Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/yes-virginia-there-is-a-career-ladder-in-child-care-three-child-care-success-stories/5013306/
With the staffing crisis hard upon us, one of the challenges we face is convincing promising recruits that they can pursue an exciting career in child care. And as our profession matures, this is a story that has increasing validity. Countless examples exist of individuals who have started out at entry levels in our profession and have worked their way into rewarding leadership positions. In this article, we present three impressive, yet not atypical, examples of the child care career possibilities.Karen King
President, Children's World Learning Centers
Golden, Colorado
Karen King did not set out to pursue a child care career. In fact, she started out as a first grade teacher. However, in 1977, she took a job as a kindergarten teacher in a large church-based child care center and elementary school in Toledo, Ohio.
This experience hooked her on early childhood education and set her off on a new career path. As Karen explains:
"I discovered that I liked working with teachers and adults. I especially enjoyed working with parents in solving their child care challenges. You don't have these ongoing relationships with par-ents as a public school teacher. I found I could impact the lives of children by working with parents."
A year later, ...