenge, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County developed an equity-centered Registered Apprenticeship Initiative designed to remove barriers to education, support educators while they work, and create pathways for career advancement.

THE NEED → Why FIRST 5 created the apprenticeship
THE RESULTS → What the program accomplished + what participants experienced
WHAT’S NEXT → Lessons learned, implications, and future plans

A Different Approach to Workforce Development

Traditional education pathways can be difficult for working educators to navigate. The apprenticeship model was designed to bring education, employment, mentorship, and support together.

Educators can earn while they learn.

The two-year Registered Apprenticeship model included:

 

Paid On-the-Job Learning

  • Apprentices remained employed while gaining practical experience and progressing toward their Associate Teacher Permit.

 

Tuition-free College Coursework

  • Community college partners provided coursework aligned with apprenticeship requirements.

 

Coaching and Mentoring

  • Apprentices received embedded guidance to strengthen their knowledge, confidence, and professional skills.

 

Wraparound Supports

  • Participants had access to supports designed to reduce barriers to participation and completion, including tutoring, childcare, translation, technology, stipends, and academic advising.

 

Cross-sector Partnerships

  • The initiative brought together colleges, employers, workforce agencies, and community organizations to support participants throughout the apprenticeship.

Two Cohorts. 80 Apprentices.

The initiative was implemented across two apprenticeship cohorts.

Cohort 1

42 apprentices

23 Mentors

14 Employers

17 Program Support Staff

Cohort 2

38 apprentices

12 Mentors

17 Employers

12 Program Support Staff

 

Together, the cohorts included educators working in a variety of early learning settings:

40 Family Child Care Home educators

38 Center-Based educators

 

The results demonstrate the potential for registered Apprenticeships to support educators across different early learning environments.

What Did We Learn?

The apprenticeship supported educators in earning their Associate Teacher Permit while remaining employed.

 

Apprentices reported:

  • Increased knowledge and confidence in Early Care and Education
  • High satisfaction with their apprenticeship experience
  • Strong relationships with instructors, mentors, and employers
  • Increased commitment to remaining in the early childhood workforce

 

 

Cohort 1 Highlights:

  • 92% reported increased understanding of Early Care and Education.
  • 92% said the program met their expectations.
  • 92% were satisfied with their role in the apprenticeship.
  • 89% planned to remain employed in Early Learning.
  • 87% rated the college coursework as high quality.

Participants also identified food and educational stipends, orientation, mentoring, and childcare among the most valuable supports.

 

The Impact Extends Beyond Apprentices

 

The initiative also gathered feedback from employers and mentors to understand how the apprenticeship affected the broader early learning workforce.

Employers reported that apprentices:

  • Improved classroom quality
  • Increased workforce capacity
  • Demonstrated stronger confidence and professional skills
  • Applied college learning directly to classroom practice

Mentors valued:

  • Supporting future educators
  • Watching apprentices gain confidence
  • Developing their own leadership skills

What Makes an Apprenticeship Equitable?

 

 Evaluation findings across both cohorts identified several factors that contributed to participant success.

 1. Wraparound supports reduce barriers

Education and employment alone are not always enough. Supports such as childcare, tutoring, technology, stipends, and academic advising can help educators remain engaged and complete their training.

 2. Mentorship builds confidence and persistence

Strong relationships with mentors provide educators with guidance, encouragement, and a connection to the profession.

 3. Language access matters

Translation and culturally responsive supports are essential for creating an apprenticeship experience that meets the needs of a diverse workforce.

 4. Communication strengthens implementation

Regular communication among colleges, employers, mentors, and program staff helps ensure that participants receive coordinated support.

 5. Evaluation helps programs improve

Collecting feedback throughout each cohort allows program partners to identify what is working, respond to challenges, and strengthen the experience for future apprentices.

 

Building Sustainable Career Pathways

Registered Apprenticeships can serve as more than a short-term response to workforce shortages. They can create stackable pathways that help educators continue advancing their education and careers while remaining connected to the early learning field.

 

 FIRST 5 Santa Clara County is exploring opportunities to:

  • Expand Registered Apprenticeship opportunities throughout Santa Clara County
  • Sustain multilingual and wraparound supports
  • Build pathways from the Associate Teacher Permit to the Teacher Permit
  • Support bachelor’s degree completion through the Bridge Extension partnership with EDvance College
  • Continue evaluating workforce retention, educational advancement, employer outcomes, and child care quality
  • Use evaluation findings to inform continuous improvement and potential replication

 

A Collaborative Model

 

The initiative demonstrates what is possible when early learning, higher education, workforce development, employers, and community partners work together.

By coordinating education + employment + mentorship + wraparound support, Registered Apprenticeships can help create more equitable opportunities for educators while strengthening the early learning workforce.

The work continues.

The next step is building on what we learned to create apprenticeship pathways that are accessible, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of early educators across Santa Clara County.

 

Learn More

Interested in the Teacher Apprenticeship Initiative or future workforce development opportunities?

We’d love to hear from you.

Trena Hudson
Executive of Early Learning & Care
Trena.hudson@first5kids.org

Leah Asuncion
Director, Early Learning & Care
Leah.asuncion@first5kids.org

Contributors: Erika Vazquez, Program Officer · Lin Xu, Program Coordinator