>> children do an incredible amount of learning in the first five years of their lives and early childhood professionals help them along the way.

tens of thousands of jobs and early childhood or open each year.

Today, our students will go on the job with an early learning center director and will also learn about a high school that's preparing students to work with young children in their Teens to Tots program.

Come on into The Career Center.

>> The Career Center is made possible by General Motors [MUSIC] and by these supporters [MUSIC] and by viewers like you.

[MUSIC] Thank you.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> Sam, Paige, it's great to see you.

Welcome to The Career Center.

How can I help you?

Me and Paige were just talking about what we wanted to do after graduation.

I really love working with kids and I want to go into early childhood education.

Do you think there are jobs for me?

So, what kind of jobs you think there are in early childhood education?

well, maybe like a preschool teacher or even maybe daycare.

do you think they're nurses in preschools?

You know, I was just watching some videos about jobs in early education, let if i could find them.

I know they are here somewhere.

Yep, here they are.

Let's take a look at these together.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> I know of very few people that on a regular basis say I love my job and really mean it.

and when i say that, I think I've had the opportunity to have the best job in the world.

>> It feels like you really doing what you're supposed to.

I feel like I where I'm supposed to be when Im in that classroom.

>> My name is Susan Wit.

I've worked as an occupational >> My name is Susan Wit.

I've worked as an occupational therapist for the last forty years.

and primarily it's been therapist for the last forty years.

and primarily it's been kids that have had some type of health issue or a physical disability.

I've been able to use my skills that I was taught to be able to help support children, to learn and develop and grow as best as possible.

>> I've been teaching preschool for almost twenty years.

Preschool teachers are important because they laid the foundation.

The first seven years is considered the most important.

It allows me the opportunity to really impact the next generation.

>> I teach four-year-olds watching kids go from >> I teach four-year-olds watching kids go from from babies when they come in at four and then all of a sudden in January they started when letters and how to spell their names.

The growth is it's phenomenal and it's really a great thing to be a part of.

>> Im Julie and Im a home visitor.

>> So, Im the lead parent educator the parents and teachers program at Oakland Family Services.

Our staff go out over Oakland County and we do home visits with families who have kids from birth to five.

We work with families to create goals that they want to work on.

You know, we get to be a part of the family.

Im Peranica Williams and I am a childcare provider.

to see a parents to see a parent that trust me enough to bring that child to me.

it's just touching to me and I love that I impacted that family that way.

I would recommend child care because we need people want to see that generation behind us come along and be successful.

I love the fact that whenever I've gone to work, really love my job.

The other night, we when we do our music group, one of the moms, her baby wasn't moving.

She wasn't rolling.

They've been to pediatricians at all kinds of testing and mom was very concerned.

We gave her some tips ways to facilitate movement.

Mom came back, she said we went to the neurologist and the neurologist said, her changes in her motor skills are nothing short of miraculous.

I mean, it's something so simple but if you don't have that knowledge, you don't know.

and we can share impart that knowledge of the family.

I'm Peronica Williams.

I'm Kelly Schaeyer.

I'm Susan Wit.

and Im the teacher, childcare provide, home visit their preschool teacher, occupational therapist and I love my career.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> My name is Erica Colón and I am a child development specialists.

I am a head teacher at a laboratory preschool at Michigan State University.

[MUSIC] The problem in the world that I'm solving with my job is I get to help preserve play.

Play for children is so important in the way that they learn that I get to do a lot of learning experiences in a playful setting.

[MUSIC] What's cool about my job is that not only do I get to teach preschoolers, but I also get to teach pre service teachers and help to teach them how to teach preschoolers.

[MUSIC] what got me interested in working in early childhood education was I always wanted to provide childcare when I was younger.

I always wanted to babysit the neighbors kids.

and after that, I found a job when I was in high school at a local day care and loved every minute of it.

[MUSIC] Something that I learned in school that helps my job now is that you have to continue to learn.

there's no right answer to everything.

Everything keeps evolving and changing and so if you don't know something, there's a way to find out.

so just research, ask and practice.

[MUSIC] The advice they have for someone who wants to enter this field is to try and start working with young children, asked to volunteer at a local elementary school or daycare and just enjoy playing and find out how children learn.

[MUSIC] I see the industry or my job changing in the next five to ten years by just evolving in learning ways to connect children with hands on experiences and so seeing how technology can guide how we teach young children.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> Paige, you had a chance recently to talk with an early childhood professional.

What can you tell us about what your day was like?

My day was very interesting.

I got to sit and observe how the children became more independent and how they can do things on their own.

I also sat and talked with the teaching and Mister Rocco and he used dominoes and music to explain lessons to us to children.

That sounds really interesting.

where is that?

This is at Heartfelt Impressions in Lake Orion.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> Today, I'm at Heartfelt Impressions in Lake Orion.

This early childhood center provides a nurturing environment where students can gain confidence, learn basic skills and develop independence.

Could this be the career for you?

To find out, I met with Rhonda Meyers, who is an example someone who is both a successful career in the field of early childhood education.

>> Our number one goal is to ensure that everyone in this environment feel seen heard and has a sense of belonging.

environment feel seen, heard, and has a sense of belonging.

whether you're three or you're ten or you're twenty-five, you want to know that the place when you work, the place where you go to school is a place that you are loved and that you belong and that is truly Heartfelts focus.

What do you like most about this job?

Not only do I get to do something that affords me a living that I want, but I still get to help change the world.

I feel so lucky and so blessed to have found something that sets my heart on fire.

And I feel so blessed.

I hope that for every young person who's deciding what they do, that they can do it with passion, do it well and still love it.

Thirty plus years later >> I learned that doing this work well takes more than just a desire to work with kids.

a successful early childhood a desire to work with kids.

A successful early childhood educator is an intelligent person whose observant, organized and in tune with the individual needs of their students.

>> We think of a teacher and you think they're loving and their nurturing and that's what we all think about.

When we think of that image of what a teacher might be.

what we don't often think about is how intelligent and cerebral a teacher is.

So, at any given moment, they're looking at a classroom say eighteen students and they need to know where each child is developmently in their ability to read, write problem solved and then be calculating and thinking what activity can I encourage them to do?

Or can I plan so that child can learn the next skill?

So, it is nurturing.

it is loving has to be creating a safe place, but it also requires incredible intellegence [MUSIC] [MUSIC] How would a person know that this is the job for them?

I'm so glad you asked this question because I think it's really important in this particular field to try it out first.

You can try it out in a lot of different ways.

so you could as a high school student go to a local early childhood program and apply for a job.

Maybe you have a passion for theater and you love it and so you find a children's theater and you would try it out by doing the thing you love in showing children how to do the thing that you love.

It could be a sport that you do and there's young children in the camp.

Summer camp consuler.

That's the best way because it's fun and it's summer.

and you also get to try out whether or not you really love working with young children.

>> To understand what it's like to do this job, Rhonda invited me to help out and Roccos classroom.

I was amazed how it seems like play was actually a time of learning and discovery.

Dominoes became tools for sorting by color and number.

Instruments are used to express emotions and nap time became a lesson in independent and problem solving.

>> Thank you so much for letting me help out.

Now that the kids are sleeping, do you mind telling me what you like about this job?

absolutely, I was I'm glad that you're able to come out and see the classroom are runs.

I do truly love this job because the children come in every day.

and that put a smile on all the teachers faces.

who doesn't love that?

I want them to be safe and have a good learning experience weather here.

you know, like you saw in the classroom, they're getting a, you know, music out there getting the dominoes out.

So, we have the tools here in the toys here for them to be able to express themselves the way that they want to express themselves because we all know that, you know, for a five year-old, you know, they're always jumper from spot to spot but if they're focused and you know this having fun, theyre being safe anything is possible.

So it's a really good opportunity for people who want to start working in early childhood because there's so many different things they can branch off with.

>> Well, some people start a career in this field by majoring in education in college.

Rhonda, explained how some high schools offer programs that can help young people start on this career path before they even graduate.

If I wanted to go into this field, what should be doing right now?

Some high schools have a career technical education programs and you can choose early education for the whole spectrum of education and then a lot of cases by the time you're in that second year, you can be working in a program so they might start is an entry level teacher.

We call them at Heartfelt the “building resource teacher ”.

At Heartfelt we would sponsor them through the teach scholarship, which is a federal scholarship program specifically for early childhood that would cover eighty percent of their tuition and then we as a company commit to them ten percent of their tuition.

they pay ten percent.

So, they work as they go to school.

What kind of jobs come you have in a place like Heartfelt Impressions?

So, the first entry level positions are actually use a high school students that are considered classroom closing aides and they help the teacher at the end of the day, kind of wrap up the day after school and the next step would be an entry level building resource teacher and that teacher usually supports two primary teachers in the classroom, the lead teacher and the assistant.

so it's an opportunity for them to be mentored and learn if they want to continue in the career.

Then next step is usually an assistant teacher and then a lead teacher.

>> Thank you, Rhonda, for letting me spend the day with you.

at Heartfelt Impressions.

If I could sum up this career choice in one word it would be impact.

Everything the teachers do is design to impact two students in a positive way.

I'm not sure I can think of a more rewarding career than the one that lets you do that.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> Paige, that was really great.

Did you enjpy it?

Yes, I did!

Thats fantastic!

Ms. Pisani, we were wondering if we were interested in going to work of early childhood education, what will the next steps be?

Sam, that is a really good question.

There are so many options.

You can volunteer at a center or you can work part-time as an aide.

you know, I just learned about the school has been running a program for years called Teens to Tots.

PBS Student Reporting Labs did a piece on this.

Let's take a look.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> Raising young children is no easy task.

but at the Frederick Panko center, Theres a daycare with a twist.

An affordale daycare run by teens.

>> So, the program began over thirty years ago for >> high school students who are interested in working with young children so they would get a hands-on experience in our preschool lab.

>> The preschool programs run by students who are enrolled in the early childhood class.

They are incredible working with preschoolers under the supervision of the childcare directors and early childhood educators.

The program has worked out so well in fact that most students and even parents were in the program themselves.

>> so, I learned about programs through coming here myself.

It's helped me tremendously.

My first son was really nervous to come to school and the teachers here are awesome and they are gave him like the comfort that he needed and now he goes to elementary school in lance hers.

and he's doing really well.

>> I was tot in the Teens for Tots like program, so, I was in this program when i was younger.

and I really like that all my sisters were and they really like it.

and I just really want to do it.

So, it would be cool to like, keep the legacy going and just get back to the kids.

It even offers them a lot of experience in their field.

>> I got involved in this program because I want to be a teacher.

my are up.

So, is the perfect opportunity.

It's provided me an opportunity to work one-on-one with kids and gain more knowledge on how to teach them things.

one one.

>> It helps us when we're going to college and were going for jobs and early childhood programs.

We kind of have an advantage on some of the other kids because we have hands on experience.

we have a portfolio.

we have a binder and we have so many things that we can provide like our job.

>> the like, hey, look, we've actually worked with kids before like we've been teachers like we know what we're doing.

>> It's a great opportunity for our families because not only do they get the opportunity to have an actual preschool teacher in the class, but they also get to work with all the different high school students.

and they love that because the children, the preschoolers get one-on-one and they really form a lot of bonds and connections with them.

So, they love it because it's a preschool lab and it's part of our our teaching program.

It's very inexpensive for our families.

it just provides a real service to those families and the children.

>> running a day care center at your high school may seem like an intimidating task over the Teens for Tots program seems provide a unique experience for parents, students and kids alike.

For PBS Newshour Student Reporting Labs in Clinton Township, Michigan, Im Shane Vercast.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> I would recommend you to volunteer like get in your community.

know your community.

know what your community wants, just be willing to go the extra mile.

you need patience and love to be in early ed.

It takes a certain kind of person to be able to come into early education and do it on a daily.

Its hard work, but it's rewarding.

so patients is the number one thing.

>> To always, you know, think about the others that are that are around you.

And I think thats a very valuable life lesson that I learned early to be open to different personalities and to different problems that may arise and to always just be be prepared, you know, to help help was needed cause its always someone that's going to need help.

Weather it be a parent a child or yourself.

Come on in.

Its a variety, its loving, its fun, its something you're get bored.

I just said that you want to come across a great amount of families that is going to be able to feed into you positive things that they have going on.

You're going to find out that everything is not as bad as it seems.

You have to understand is always going to be someone thats worst off.

So, come on in Well accept you.

if you need to learn or know anything, we're willing to help you with that.

this is a shared resource organization.

>> To at least give it a try and you must have a passion for children.

But sometimes you need to know is for you in just to get your foot in the door.

But definitely if you have an interest in help, interest in being up a service to the community, helping children to be the best and to thrive, give them the best foundation and this is definitely the job for you.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] So, I was wondering, do you know, twenty-first century skills are?

I was thinking more like itnternet skills or even communication and teamwork skill I was thinking maybe critical thinking and problem solving.

You know, you're both right.

twenty-first century skills the skills that prepare us for the world we're living in right now in the twenty-first century.

You know, in my free time, i've been working on a little something that tells us more about twenty-first century skills, what they are or how we can prepare ourselves for them and how they help us to take a look?

Sure!

Yeah!

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> The future is now.

Are you ready to take on the challenges that the world of the future has in store?

Do you have the skills to make it in the twenty-first century?

Not sure?

Don't worry, i'm here to help.

I'm Andrea Pisani and I work with students every day to help them explore their passions and make great futures for themselves.

Let's talk about the skills everyone needs to make it in the world.

today.

Twenty-first century skills.

What are twenty-first century skills?

Twenty-first century skills are the things you need to know that might not exactly be taught in school.

It isn't math or science composition or art, but he probably already use some twenty-first century skills in your math, science, composition and art classes.

Twenty-first century skills are the skills you need to teach yourself, think deeply, work with others, read beyond the messages from media that bombard us and understand how to find and use information effectively and ethically.

They can be roughly broken down into three categories.

the three l's learning skills, life skills, and literacy skills.

Let's take a look at each L starting with learning skills, Learning skills are the skills you need to help teach yourself, think, think, critically, and problem solved.

Theyre skills you need to reason effectively, look at a problem and determine what the best approach is, think systematically, analyze a problem or situation and see the parts that make up that problem and how they work together.

Make good judgments and decisions, use your experience reason to determine the best and most effective course of action possible and solve the problem.

They are also skills like communication and collaboration.

You need to be able to express your ideas in ways that other people understand them.

You also need to be able to listen to or read other people's thoughts and ideas and understand them.

You need to know how to effectively work with other people on a single goal and understand had to share the workload, compromise, and take and give direction respectfully.

Let's move on to life skills.

Life skills are the skills we all need to work in the quickly changing world we live in.

The ability to adapt and be flexible are essential for today's world.

We have new technologies, new processes, and people around us all the time.

Being adaptable is essential to keep up.

They're also the skills needed to have self direction and initiative, the ability to set reasonable and achievable goals, and understand the steps needed to achieve those goals is very important.

In addition to working collaboratively, it is equally important to know how to work independently and stay on task to accomplish your goals, and it's important to be a self-directed learner.

Things are changing so fast, that you'll need to know how to teach yourself new skills or advanced the ones you already have.

Another important life skill is the ability to work well with others.

This is different than just collaboration.

Knowing how to be respectful of others, how to work in a professional way, respect people for who they are and see how diverse ideas and values can help create new ideas and help us innovation.

The final L is literacy skills.

Our lives are filled with new technology, new ways to communicate and new messages from the media.

The ability to learn how these tools and messages work and why they work as an essential skill for the twenty-first century.

Information literacy, is the skill of understanding how to access the information you need to help solve the problem and evaluate that information to see if it's trustworthy, what biases it might have and to use the information creatively to help solve your problem.

You also need to be media literate.

you need to understand how the messages we receive from the media are made,what the purpose of the message is and how you can use media to effectively and ethically communicate your message.

Lastly, you need to have technology, literacy.

Technology literacy is the ability to understand how to use the tools technology provides to solve your problem.

It is also the ability to understand how to evaluate the ethical use of technology and what the impacts of certain technologies can be on the people in environments around us.

The twenty-first century's moving fast.

but with these learning life and literacy skills, you'll be able to shape and model a positive future for yourself and the people around you.

To learn more about twenty-first century skills.

be sure to visit our website.

mi future of work dot org.

There you'll find a whole series of videos taking a deeper look at the skills you need for the future.

well, I hope this gives you an idea of working with young learners is like.

And if you ever want to know more about careers, or jobs, or the skills you need, my door is always thank you.

miss the Thank you, Ms. Pisani.

Yeah, thank you so much.

You're welcome.

and if you want to learn more about careers in early childhood education, please visit our website at mi future work dot org slash early childhood.

There you'll find links, videos and resources to set you on your path.

see you next time in The Career Center.

>> The Career Center is made possible by General Motors [MUSIC] and by the supporters [MUSIC] And by viewers like you.

[MUSIC] Thank you.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC]