Road to Success

Throughout 2024, the Office of Childhood (OOC) will share “Roads to Success,” a collection of stories from professionals and higher education institutions. Stories from professionals feature achievements from people working in childhood programs such as home visiting, early intervention, child care, Head Start, preschool, and afterschool. Stories from higher education institutions highlight colleges and universities who are using innovative methods to support and grow the early childhood workforce. There are many roads to success, it is important to highlight the varying and unique pathways that professionals take and how higher education programs can pave the way.  You can view previous editions of the Road to Success as well. 

This month’s Road to Success focuses on Missouri Western State University, located in St. Joseph. Missouri Western collaborates with early childhood professionals and initiatives in the community including Success by 6, which works to prepare young children for future success.

Success by 6 holds monthly child care director meetings, offers community resources, works with Head Start, and offers trainings for child care providers. Missouri Western and Success by 6 recently opened a lab school on campus to support classroom exposure and community need. Recently, Missouri Western faculty started the St. Joseph chapter of the Missouri Association for the Education of Young Children (MOAYEC) that has organized events for the larger St. Joseph community and participates in recruitment events at local high schools.

Missouri Western also provides an option for students to obtain micro-credentials related to early childhood education. This micro-credential consists of three early childhood courses, and an additional option is offered for students to take an hour of credit of coaching, which allows students to provide coaching in an early childhood classroom. Missouri Western has examined their current degree programs and is working to develop a new child development degree that supports the program specific needs of early childhood educators, home visitors, and family services professionals currently in the field. They are working to meet the needs of current Head Start teachers working in the classroom who have a desire to obtain a non-teaching credential bachelor's degree.