We are excited to announce that Caroline County Public Schools is one of the recipients of the Maryland Grow Your Own grant, awarded to 13 school systems in the state.
Caroline applied for the grant in partnership with Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, and Somerset County Public Schools, as well as each of their respective teacher's associations. The partnership also included higher education partners Chesapeake College, Salisbury University, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
The 4.6 million dollar grant provides funding to establish and expand a Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program in each county, and will support a total of 165 teacher apprentices in the seven counties over the next four years.
Through agreements with the three higher education partners, Education Support Professionals (ESPs, also known as paraprofessionals or instructional assistants) will be able to work towards certification as a teacher while employed with each school system. The apprentice may take up to a maximum of four years at no personal expense, and will earn credit for on-the-job training and hands-on learning that is already a part of their job duties.
Funding also allows each school system to have a high-quality mentoring program for new teachers, including mentor training, as well as a high-quality new teacher induction program to support newly hired teachers during the first three years of employment.
“Many of our future teachers are already an integral part of the Caroline family,” Director of Administrative Services Rob Willoughby said. “Our paraprofessionals bring dedication, heart, and a deep commitment to Caroline, and we’re proud to support them as they take the next step in becoming classroom teachers.”