Western Illinois University, in conjunction with Black Hawk College (BHC) and StarNet, will host a Lunch and Learn session for local child-care directors from noon-2 p.m. Friday, March 24, on the Quad Cities campus in Moline.

“We know that early childhood directors are the lifeblood of our workforce in the community and consistently elevate their staff,” said Lindsay Meeker, of the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education. “We are hoping to equip them with the information on Early Childhood ACCESS for Equity (ECACE) scholarship, as well as find out how we can help support them in their work.”

“We are excited to share our course offerings and the ways in which we meet the workforce where they are to value their experiences, including credit for CDA completion and Prior Learning Assessment.”

The session will cover ECACE scholarships and Early Childhood programs available at WIU and Black Hawk, as well as share Childcare Resource and Referral/StarNet resources. Participants will also have the opportunity to receive feedback on what kinds of professional development WIU can provide for them in the upcoming year.

After the program, WIU, in collaboration with BHC, will offer a virtual recruitment workshop for teachers in the area at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 6. At the workshop, teachers can enter to win a gift basket.

To access the virtual recruitment workshop on Zoom, visit here. For more information on the Lunch and Learn session, contact Meeker at lc-dennison@wiu.edu.