Early Learning Programs
Apprenticeship
Beginning fall of 2022, FIRST 5 and QUALITY MATTERS partners launched two concurrent Apprenticeship pathways, one for center-based (preschool) assistant teachers and one for Family Child Care Home (FCCH) assistants. Our county’s Apprenticeship effort is equity-oriented, focusing on bringing people into the field of early learning and care. Components of the Early Learning Apprenticeship program include paid on-the-job training with local preschool and family child care employers, no-cost college coursework and embedded coaching, and cohort learning in a community-based location. The two-year program culminates in a wage increase, along with the achievement of an Associate Teacher permit (the credential equivalent in the early learning and care profession).
Cohort 1 and 2: Participants have successfully completed the requirements to earn their Associate Teacher permits, with some opening their own Family Child Care Homes
BA Cohort (new): In partnership with EDvance College, this pathway allows educators to earn a Bachelor’s degree while working in the field, further strengthening the workforce. This program is designed to remove barriers, increase compensation, and elevate the professional development of the ECE workforce in Santa Clara County.
Bachelor's Degree Program
We have partnered with EDvance College to launch a new flexible, remote bachelor’s degree program in early childhood studies.
Designed for working early educators, it lets students earn credit for paid work and opportunities to practice skills learned in their courses at their workplaces.
Family, Friends, and Neighbors
Together with our partners at the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE), FIRST 5 Santa Clara County focuses on increasing the quality of early learning and care settings through investments in early education professionals who work in both center-based and home-based environments. We recognize that working families cannot attain economic security without finding safe, compassionate, and trauma-informed childcare settings for their young children. Our initiative provides stipends to educators for professional training and college coursework that deepens their knowledge of child development, healthy practices, and curriculum enhancements that stimulate brain development and learning for young children.
myTeachstone
The CLASS framework is a reliable and valid classroom assessment tool that measures the teacher-child interactions that promote positive academic and social outcomes for children. It is based on hundreds of studies and provides an objective measure of important, observable teacher behaviors and teacher-student interactions. CLASS scores are not determined by the presence of learning materials, the condition of the physical environment, or the adoption of a specific curriculum. Instead, the focus is on what teachers do with the materials they have and on how the teachers interact with children. MyTeachstone is an online coaching tool for that supports understanding and implementation of the CLASS tool.
SEEDS
To support family child care providers and ensure children in their care have access to rich learning experiences, FIRST 5 has implemented the SEEDS program. SEEDS (Sensitivity, Encouragement, Education, Development through Doing, and Self-Image) is a relationship-based professional development strategy for family child care providers to develop language-rich environments for the young children in their care. Early educators receive professional development, coaching, and technical assistance to implement the SEEDS curriculum and integrate meaningful literacy-focused interactions with children throughout the day
UPLIFT
UPLIFT is FIRST 5 Santa Clara County’s reimagined Quality Matters Stipend program, designed to honor and strengthen early educators in home- and community-based settings. Standing for Unlocking Potential & Leading Impact For Tomorrow, UPLIFT goes beyond stipends. It provides meaningful financial support, professional growth, and leadership pathways—all guided by a values-driven commitment to raising the quality of care and education for every child.