The 5 Apprentices represent 5 different partnering child care centers that participate in the apprenticeship program. The apprenticeship program celebrates and recognizes the following graduates:

• Angel Lucas - First Chronicles Day Care
• Daija Jones - Primrose School of Chapel Hill East
• Lizzy Hopkins - Primary Colors Early Learning Center
• Nonneka Walters - Yates Baptist Child Development Center
• Yanett Martinez Tristan - Randy’s Five Star Academy

Many of these students joined the Associate Degree Apprenticeship Program during the very first semester of the program, when the initiative launched in October 2023. Apprentices also completed Certificates in Early Childhood Education, graduating with their NC Early Childhood Credential, Infant/Toddler Certificate, Preschool Certificate, and their Early Childhood Administration Certificate. 

Apprentices work full-time while receiving a full scholarship to obtain their Associate Degree. The program is a major time commitment, as teachers complete assignments on lunch breaks, late nights, and after very full days of caring for and educating our community’s youngest learners. Successfully completing a degree while working and juggling many other responsibilities is a testament to the tenacity and commitment that each of these graduates have to their own professional growth.

One graduate, Ms. Yanett Martinez Tristan, completed her studies in December 2025 and also just completed her first semester at UNC Greensboro. By completing her Associate Degree at Durham Tech, Ms. Yanett was able to transfer into UNCG as a junior, where she is now studying to obtain her Bachelor’s in Science in Early Childhood Education and Birth-to-Kindergarten Licensure. Ms. Yanett has the distinct honor of also being our first Apprentice to become a Mentor to a new apprentice.

Ms. Daija, Ms. Lizzy, and Ms. Nonneka also all have their sights set on Bachelor’s Degrees and are planning to begin their studies in August. Ms. Angel previously completed her Bachelor’s in another field and was excited to finish the apprenticeship and her degree in Early Childhood Education to strengthen her practice as an early educator.

As an initiative of Durham PreK, the apprenticeship program serves both Durham PreK sites and sites that do not yet have Durham PreK classrooms, with the goal of building the capacity for high quality early care and education in Durham County to expand the community capacity for universal preschool. The apprenticeship supports teachers to earn degrees debt-free, including connections to the TEACH Early Childhood Scholarship to continue all the way through Bachelor’s, Licensure, and Master’s degree programs. Learn more at: http://durhamprek.org/apprenticeship