Zanesville Teacher Gives Her Students Tools to Succeed

September 26, 2019

Published by CounciLINK on September 26, 2019


Zanesville Teacher Gives Her Students Tools to SucceedWhat does it take to be a leader? Experience and education. The drive to make a difference also matters. Katie Lucas shows she has all three attributes as an early childhood instructor at Mid-East Career and Technology Centers in Zanesville, OH.

In the course of 22 years as an early childhood educator, Lucas has found the time to earn a master’s degree and certification to become a school principal. Her long-term goal is to be a leader in a career and technical education program, and she recently showed her ability to guide others when she participated in a leadership group with the Tools for Schools program. Afterward, she trained her colleagues in the program and spearheaded several events, including the distribution of donated backpacks filled with school supplies for children who needed them.

The event was a big success. So is her school’s onsite preschool program, which has received a five-star rating from the Ohio Department of Education. The program enrolls 50 children each year, has five staff members who Lucas supervises on a daily basis, and gives 32 high school students — both juniors and seniors — a chance to start gaining the 480 hours of experience they need to earn a Child Development Associate (CDA®) Credential before graduation.

“I have made the CDA® process a large part of my program,” Lucas said. “This year I have eight students who will receive the CDA®, and my goal for the coming year is for all of my 18 seniors to earn the credential.” The CDA®, as Lucas knows, is one of the leading tools to train five-star educators who can make a difference in children’s lives.

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