Before most students even graduate high school, participants in the Whiteside Area Career Center’s Early Childhood Education program are already shaping the lives of children.

The program can be taken as a one- or two-year course, providing juniors and seniors with a foundation in child development while preparing them for careers working with children.

Students transition from hands-on learning at the on-site Kiddie Kampus Preschool to real-world placements in classrooms, daycares, and specialized programs throughout the community. Along the way, they earn dual college credits, industry-recognized certifications, and a firsthand look at the challenges and rewards of working with children.

Instructor Julia Atilano said students learn about child development from birth through age 12, while exploring the physical, cognitive, social, emotional and language developmental domains. In their second year, students shift their focus to lesson planning, educational research and state teaching standards, while participating in local work-based learning opportunities.

First-year students split the week between learning child development curriculum in the classroom and visiting the Kiddie Kampus Preschool — an on-site preschool where students get the chance to apply what they have learned while working one-on-one with children in a supervised classroom setting.

“Our program is unique in the sense that we have all of the high school students with us that can give that one-on-one time with our preschool students that other preschool programs can’t necessarily offer,” Atilano said. “So our preschool students are immersed in that social, emotional, and language development continuously. Those kids are the heartbeat of our program.”

By the end of the school year, first-year students earn the Gateways to Opportunity Level 1 Early Childhood Education Credential, a state-recognized certification that covers the fundamentals of child development, safety and working with young children. They also complete training in CPR and basic first aid, and gain certifications as mandated reporters for Shaken Baby Syndrome and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

Milledgeville junior Elektra Gabbard is in her first year with the program. She plans to become a pediatric nurse after graduation.

“This year I thought I’d check out the preschool side of things and next year I’ll check out one of the healthcare programs,” Gabbard said. “I love working with the kids. We help them learn their days of the week, and they have their carpet time and we love to dance.”

Gabbard said each child is different and learning how each one reacts to different situations is key in helping their development.

“Sometimes when they’re upset, its as easy as just answering their questions,” Gabbard said. “Others just want to be comforted and feel that connection.”

Second-year students get the opportunity to go out into their communities for a work-based learning opportunity of their choice.

“So if they are interested in becoming a speech pathologist, we connect them with pediatric speech therapy, like the CGH pediatric speech therapy clinic, or a school-based speech therapist,” Atilano said. “If they want to become a second-grade teacher, we try to pair them with one so they can be truly immersed in the field they are considering.”

Abby Campos, now in her second year as the program’s preschool instructor, first experienced the program as a high school student. She returned after working in other early childhood programs.

“It’s kind of a full circle coming back here,” Campos said. “My main goal is that the kids love school and get used to a routine. If they learn letters or social-emotional skills along the way, that’s a bonus.”

Campos’s return to the program highlights the lasting impact the ECE program has on students, both as learners and as emerging professionals. By the time they reach their second year, students are not only applying what they have learned in real-world settings but also developing leadership and mentoring skills that extend beyond the classroom.

“The confidence we build in these high school students is phenomenal. They really take ownership in the kids and in the process over there,” Atilano said. “As an instructor, it’s such a great feeling when you see they’re so proud of their work when they go over there, and the stories they get to share and the relationships that they build with those little kids are top-notch.”

The WACC is a cooperative endeavor of 16 member school districts and three parochial schools, educating students who come from five counties: Bureau, Carroll, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside, according to WACC’s website. Most of the population is from Sterling, Rock Falls and Dixon, with the remainder residing in surrounding rural areas and small towns.

For more information, visit wacc.com.