Mariana Alvarez-Mustangs
(LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL)- Recently Lakewood Ranch High School (LRHS) Early Childhood Education Level 4 students completed their Child Development Associate (CDA) visitations.
This process is huge for LRHS ECE teacher Delaney Shackelford and especially for the ECE students. The students have worked hard for four years learning and taking certification tests, and Shackelford has guided them and been their number one role model throughout the way.
“I could not be more proud of my senior students that will be earning their CDA. I have witnessed firsthand their dedication, work ethic, unwavering commitment and immense growth as student teachers over the past four years,” she said.
“This is such a special program because I have the opportunity to develop genuine, lasting relationships with my students in hopes of making a positive impact on their future. Each of my 30 seniors have poured their hearts into this program from the time they embarked on their journey in 2022, to serve as exemplary leaders and role models for the children's lives they have influenced.”
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The Early Childhood Program at LRHS consists of a four-year course that teaches students the proper ways to educate young children from ages of birth to five.
Some students work in the Mini Mustang classroom located inside of LRHS, others go off campus to student-teach in other elementary schools around the area and learn about the developments of young children.
In order to qualify for a CDA visit students must have a completed professional portfolio, 480 hours of experience working with young children within the last three years, 120 hours of formal early childhood training, and pass all Department of Children and Family (DCF) competency exams.
Including these requirements, LRHS students completed an application to prove their passing of all Department of Children and Families (DCF) competency exams.
Once applying and being accepted, the students were assigned a day to be evaluated. Their evaluation consisted of an observation of their teaching abilities and an interview with the Professional Development (PD) specialist going over their portfolio.
To prepare, the students first were given a theme for their lesson and then chose a subject area. With this, they created a detailed lesson plan with their teaching partners that outlined the activity they would be teaching the Mini Mustangs.
LRHS senior Hayden Zimmerman said, “The lesson we did with the kids was called ‘Fizzy Spring Experiment,’ an experiment that showed the reaction between baking soda and vinegar.”
The lessons the students created were evaluated by the Professional Development (PD) specialist in the Mini Mustang classroom.
The students receive their results within 24-48 hours after their visit informing them if they have earned their certification.
Shackelford said the certifications can provide valuable opportunities for the students.
“I am so excited that they will be graduating with this nationally recognized credential and I can't wait to continue watching them succeed as they begin their next journey beyond High School,” she said.