Early Educators for Thriving Children Fellowship (EETC)

Purpose

VOCEL’s Early Educators for Thriving Children (EETC) Fellowship supports pre-K through second grade teachers learn developmentally appropriate practices and implementation on mental health supports, play based learning, and social emotional learning. Together with a community of support in the fellowship cohort, they will create action plans to implement key priorities for improvement at their schools. This fellowship will help those teacher leaders translate their knowledge, visions and goals to action with the support of a coach and peer group ready to help one another – and one another’s students – thrive!

Benefits for Fellows

EETC fellows receive:

• Supportive group professional development, with ISBE credit available

• Coaching tailored to your classroom's needs

• On the ground implementation support and progress monitoring for the 2024-25 school year

• Access to online modules and resources

• Support your classrooms and school improvement plans

• A network of early educators across CPS

Program Commitments

To get the most out of the fellowship, we ask for participants to:

• Attend virtual kickoff and in-person quarterly 2-hour group PD sessions beginning September '24 and ending June '25

• Present progress and challenges, share learning with a small cohort of schools

• Engage in bi-monthly coaching calls with EETC Coaches

• Engage in additional supports and events in person and virtually as needed (virtual office hours, events)

Eligibility

We prioritize Pre-K, Kindergarten, First & Second grade teachers from CPS schools who meet a combination of the following criteria:

• Work in CPS schools with student populations of 75% or higher free and reduced priced lunch

• Be able to dedicate time and human resources to focused improvement effort with support from administration (ideally 2-3 teachers per school)

We’re still accepting applications! Want to learn more? Email Jamie Huenink at Jamieh@VOCEL.org with any questions.