Ava Hall, an 18-year-old senior at Canyon del Oro High School, kicks off every morning by working an hour at the CDO preschool at 6:45 a.m. She then attends her regular classes throughout the rest of the morning, and returns to work at the preschool from noon to 5 p.m. each day.
βSo, Iβm here most of the day working,β she said on a recent Monday morning, as she took a break from talking to various groups of eighth-graders about her schoolβs Early Childhood Education (ECE) program.
Meanwhile, several other high school students, wearing the same bright blue shirts as Hall with the words βCDO Preschoolβ on the back, walked around the two preschool classrooms, often kneeling down to help the kids with their activities throughout the morning.
CDO students Jocelyn Pena, far left, and Brook Sandoval, far right, work on a coloring project with preschoolers Odin Ochsenfeld, left, Layla Keating, and Sophia Carson, standing, in the Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30.
Those students in the blue shirts are all interns in two different programs offered by the Amphitheater Unified School District to encourage high school students to pursue careers in early education by giving them real-world practice, said Tiffany Bucciarelli-Fay, the districtβs director of early childhood education.
βIn a perfect world for us, we would have these high school kiddos working as our ECE or preschool interns, they would go to college and get their degree in education, and then they would come back and teach in Amphi,β Bucciarelli said. βThat is our ultimate goal.β
Fortunately, she said, the Amphi district had only one vacancy in its approximately 50-person ECE department. But, she noted that preschool teaching positions are often difficult to fill due to the low pay.
She said the Amphi district hires certified teachers for its preschools, so theyβre on similar salary schedules as a first-grade educator, as opposed to other early learning centers who do not hire certified teachers.
Bucciarelli added that the districtβs ECE program has grown exponentially within the past year due to the districtβs partnership with the Pima County Early Education Program Scholarships (PEEPS), which provides preschool funding to low-income families.
In past years, she said, the Amphi school district only had three preschools. With the creation of PEEPS in 2021, the district has now expanded to a total of 12 preschools and is anticipating adding more in time for the upcoming school year.
βWe have internships at the majority of our preschools and then we are looking at potentially expanding our preschool options for next year, and that will expand our internship program, as well,β Bucciarelli said.
Internship programs
There are two preschool internship programs available at CDO and Amphitheater high schools, she said.
One program consists of students who have completed the first two courses of the ECE program, while the other includes students who have not necessarily taken ECE classes but have a strong interest in working at preschools.
Five years ago, according to CDO Early Childhood Center Director Brande Golden, there were only about four preschool interns at the school. Now, there are a total of 14 interns just at CDO.
In terms of district-wide numbers that also include students at Amphitheater High, there are 37 preschool interns in the two programs, Bucciarelli said. In addition, there are 241 students taking ECE classes this year at both high schools.
Students can choose whether to fulfill the internship to earn an elective course credit, or take them as paid internships and earn minimum wage for the hours they put in. Hall, the intern clocking in about 30 hours per week, said sheβs enrolled in the paid internship.
Some of the responsibilities that interns take on include guiding the kids through different activities such as arts and crafts and reading, supervising them on the playground, taking them on trips to the school library, helping keep the classrooms clean, and sanitizing toys.
High school student Lewis Calvin, right, uses a puppet to help Odin Ochsenfeld learn about friendship and playing together at the Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30.
βWe make a difference in the lives of those preschoolers and their families,β Golden said of preschool workers. βAnd having the interns see that, and to be a part of that, is very special.β
Full circle moment
Golden said CDO has already had its share of full circle moments, in which graduates have returned to teach at the preschool. That includes Julia Robison, a 20-year-old teaching aid/assistant at CDO Preschool, who took an ECE class as a high school student and returned to work at her alma mater.
βI didnβt really know what I wanted to do with my career goals,β Robison recalled of her time as a high school student. βThen I took this class and started working in the preschool with the kids, and I really, really liked it.β
Although Robison didnβt take part in the internship program, Golden noticed that she connected very well with the material and kids during the ECE class.
So, the summer after Robison graduated from high school, Golden reached out to her to let her know of a job opening at CDO Preschool. Robison returned to the school as a staff member last August.
Asked what the best thing about her job is, Robison said: βSeeing the kids out in public, and they just run up to you and will give you the biggest hugβ¦ I would say it's very emotionally rewarding because you get to experience things for your inner child and rebuild that with them.β
She added that she plans to continue her education to become an assistant teacher for preschool. Like Robison, Hall has also been inspired to pursue a career working in preschools.
CDO student Elizabeth Cornett zips up Promise Davis-Campbell's coat on a chilly morning at the Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30.
Hall said she plans to fulfill her general education credits at Pima Community College and will then transfer to the University of Arizona to earn a bachelorβs in early childhood education.
βHonestly, there's so many things this program has taught me, but I think the biggest one is that it taught me what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,β Hall said. βWhen I started high school, I didnβt know what I wanted to do and the more I dove headfirst into the program, the more I realized that what Iβm going to do for the rest of my life is teach.β
Photos: Early Childhood Center at CDO High School
Korbyn Kolata makes an order at the ice cream stand with help from high school students Jessica Lassiter, left, and Ava Rollins at the Early Childhood Center in Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30, 2023.
CDO student Laura Ibrahim, left, greets preschooler Dana Alshebel in the Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30, 2023.
CDO student Elizabeth Cornett zips up Promise Davis-Campbell's coat on a chilly morning Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30, 2023.
High school student Lewis Calvin, right, uses a puppet to help Odin Ochsenfeld learn about friendship and playing together at the Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30, 2023.
High school student Kendall Buckley, right, works with preschool students Louis Emmons, left, Abraham Jimenez, standing and Promise Davis-Campbell in the Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30, 2023.
CDO students Jocelyn Pena, far left, and Brook Sandoval, far right, work on a coloring project with preschoolers Odin Ochsenfeld, left, Layla Keating, and Sophia Carson, standing, in the Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30, 2023.
CDO students Mackenzie Adams, left, and Sarai Molina, discuss ideas for a coloring project with a perplexed Maisy Carillo as Santana Arellano listens in at the Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Oro Valley on Jan. 30, 2023.
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