Building Bridges to Higher Education

In 2007, the Department of Early Learning (DEL) launched a new project called “Building Bridges to Higher Education” in partnership with the Washington Association for Educators of Personnel in Early Childhood Programs (WAEPECP).

Building Bridges reached 700 child care providers in 22 communities around the state in 2007, enabling participants to meet their continuing education requirements while receiving college credit.

Building Bridges is a set of courses designed o provide professional education for educators and caregivers of children birth through 8. WAEPECP developed the courses, which each meet agreed higher learning curriculum expectations. DEL defrays tuition costs so early learning professionals can afford to gain meaningful college credit that can be used for a child development associate (CDA) certificate or a two-year degrees.

For each Building Bridges course, students earn 10 hours of STARS continuing education and one college credit.

The Project offers four basic courses that are accepted for direct or transfer credit at many local colleges:

Infant and Toddler Caregiving
Guiding Behavior of Young Children
Child, Family and Community Relationships
Administration of Early Learning Programs