The Culture of Family: How a Model Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Program Navigates a Limited Context

Source: Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, Volume 33, Issue 2, 2012, pages 127-143.

This paper examines an extraordinarily successful early childhood education teacher preparation program at an urban 2-year college struggling with retention.

This Early Childhood Education Program is able to maintain a graduation rate that is over four times greater than that of the college average and has a reputation for producing high-quality early childhood educators.

The faculty and students in the program explain that the key to the program's success is a “culture of family,” a strength-based approach that appreciates and builds upon the assets of the faculty and students.
Furthermore, this approach fosters meaningful relationships by focusing on the whole student, and creates a strong commitment to the program.

Considering the demand for high-quality early childhood teacher preparation and the fact that many students seek this training at the accessible 2-year college, it is important to examine the potential of these programs to produce student success.

This case study provides a starting point in examining how quality early childhood teacher preparation can exist within the limited confines of the 2-year college.