A strong early childhood education (ECE) workforce begins with investing in the educators who care for and teach young children. Through its partnership with Harcum College, Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is helping make that investment possible by providing scholarships that remove financial barriers for working early childhood educators pursuing credentials and degrees.
For students like Cleo Colon '24 and Andrea Brown '27, the PHMC scholarship has transformed higher education from a financial challenge into a realistic pathway to career advancement and, ultimately, stronger early childhood programs and communities.
Cleo was already working full time in early childhood education and raising two children when she enrolled at Harcum. She wanted to continue her education but could not afford to take on significant student debt. With the PHMC scholarship and other financial aid, her out of pocket tuition expense became manageable.
"Support from PHMC and other financial aid encouraged me to keep going," Cleo says.
That support allowed Cleo to complete her associate degree in Early Childhood Education in 2024 while continuing to work and care for her family. Her education and experience opened doors professionally: she advanced from assistant teacher to lead teacher and ultimately to childcare center director at Comfort Zone Childcare in Northeast Philadelphia. Today, she uses the knowledge and leadership skills she gained through her education to support teachers and improve the quality of care for children and families.
Andrea's experience demonstrates another way the partnership is expanding access to the ECE profession. After postponing college to raise her family, Andrea returned to school at age 35 while working full time at Kidz Pic N' Play Childcare Center and raising five children. Her supervisor connected her with Harcum and the PHMC scholarship, which made it possible for her to pursue her degree without taking on the debt she had long associated with college.
Harcum's online evening classes gave Andrea the flexibility to balance school, work, and family. Her coursework is already strengthening her practice in the classroom, while her growing skills have led to additional administrative responsibilities at work. She hopes to become a childcare center director and eventually open her own center.
Stories like Cleo's and Andrea's demonstrate why the PHMC-Harcum partnership matters to the ECE workforce. Financial support helps working educators access higher education, persist through completion, and advance into positions of greater responsibility and leadership. Their growth, in turn, benefits the children and families they serve and creates opportunities to mentor and develop the next generation of educators.
By investing in ECE educators, PHMC and Harcum are investing in the future of early childhood education. The partnership helps remove barriers to higher education while strengthening the skills, confidence, and leadership capacity of the educators who support young children every day.
As one of three statewide Professional Development Organizations across Pennsylvania, we support the early childhood education (ECE) workforce in Philadelphia and surrounding counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery) while Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania operates the PASSHE PDO in the Central, Northeast, and Southwest regions of the state and Northwest Institute of Research (NWIR) in Northwest region.
In partnership with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, we support direct access for the ECE workforce to pursue career pathways that lead to degrees or credentials. By coordinating with Early Learning Resource Centers to improve the quality of ECE programs, we address the existing barriers to degree attainment. Participants can choose between online, face-to-face, and hybrid options.
Founded in 1915 as the first college in Pennsylvania to grant associate degrees, Harcum College is a private, residential college located on Philadelphia's historic Main Line. A leader in career-focused education, Harcum provides students with outstanding preparation in 20+ in-demand programs including Dental Hygiene, Early Childhood Education, Physical Therapist Assistant, and Veterinary Nursing. With a commitment to experiential learning and personalized support, Harcum empowers students to achieve their academic and professional goals. Courses are offered on-site at Harcum's Bryn Mawr campus and at regional partnership sites, as well as online.
Learn more about Harcum College
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