After more than a 20-year partnership, Clark State Community College and Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center will transfer management and operation of the Early Childhood Education Center located at 1001 John Street in Springfield to the Miami Valley Child Development Center.
Rick Smith, superintendent of Springfield-Clark CTC, said they look forward to supporting the Miami Valley Child Development Center as they transition to managing the Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC). “It makes sense for us to turn over the operation to experts in the early learning management field,” said Smith. “We appreciate the community’s many years of support of this venture, and we look forward to continuing and building upon the strong relationship we have with Clark State in providing workforce development training to the community.”
“Miami Valley Child Development Center is excited about this collaboration with Clark State Community College and the Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center. Over the next three months we will be working hard to ensure a smooth transition for staff, children and families at the Early Childhood Education Center,” said Mary Burns, president/CEO of Miami Valley Child Development Center.
MVCDC has a decades-long history of offering quality early learning in more than 50 center locations in Butler, Clark, Greene, Madison and Montgomery counties. “Our early childhood program and its students will continue to greatly benefit from working closely with the Early Childhood Education Center staff and MVCDC as the Springfield-Clark CTC will continue to use the center as a lab and work site for our early childhood education students,” said Smith.
The relationship between Clark State and Springfield-Clark CTC continues to remain strong. “We have developed such a strong level of trust and collaboration, and we feel it is time to streamline the operations of the ECEC and dissolve the Council of Governments (COG) that operates and oversees it,” said Dr. Jo Alice Blondin, president of Clark State.
Currently, the executive director of the Early Childhood Education Center reports to Blondin and Smith. “The dissolution of the COG does not in any way affect the operations of the ECEC nor does it affect the children,” said Blondin.
Clark State entered into the Council of Governments with Springfield-Clark CTC in 1994, and the ECEC has operated successfully. During the course of the Council of Governments partnership, the ECEC gained 4-Star Step Up to Quality status.
Clark State’s Early Childhood Education program will continue to work with the ECEC for preceptorships, internships and observations. Clark State faculty, staff and students will still be able to use the services of the ECEC.
“Clark State is very proud of its Early Childhood Education program, and our faculty and students will continue to utilize the ECEC as a student training site, and our employees and students still have access to the facility for their childcare needs,” said Blondin. “The dissolution of the Council of Governments simply allows for more streamlined management of the day-to-day operations of the center, but in no way represents a diminished commitment on Clark State’s part for training the early childhood regional workforce.”
Action to dissolve the Council of Governments was approved by the Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center Board of Education and the Clark State Community College Board of Trustees in September. Miami Valley Child Development Center is expected to take over management in early 2017.