Kawerak started our Teachers in Training program as a response to staffing shortages in early childhood education across the region. With a strong desire to grow and retain regionally based teachers, the program supports students to obtain their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential and to build long-term careers in early childhood. The CDA is a common requirement for caregivers in Head Start programs and child care facilities.
Kawerak’s Teachers in Training program started in 2023 and just celebrated the completion of our third cohort of students. (Pictured above, CDA equivalency completer and Kawerak Head Start employee Nestor Martinez joins Teachers in Training completers from left to right, Ryan Tocktoo, Jamie Baez, and Cameron Minix). Day-to-day, the program combines structured learning with hands-on classroom experience. Trainees focus on CDA competency development, child development, and health and safety. Trainees must complete 120 online training hours and 480 classroom hours in order to apply for their CDA. Students apply what they learn directly in the Kawerak Head Start and Early Head Start classrooms and the Nome Preschool.
Teachers in Training Instructor Caitlin Auktweenna Balimou has been working with the program since the start of their second cohort in 2024. She said it’s exciting to see the program develop and to see the students learn and grow.
“What motivates me most is seeing how much growth is possible when people are given time, structure, and individualized encouragement. Watching our program staff gain confidence, develop professionally, and earn their credential has been awesome,” she said.
While the program does not guarantee job placement at Kawerak Head Start, it is designed to prepare trainees to be competitive applicants. And four of the current five regular Early Head Start teachers with Kawerak’s Head Start program completed the Teachers in Training program.
Cameron Minix recently completed the training program and earned her CDA. She said she loves young children and she was excited to learn about how they develop and how to encourage them to thrive.
“It’s pretty cheesy, but children are our future. We’re all trying to make a better world. If I can be a steppingstone to that, it’s pretty awesome.”
Minix said the program was not easy but she enjoyed the challenge and seeing students and teachers growing together.
“It was definitely challenging, a lot of work, and it didn’t take just me, but work from a lot of people,” she said.
Balimou said they are constantly evaluating and refining the training schedule, looking to strengthen mentor support in the classroom to ensure trainees feel supported and successful throughout the program. They’re also looking to expand the program so training can be offered at Kawerak Head Start locations throughout the region.
The fourth cohort of Teachers in Training begins in March. Applications are still open for a few more days! Interested? Apply through www.kawerak.org/jobs for the Early Childhood Trainee position. Questions? Reach out to Caitlin Auktweenna Balimou: cbalimou@kawerak.org.
