Application Numbers for Early Educator Academy Spike, Indicating Higher Interest in Credentialed Teaching
March 18, 2026
Interest in early childhood education as a career is on the rise, and that’s good news for the future health and success of Durham PreK programs. More than 200 applications have been received for the spring 2026 semester of the Durham County Early Educator Academy at Durham Technical Community College. That’s a full one third more than the approximately 150 who applied last year.
“We’ve been really excited to see such strong interest in the program,” said Maggie West, Durham PreK Workforce Support Program Manager for Early Years. “It shows us that there are many people who are interested in becoming early childhood educators, and especially in completing training before getting hired.”
A partnership with Durham Technical Community College, the Academy began offering classes in May 2025. It was launched to support and build capacity for Durham's early education workforce, and is specifically designed to support those interested in becoming early childhood educators to complete all of the requirements to be hired in a licensed child care center.
The Academy is a free, six-week program through which participants can earn the North Carolina Early Childhood Credential (NCECC), required for lead teachers in child care centers across the state. The program features job shadowing opportunities in centers across Durham County and offers career readiness support as participants apply to jobs and explore opportunities in the field.
In addition to the state credential, the Academy offers five certifications, including several required for early childhood educators:
- CPR/First Aid
- ITS-SIDS Safe Sleep Training
- NC Foundations for Early Learning and Development
- Trauma Informed Care Training, and
- Child Abuse Prevention Training.
‘A beautiful way to connect’
West said the spike in interest is a clear indicator not only of high interest among community members, but also the acknowledgment of the importance that preschool educators are credentialed.
“Our hope is that as people are hired into early childhood centers in Durham, they will then step into our apprenticeship program, which is a work-based training program that starts with a one-year Certificate Apprenticeship. The apprenticeship offers mentor support for beginning teachers and a full scholarship for continued coursework at Durham Tech,” said West. “We also hope that the wraparound support we provide gives participants a good sense that they can be successful in college, and that they will continue enrollment at Durham Tech and work toward their degree in early childhood.”
Academy graduates who are specifically hired as an apprentice at a partnering employer in the Durham Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeship program will automatically qualify for a full scholarship for the associate degree program at Durham Tech.
“This is a beautiful way for us to connect with individuals who want a career in early childhood education, and to get the support they need to start in early childhood,” said Cathy Collie-Robinson, Chair/Education with Durham Tech. “And of course, we’d love for them to continue with us.”
Classes available in both English and Spanish
Three academies are being offered this semester, said Collie-Robinson. Two began on Jan. 26, and the third will start on March 30. Funding from the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education makes it possible to offer academies at no cost to students, with all tuition and fees covered. Each class will serve as many as 25 students.
West said that there is a particularly strong interest in the Spanish-speaking community to work in the field, which will help to meet a growing need for families in the area. To support these aspiring educators to complete the training, one of the January classes is being taught in Spanish and the March class will be bilingual.
“We’re going to be able to offer the course in both Spanish and bilingual formats going forward,” said Collie-Robinson. “This shows how critical it is on our end that we have an appropriate number of instructors who speak Spanish.”
Strategies to support Durham early care and education workforce
The Early Educator Academy is part of a broader strategy supported by Durham PreK to boost the capacity, compensation, and education of early educators in Durham County. By completing the Academy’s short-term training and obtaining the NC Early Childhood Credential, graduates are ready-to-work in a licensed setting.
From there, graduates have the opportunity to work as an Early Childhood Apprentice in one of 24 partnering child care centers in Durham County, where they then receive a full scholarship for continued studies at Durham Tech and paid on-the-job learning supported by a mentor teacher.
Combining higher education and hands-on training, apprentices receive pay raises and bonuses as they make progress towards completing first the Certificate Apprenticeship (one-year program) and then the Associate Degree Apprenticeship.
With higher compensation, higher education, and higher support, we hope to ensure the new hires coming out of the Academy can build fulfilling, rewarding careers as early childhood educators
Learn more and connect:
Join the waiting list for the next Academy
Maggie West, Durham PreK Workforce Support Manager
Cathy Collie-Robinson, Durham Technical Community College