Appalachian State University is offering three intensive child care trainings in the coming months as part of a statewide initiative to address staffing shortages in the field.
Each Child Care Academy will be three weeks long — much shorter than traditional training for early childhood educators.
They’re also free. Participants will learn about infant and toddler health and safety, as well as how the state evaluates providers.
The North Carolina health department is sponsoring the initiative in response to an ongoing child care crisis.
App State will focus on strengthening the early education workforce in the High Country and Catawba Valley. The academies will be offered in Boone, Morganton and Hickory through July.
There are 15 other institutions offering their own training initiatives too. Those include community colleges in Forsyth, Davidson and Guilford counties.