Early Childhood Teacher Prepares Students to Enter the Field

Fifteen years in early childhood education have showed Tifani Herbert “the importance of having skilled staff working with our little ones.” She knows all the steps it takes to become a qualified educator, and she has laid them out in a comprehensive program that enables high school juniors and seniors to try out a career pathway in early childhood education.

Herbert’s input has transformed the program at Lewis & Clark Career Center in St. Charles, MO, since she began work there about two years ago. In the first year of the early education program at Lewis & Clark, students take 120 hours of instruction focused on the eight Child Development Associate (CDA®) standards. Then they take the knowledge they’ve gained and put it to work in local child care centers and preschools.

The students spend five days each week in these real-life settings during their second year while also putting together a portfolio that illustrates their professional skills. In addition, Herbert’s second-year students become CPR/AED certified while earning their CDA.

Meanwhile, Herbert prepares her students for the future because she believes her role “is more than just teaching my students in high school.” Besides preparing them for the workplace, she also focuses on note-taking strategies and study habits that will help those who plan to earn a coll