For more than 135 years, Family Services of Central Massachusetts (FSCM) has served greater Worcester with a commitment to responsive service delivery. A shining example of this is the Project Flourish Child Development Specialist Apprenticeship Program, part of the affiliate’s Center for Childcare Careers (CCC).

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the early education and care (EEC) industry experienced a workforce crisis with as much as 40% staff turnover each year. Staffing continues to be a challenge throughout the state, putting children on waitlists for care. Project Flourish was launched in 2020 as an innovative solution to the dwindling early education and care workforce pipeline.

Modeled after traditional trade apprenticeships, the program provides entry-level and under-skilled workers, who are paid at or near minimum wage, the opportunity to “earn while they learn” and become certified in the field of early education and care. Participation involves 10.5 months/150 hours of weekly classroom instruction in six competency areas. Concurrently, they receive 2,000 hours of mentor-guided, on-the-job training. Enrollees engage in professional networking and are awarded incentive-based pay increases. A two-phase assessment is conducted post-training to affirm that each apprentice has earned the Child Development Associate® credential.

The impact of Project Flourish is two-fold: 1.) support workforce development; 2.) support higher-quality child care. Early education and care programs are a community cornerstone and essential to local economic stability. These programs provide safe care in a daily learning environment that prepares young children for their school years.

The Webster Head Start program of the Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC) is a Project Flourish apprenticeship employer partner. Sonja Moralez is the Head Start director and knows the dramatic impact that Project Flourish is having on its participants and the local early education and care industry. 

"We have seen such wonderful and dedicated new staff come through Project Flourish. Not only does the program directly improve the lives of our students and families, but it provides new careers to people who need extra support."—Sonja Moralez

Two staff members at the Webster Head Start shared their experiences as apprentices in Project Flourish:

Fevian Mehkaiel was a college graduate with a degree in psychology when she moved from Egypt to the United States in 2015. Her sons attended Webster Head Start, where Fevian stood out as a dedicated and talented parent. The Head Start staff encouraged Fevian to enroll in Project Flourish to become a paid employee while furthering her education. “Believe in yourself,” Fevian’s husband said. She did and four years later, Fevian is a child development associate (CDA) teacher. She plans to continue her education to become a master’s-level counselor with a focus on special needs.

Kayla Torres is the new CDA assistant teacher at Webster Head Start after completing Project Flourish’s fourth cohort. Kayla was working in the center’s housekeeping, when Sonja urged her to enroll in Project Flourish and join their EEC team. “Sonja motivated me, and it’s changed my life,” Kayla said. Inspired by other Head Start staff who had completed the Project Flourish curriculum, Kayla embraced the “earning while learning” opportunity.

"I am now working on my associate’s degree and hope to continue on and earn a bachelor’s degree and become an ESL teacher, and after my experience with Project Flourish, I know I can!"—Kayla Torres

Project Flourish’s progress is also evident in the numbers. Since 2020, 75% of apprenticeship graduates have been retained by employers who serve low-income families using state-subsidized childcare vouchers. In this essential field where staff ratios are critical, Project Flourish is supplying the pipeline with qualified staff, allowing providers to open more classrooms and child care slots. The region is seeing a reduction in waitlists— and parental angst.

Candidates who achieve this internationally recognized credential excel as high-quality educators and providers who plan to open child care businesses. Credentialing is critical to the competitive edge that improves business viability and sustainability. Family Child Care providers offer affordable, high-quality care, attracting families seeking culturally diverse and responsive programs in neighborhoods throughout Worcester County.

Granting Funds to Flourish

• The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) has awarded three multi-year grants to support Project Flourish to date.
• The United Way of Central Massachusetts is supporting newly licensed Spanish-speaking family child care (FCC) educators in a mirror program of FSCM.
• The MA Department of EEC, the MA Executive Office of Economic Development, the City of Worcester, the United Way of Mass Bay, the SEIU Education and Support Fund, and Webster 5 are partnering with FSCM to improve access to professional development and FCC business operation. New pilot programming will begin in spring 2025, with FSCM/CCC assuming responsibility for all Central/Western MA initiatives.
• The MA Department of EEC awarded a new infrastructure contract to FSCM to expand apprenticeship services and EEC-endorsed workforce development pathways. As an FCC Intermediary for Central and Western MA, FSCM will manage limited EEC funding streams, and work with EOLWD’s Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS) to provide high-quality training, recruitment,
  and program registration.
• The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts has awarded a Synergy Initiative grant for FSCM’s Family Childcare Success Project. This exciting innovation is designed to remove systemic barriers for culturally and linguistically diverse FCC educators to operate successful, high-quality child care businesses. Specific goals include: An incubator system that supports educators meeting landlord resistance while searching for and securing living space that allows FCC operation. Educational tools and a mediator curriculum to address landlord resistance, and provide systems navigation to stabilize and enhance business practices and overcome barriers to licensure.

For more information, contact:

Center for Childcare Careers

799 West Boylston St. Suite 130 Worcester, MA 01606

Leslie Baker

Director, Center for Childcare Careers

Phone: 508.796.1978

Email: lbaker@sevenhills.org