The state of childcare in Nevada and in Carson City is in dire need of support. Close to 65 percent of Nevada’s children ages 0-5 live in households with all parents in the workforce. This puts an incredible demand on the community to provide high-quality environments for children to learn and grow.

Western Nevada College is working to address this problem by announcing a new scholarship opportunity beginning with the Spring 2025 Semester for those interested in pursuing a profession in the field of early childhood education. 

WNC is proud to introduce the Early Childhood Education Scholarship, designed to educate Nevadans who are passionate about teaching and guiding young children as they grow and develop cognitively, physically and social-emotionally. This new training program equips individuals with the skills, knowledge and credentials needed to excel in the growing field of early childhood education. The program offers comprehensive training for those passionate about working with young children, with this scholarship opportunity easing the financial burden for aspiring educators.

The scholarship program is a collaboration between WNC and the Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) to enhance the skills of Nevada’s current childcare workers and undertake the current employment shortage for childcare facilities. Funding has been arranged to provide scholarships to 100 students the first year and 175 for the second year.

"We are very pleased to partner with DETR to provide these rewarding scholarships that will impact the most important segment of our population — children!” WNC President Dr. J. Kyle Dalpe said. “We look forward to the future to see how much this scholarship program will help narrow the employment gap for the early childhood profession in our communities."

Individuals interested in the program can apply at wnc.edu/ece. Already, there has been an enthusiastic response to this new scholarship opportunity.

"I’m beyond grateful to be given the opportunity to be part of this early childhood education scholarship,” said Angielina Rodriguez, who grew up in a family where work was more important than education.

Rodriguez dropped out of high school and became pregnant in her teens. She now is the single mother of four children, two of which are adopted nieces and an adopted nephew. Despite these responsibilities, she earned her high school equivalency certificate from WNC in 2019 and now the college has assisted in furthering her education in a field that is very close to her heart.

“Working with children is so important to me because I’ve seen how much trauma can affect children, and I’d like to make a difference in our community by providing our children with positive reinforcement and positive guidance,” Rodriguez said. “I’m committed to making our community better and helping raise resilient, inspired children. It takes a village! Whenever I’m in our community, every child I’m around, I treat like my own. The future is in our kids!”

Angielina Rodriguez

WNC is working to partner with childcare providers in Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Lyon and Storey counties to establish real-life learning opportunities for students to exercise their early childhood skills in a safe and supportive environment.

“The long-term goal is to increase the number of highly qualified ECE professionals working with the children of Nevada every day in high-quality programs,” said Ali Cooper, WNC’s Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator. “If we can help spread understanding of child development to more community members, our society will benefit significantly. Even if our students can strengthen their parenting skills, help explain challenging behaviors or recognize possible developmental delays at a family BBQ with cousins, I will see that as a great success.”

The ECE scholarship is open to anyone interested in learning about early childhood education. The scholarship will cover all tuition costs and other fees associated with gaining employment in childcare.

Participants can apply for two skills certificates:

• Skills Certificate 1: A student will earn 7.5 college credits in Introduction to Early Childhood Education, Principles of Child Guidance, CPR certification and other initial training required for Nevada Child Care Licensing.
• Skills Certificate 2; Students will earn 10 additional credits covering Curriculum in ECE, Understanding Students with Special Needs, Communicating with Families and a site-based Preschool (or infant/toddler) Internship experience.

All courses can be taken online and are self-paced. Students will have the opportunity to complete each skill certification at their own pace and can complete the program in as little as 8 weeks per certificate. 

Students who qualify for the ECE scholarship will also receive special training in other life skills, including resumé building, soft skills and interview skills.

For more information about the ECE Scholarship, phone Ali Cooper at 775-445-3376 or email her at allison.cooper@wnc.edu.