Building the Next Generation of Early Educators

By mid-morning, the forest classroom is already in motion. A group of children moves between trees and play areas, collecting leaves and sticks, pausing to look closer at something they’ve found.

Thomas crouches beside one of them, helping her spot a tiny spider making a web in a sapling.

A few months ago, he was working at a fast food restaurant. Now, just after graduating from Druid Hills High School, Thomas is spending his days here.

“I really love the nature-based curriculum,” he said. “It’s great to be outside, surrounded by a forest, helping the kids explore and learn about nature. I never expected that.”

This spring, Frazer Center partnered with the DeKalb County School District’s Work-Based Learning Program to bring four students into assistant teacher roles. The program is part of a broader effort to rethink how early childhood educators enter the field.

That effort matters right now.

Early childhood education centers across the country are still struggling to hire and keep staff. The pandemic made those gaps more visible, but it didn’t create them. Low pay, high turnover, and a shrinking pipeline of new educators continue to affect classrooms today.

Frazer’s approach starts earlier.

A Different Entry Point into the Field

“We wanted to build relationships with students who might be interested in early childhood education,” said Sonya Hughey, Frazer Center’s Director of Human Resources. “This gives them real experience while they’re still figuring out what they want to do.”

The partnership began with outreach to local schools, including Druid Hills High School and Decatur High School. Frazer also participated in a district career expo earlier this year, introducing students to the work happening inside its classrooms.

From there, four students joined the team. They were hired as assistant teachers, working flexible schedules that fit around their school day.

Thomas came to the program looking for something different.

He had already been working part-time but wanted experience that felt more meaningful and more connected to what he might want to do next. He’s considering studying education in college and saw this as a way to test that path in a real setting.

He had some experience working with children through Sunday school. Still, he said the transition into Frazer’s classrooms has been different.

Learning What Inclusion Looks Like in Practice

Before stepping into the classroom, each high school student goes through training with Frazer’s Inclusion Team. That includes both hands-on guidance and a deeper introduction to the organization’s approach to inclusion.

“We talk about what inclusion actually means,” said Hannah Etchison, Inclusion Coordinator. “There’s a history to this work. Classrooms weren’t always integrated. We want them to understand that and to feel confident using language that respects people with disabilities.”

For Thomas, that training filled in gaps he didn’t realize were there.

In the classroom, he’s learning how to support children with various needs, how to step in without interrupting a teacher’s flow, and how to adjust in the moment when something doesn’t go as planned.

The high school students rotate between classrooms, which gives them exposure to different teaching styles and age groups. They aren’t responsible for formal documentation or left alone with children, but they are active participants in the classroom.

Over time, they build the kinds of skills that aren’t easy to teach in a lecture: communication, teamwork, time management, and problem solving.

For Thomas, much of that learning happens in small moments, like helping a child stay engaged in an activity or figuring out when to step in and when to give space.

More Than a Short-Term Program

For Frazer, the goal isn’t just to fill a few roles.

This is part of a longer-term workforce strategy that looks at how people enter the field in the first place.

“We’re thinking about the pipeline,” Sonya said. “High school is one place to start, but we also want to build relationships with colleges and universities.”

That work is already underway. Frazer has begun reaching out to institutions like Clayton State University and Spelman College to explore internship opportunities and longer-term partnerships.

The idea is to create multiple entry points into early childhood education: high school placements, college internships, and eventually full-time roles for people who want to build a career in the field.

What It Looks Like So Far

The early results have been encouraging.

“The high school students exceeded our expectations when we rolled out this program,” Sonya said. “They have truly been an asset to Frazer Center. We look forward to continuing and expanding these partnerships.”

That work was recognized recently when Frazer Center was honored at the DeKalb County School District’s CTAE Partner and Work-Based Learning Employer Appreciation Event.

Students in the program aren’t required to stay on after graduation. Many head to college or move on to other jobs.

Thomas decided to keep working at Frazer, at least for now.

He’s still figuring out what comes next, but he’s doing it in a place where the work feels real and where he’s already part of the classroom.

Each day, he leaves with a better understanding of what it means to work in early education, and what it looks like when inclusion and belonging are part of the daily routine.