Prosser set to provide hands-on training to prospective teachers learning at southern Indiana campus

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- Southern Indiana schools are facing an issue that plagues districts around the country: There aren't enough teachers.

The Prosser Career Education Center in New Albany currently has about 40 students studying early childhood education, and by adding a new on-site training center, the hope is that even more will want to apply.

"Finding quality early childhood education workers has been difficult for a number of years," said Dr. Kyle Lanoue, director of Prosser's career and technical education program. "COVID did another number on it."

Lanoue said Prosser is the largest standalone career center in Indiana. It serves students from 25 high schools in southern Indiana and offers 28 career and technical programs for adult learners. Nearly every program is designated by the state as a "high-wage/high-demand" career.

Prosser helps high school students become career-ready, and while it already has an early childhood education program, students currently have to visit area centers off campus to get hands-on training and earn credentials.

But, soon, Lanoue said that will no longer be an issue. The New Albany Floyd County School district approved plans for Prosser to build its own on-site early childhood education lab. The new learning center will give the high school students the ability to work directly with three 3- and 4-year-olds on Prosser's New Albany campus, done under the supervision of qualified school district employees.

Gwyn Welliver, director of Trinity Learning Center Ministry, in New Albany, welcomes the expansion at Prosser. She's been in early childhood education for nearly two decades and agrees more qualified workers are needed in the field.

"We're not compensated as much as other fields," Welliver said. "That's a discouragement, and some people realistically don't feel like they'll be respected in this field. But our work with children is foundational."

She's hopeful by allowing high-schoolers first-hand experience at Prosser, it will encourage more interest.

"Hopefully, through the years, they will educate enough young people who want to make this a profession," Welliver said. "I want people to value early childhood educators as professionals. The work we're doing with young children is so important for the overall future."

That's exactly what Lanoue hopes this new early education childcare center will achieve.

"We feel it's incredibly important that the learning aspect is embedded in all this," Lanoue said. "It's not a day care. It's an early childhood education center, providing what we know in the industry is a very critical step for those early learners to kick start their elementary and then, obviously, the rest of their educational career."

"We want students to get opportunities to work directly with students, because those are ultimately the skills that are going to make them a better early childhood educator leader."

Lanoue says parameters for how three and four year olds are selected to attend the center have yet to be determined.

Final design plans are still being worked out, but the hope is to have the center up and running in January.

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