New arrival gets a college boost
State program helps teacher advance career
When June Nuchjaree Persons moved from Thailand to Lowell in 2018 after marrying her husband, she knew she wanted to advance her career as a teacher in Massachusetts.
Balancing personal responsibilities as a wife, mother, and volunteer at her local church proved a trying task. But through the Massachusetts Early Education and Care (or EEC) Career Pathways Grant at Middlesex Community College, Persons has the resources and flexibility to accelerate her career in education through free academic courses and services.
“I feel happy because Middlesex gave me the opportunity to study for free,” said Persons, 45. “They have very good staff ... they support me very much.”
Middlesex Community College, along with 14 other schools across the state, has received funding for the EEC Career Pathways Grant from the state’s Department of Early Education and Care since 2019, said Nancy Pynchon, the director of the grant at Middlesex. Eligible students at Middlesex can use the grant to pursue an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree, as well as a certificate in Early Childhood Education, according to Middlesex’s website. Last year, more than 400 students were eligible, Pynchon said.
By offering classes online, Persons said Middlesex has given her the flexibility to study on a schedule that accommodates her personal commitments. As a result of the grant, the college also offers resources to students who aren’t fluent in English at no cost. Although Persons often has to translate textbook and lecture materials from English to Thai, she said she still manages to excel in her classes while improving her skills in English.
“It’s not easy for me because in my country we don’t learn English like a second language,” Persons said. “But Middlesex has a program to tutor foreign students who don’t use English.”
Pynchon said the grant gives students the monetary incentives and academic support to work in childcare programs at a time when that sector in Massachusetts, according to the Department of Education’s website, is facing a severe workforce shortage. The grant covers costs of college tuition, course materials, fees, and tutoring services, Pynchon said.
“The grant gives [students] room for promotion and room for professional growth,” Pynchon said. “And hopefully it gives them some more earnings in their paycheck.”
That’s exactly what happened to Persons at her job watching nine toddlers in a nursery at Christ Church United, UCC in Lowell. After applying her previous knowledge as a teacher in Thailand and taking classes in child growth development and infant and toddler care at Middlesex, Persons said she learned how to better care for the needs of young children. As a result, Persons said her director at work “raised [her] rate.”
“My own experiences with young children in the past and now are coming together for me professionally,” Persons said.
By the end of the year, Persons said she will have completed four classes at Middlesex at no cost thanks to the grant. She will be certified as a lead teacher in Massachusetts as a result of her year-long studies.
“The future is stable for me,” Persons said.