The York County initiative supports early childhood educators and strengthens classrooms through mentorship and college courses.
Crystal had planned to pursue a career in the medical field. But while in school, she took a job at an early childhood learning center and quickly fell in love with it. Inspired by her coworkers and the impact she could have on children’s lives, she switched her focus to pursuing a career in early childhood education. She began working at York Day Early Learning.
A mother of a young son, Crystal never was able to piece together the time and resources to complete the education necessary to take the next step in her career. Then in the summer of 2024, York Day Executive Director Sara Bradley called Crystal into her office.
The Every Child Has Opportunities initiative, or ECHO, was looking for candidates for a teacher aide training program. She would take in-person classes with a Harrisburg Area Community College professor and receive college credits to earn a Child Development Associate credential. All during the workday while earning an income. She also would be involved in one-on-one mentorship with an early childhood educator, receive a monthly stipend, and engage in extended monthly Community of Practice sessions with her teacher aide cohort.
Was she interested?
“I was like, absolutely,” Crystal says. “I was amazed at the fact that this was a real thing.”
New opportunities for aspiring educators
The ECHO Teacher Aide Program, a York County-based initiative, offers aspiring early childhood educators a pathway to professional growth. The participating program, York Day Early Learning, placed Crystal in a preschool classroom with Dana, an early childhood teacher with over three decades of experience.
Crystal’s involvement with the program not only has expanded her educational opportunities but deepened her connection to her work. She’s able to discuss and implement what she’s learning with Dana’s oversight.
“We encourage and support our team members continuing their education and advancing their careers,” Sara says. “We had two team members who expressed interest in education, and this opportunity made it possible for them to start in a new career path as teacher aides.”
One of Dana’s longtime professional goals has been to advise up-and-coming teachers. When she learned about the ECHO mentorship opportunity, she was all in. Through ECHO training sessions, video calls, breakout sessions, and a monthly stipend, Dana has benefited from being a mentor. She also has enjoyed sharing her experience and expertise with an aspiring teacher.
“One of the things we do is lesson planning. So, we all work together on a lesson plan to come up with activities,” Dana says. “I always tell her if there’s anything else she needs or wants, she can certainly ask me, and we can try and find a solution.”
Strengthening a career field
For Crystal, this hands-on mentorship has solidified her desire to grow in the early childhood education field, whether as a teacher, administrator, or supporting role.
“With Dana, if I want to try something, she will always encourage me to. She gives me many opportunities to try out different things in the room, to grow, to see how it feels, to understand what that looks like,” Crystal says.
The program has provided early childhood learning centers with much-needed support in the midst of a systemwide staffing crisis. In York Day’s classrooms, Sara has seen a decrease in undesirable behavior among children because the ECHO Teacher Aide Program has improved the teacher-to-student ratio.
While the state requires early childhood classrooms to have one adult for every 10 students, York Day has been able to implement a 1-to-5 ratio through this program.
“The Teacher Aide Program is one of those vehicles we’re going to use to be able to bring in highly qualified teachers to maintain that standard,” Sara says.
The impact of Dana and Crystal’s mentor/mentee relationship on York Day is just one component of ECHO’s broader mission to double the number of children receiving early childhood education in York County.
In August 2024, ECHO launched the Teacher Aide Program with 18 teacher aides and paired mentor teachers from seven early childhood education programs, including York Day, to connect children and aspiring teachers to opportunity, support, and education.
Every Child Has Opportunities is an early childhood education initiative in York County, Pennsylvania, led by Community Connections for Children and the York County Economic Alliance. Funding partners include WellSpan Health, the J. William Warehime Foundation, the Powder Mill Foundation, United Way of York County, the Kinsley Foundation, and the York County Community Foundation.

