A group of Family and Consumer Science students from Crest High School got a first-hand look at careers in early childhood education Tuesday. Switching up the usual idea of a field trip – long hours on the bus, trips to the city – students toured local childcare centers, nonprofits and school districts to get a better idea of jobs they could pursue, right in their own backyard.
The trip was organized by Crest’s Career and Technical Education coordinator Caitlin Callaway and Allen Community College’s Beth Toland, who is the college’s Education and Human Services director and a member of the Crest school district’s Family and Consumer Sciences advisory board.
“We wanted to show students the different options they have for careers close to home,” said Toland. “Students are seeing jobs with a variety of qualifications, opportunities and settings, and they’ve met several people who didn’t necessarily have higher education experience, but who have grown and expanded into their roles.”
The day included trips to Grow at Eden Early Learning Center, Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center and the Iola Public Library. The students also visited with Ceri Coffield, an educational audiologist with Greenbush, and Stephanie Larson, a speech language pathologist. 
The nine Crest students were able to interact, ask questions, and gain first-hand knowledge in a way ordinary field trips, or lectures for that matter, would find hard to replicate.
At Humboldt’s The Growing Place, that even meant holding babies.
Director Sarah Kennington gave students a walk-through of the center, explaining their approach to care and qualifications for employment. Students were all smiles when they visited an infant classroom, the babbling babies delighted by the visitors. 
Kennington also offered an update on the center’s expansion. After all, The Growing Place is growing. Current enrollment is at 124 children, but construction is rapidly advancing on a new 6,000 foot expansion that will allow the center to add 39 new spots for ages birth to 3.
In 2023, The Growing Place received a $1.162 million grant from a Child Care Capacity Accelerator grant, administered by the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund to create affordable and accessible child care throughout the state. The project will add four classrooms, two for preschool and two for school-aged children, as well as an expansion behind the recreation area.
Construction is on pace for the new addition to be ready for the start of the new school year this fall. Kennington envisions adding 10 new employees to help staff the enlarged center; The Growing Place currently employees 26. The growth is sorely needed. “We have waiting lists for all age groups,” said Kennington.
The theme of the day? Each community’s needs require unique solutions, creative thinking, and teamwork. Kennington praised a new agreement with Monarch Cement Co. where the company pays for 50% of childcare expenses for employees who have children at The Growing Place. A similar agreement is in place between Monarch and Grow at Eden.
As rural communities across the country deal with maternity deserts, a lack of affordable childcare, and high housing costs, investing in early childhood education sure seems like a great way to ensure southeast Kansas remains a vibrant place to raise a family.
The Crest students certainly saw that on Tuesday. Not bad for just another field trip.
