The Institute’s Career Development Center has launched its new Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program! The NYC Early Childhood Apprenticeship is a wonderful opportunity to nurture aspiring early childhood professionals who are committed to pursuing an education and career in early childhood.
The NYC Early Childhood Apprenticeship supports New Yorkers who are interested in working with young children through hands-on experience and college coursework in early childhood education. Apprentices are matched with a paid job in an early childhood program or child care center and enroll in the Child Development Associate certificate program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies.
The apprenticeship program covers books, supplies, miscellaneous expenses, and provides an hourly stipend on top of regular wages; coursework tuition is covered through Educational Incentive Program funding after apprentices are successfully placed into employment.
Funded by a grant through New York City’s Workforce Development Corporation, the program supports the city’s ambitious goal of connecting 30,000 New Yorkers to apprenticeships in high-demand careers by 2030.
Earlier in 2025, the National Early Care and Education Workforce Center published a research-to-practice brief identifying registered apprenticeships as a “promising career pathway” for early childhood educators. One study found that more than 95% of apprentices reported that participating in the program made them more likely to remain in the ECE profession. Apprenticeships also “have the potential to reduce barriers to career advancement by providing apprentices with financial assistance…Further, because [apprenticeships] require increases in compensation for milestones reached and credits earned, they may help address the chronic undercompensation of the ECE workforce.”
