Our “Grow Your Own” program is designed to recruit, develop, and retain teachers who are already in the community. It draws from people who have a passion for a child-centered approach but are not yet familiar or comfortable with putting all the pieces together.
Cobb Childcare & Preschool’s approach is unique and research-backed, requiring early educators who are passionate about empowering the tiniest of citizens and partnering in their education through a lens of the whole child. Our educators accept children as they are, rather than “as they should be.” Through our Grow Your Own Teacher program, we attract and recruit future educators, providing them with the training to meet our high standards while providing them with financial assistance to complete a formal education aligned with our approach.

Pathways

Foundations

The foundation consists of the first six weeks of employment. After orientation, staff who are new to our approach spend their first six weeks immersing themselves in our pedagogy by training in each of our six classrooms for a week. This unique approach to training allows more experienced staff to coach, train, and serve as mentors for new staff. Staff also participate in virtual pedagogical training during the foundation period.

Certification

Once an employee has successfully completed the Foundation portion of the Grow Your Own Teacher program, they are eligible to enroll in professional undergraduate certification from Portland State University at no cost to them. Eligible staff will complete a one-year Early Childhood Education Certificate through Portland State University at the undergraduate level, with the option to transfer the certificate credits into an undergraduate program, with the cost covered entirely by Cobb Children’s Learning Center.

College

Upon successfully completing the Early Childhood Education Undergraduate Certificate from Portland State University, eligible employees are able to roll their earned credits into a partner undergraduate program, earning their bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Employees who already hold a bachelor’s degree may be eligible to earn their master’s degree in early childhood education at no cost to them.