An Assistant Child Care Teaching (ACCT) class is being introduced to NHS, beginning in January of 2018.

In this class students will learn how to plan lessons for children, what is involved in licensing facilities, look into child development theories and what it takes to run a daycare.

Dr. Myra De Wet, current teacher of child, prenatal and infant development, psychology of human relations, culinary, and nutrition classes will be running the new ACCT class during fifth mod. She considers ACCT as a stepping stone to child care, giving students an insight on what to expect if they decide to work with children later in life.

According to Wisconsin State Requirements, students must be 18 or older with a high school education or certification to work with children. With this class, students can begin working with children at age 17 after receiving the certification.

To earn the ACCT certification from the Department of Public Instruction, students must attend class 85 percent of the time and receive a C grade or higher. With ACCT, students can acquire three credits for any University of Wisconsin toward a child education degree. Taking ACCT is free of charge and ultimately saves around $400. American Red Cross offers classes that range anywhere from $35 to $90. Taking ACCT at NHS will save money and students will not have to take the class later in college.

The only prerequisite for ACCT is child development, as it is important to be knowledgeable on how children grow and the developmental stages they go through. All a student has to do to sign up is go to the guidance office and talk to a counselor to get in the class.

Dr. De Wet compared ACCT with CNA, where students get a nursing certification. In this context, students get the initial certification of working with children and it helps students know if they really want to work with them. 

She added,“This is a foundation that will give you information as to if you work well with children and if it’s a career you see yourself doing long term.”

Overall, taking Assistant Child Care Teaching at NHS will help students that are interested in working with children get a look into that career field. They will learn skills to create safe environments, games for kids to play, and much more.