A new partnership between Bay Mills Community College and Lake Superior State University will allow early childhood education students starting at BMCC to not only get their bachelor's degree but also their teaching certification.
According to a press release, the certification will cover birth-kindergarten general and special education and can be transferred to other states.
The “3+1” program enables students to complete three years of coursework online through BMCC. For their fourth year at LSSU, they will have flexible options between hybrid and online courses that are built to accommodate working students.
Heather Stelzer, the early childhood education department chair at BMCC, said the inspiration for the pathway to certification came from the students themselves and the growing demand for educators.
“Our population of early childhood students are primarily non-traditional students,” Stelzer said. “We really needed a program that could accommodate to where they're at in their education while they're out in the workforce, while they're typically taking care of a family and so forth. Lake State was able to offer that opportunity.”
Faculty from both institutions said there are three major draws to the program: accessibility, cost-effectiveness and an emphasis on Native American education.
BMCC is a tribal-run charter school controlled by the Bay Mills Indian Community. Every core course taken by BMCC incorporates a focus on tribal culture.
Stelzer said about 90% of the college’s early childhood education students are tied to native tribes not only in Michigan, but all over the United States.
Becky Davis, assistant professor at Lake Superior State University’s School of Education, said the need to incorporate tribal culture into education spaces growing, especially in the eastern Upper Peninsula.
“We need to have a workforce that matches our population from a cultural diversity perspective,” Davis said. “This gives us the opportunity to have more students who are focused on a Native American cultural perspective, deliver education to students in the state of Michigan.”
Stelzer went on to say that although the official agreement was made only recently, current and prospective BMCC students are already exploring the pathway as a legitimate option for their education.
“We do already have a student that's participating,” Stelzer said. “I've created some degree maps for current BMCC students that would like to make this transition. So, it is already really rolling out in a very positive manner.”
Additionally, the new pathway ensures students coming in from other Michigan schools don’t have to take any more classes than they need for the education degree, provided they have a Michigan Transfer Agreement from their previous institution. The transition between BMCC and LSSU is concise as well.
“We have agreed on a transition plan that allows them to complete this program in four years, including their student teaching,” Davis said. “The coursework is seamless. There's no duplication, there's no repeating courses, and it allows students to keep moving along that path without any transition issues because we work together.”
Davis also said students will have access to co-advising from both institutions as they progress through the pathway.
Both Davis and Stelzer encourage any interested students, whether at BMCC or any other college or university, to reach out to them to explore the pathway.
