The Child Services Coop is a skill certificate program for seniors who are 17 years of age and who have satisfactorily completed the Assistant Child Care Teacher (ACCT) course during their junior year. The competency areas covered as part of the training with this coop include:
- Personal/Interpersonal
- Thinking/Information Processing
- Systems/Technology
- Introduction to Child Care Services
- The Center Environment
- Children Professional Development
- Food and Nutrition
- Health and Safety
- Special Needs of Children
Core employability skills are also measured.
- Senior status
- Display a genuine interest in the Child Care Services Pathway
- Interview effectively and are hired in a Child Care position
- Maintain a high level of attendance in school and on the job
- Secure transportation to the job
- On-track for high school graduation
Students take courses at their high school that are part of the program of study for child care that provide the related classroom instruction needed to compliment the worksite training. Such courses can include:
- Child Care Assistant Teacher (Required Pre-requisite to this program)
- Child Care Services Coop
Talk to your School to Career Coordinator or Family Consumer Sciences Instructor for further information.
Students are placed with employers who provide opportunities for student interaction with children under a teacher’s guidance and acting as their mentor. Students who satisfactorily complete the program and graduate from high school also qualify to receive the second-level Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) employment designation as a Child Care Teacher (CCT). This coop might also be appropriate for students who are interested in a career in education, especially elementary education.
Worksites for this program can be public and parochial elementary schools, local child care centers and preschools. Students should be employed a minimum of 10 hours a week. Their schedules can be flexible to accommodate the work site if they are employed at the start of the semester.
The employer also evaluates the student on a quarterly basis. The positions for these students are usually 2-3 hours a day after 1 p.m.
Credit between school districts varies, but typically the student will receive 1/2 – 1 credit per semester for the work experience and the same for their classroom training. All students should receive a wage according to the type of work they are performing.