Early Childhood Career Pathways

Early Childhood Career Pathways Grant Program

Bristol Community College offers fully funded half semester courses, supported by the Early Education and Care (EEC) Career Pathways grant, that help students meet the education requirements for Teacher or Director level EEC Professional Certifications.  

Throughout Fiscal Year 2027, The Career Pathways Grant Program will have limited space available for the following courses options: 

• ECE 110 – Early Childhood Growth and Development (Fall and Spring)
• ECE 291 – Child Care Administration* (Summer)
• ECE 292 – Supervision and Personnel Management in Early Childhood* (Fall)

These courses are fully online, with no set class times, meaning you can complete course work on your schedule, within assignment due dates. Assignment due dates will be posted within your online course space by your instructor. Half-semester courses are accelerated and condensed, with the full semester’s worth of work still being required. Please be sure to allow enough time in your schedule for successful course completion. Textbooks will be available through a loan option, for the duration of the course.  

*Please note, participants must have obtained Lead Teacher Certification through EEC and have worked at least 6 months in a Lead Teacher position before eligible for enrollment in the ECE 291 or ECE 292 courses. Proof of Lead Teacher certification will need to be sent to program coordinator before course registration.  

Take the Next Step

If you are interested in enrolling for either ECE 110 or ECE 292, during the Fall 2026 semester, please follow these steps: 

1. Complete the Fall 2026 Semester Intake Form.
2. Apply to Bristol as a non-degree, guest student.
3. Complete student requirements which Bristol will email you, after application submission. 
4. After receiving notification from Bristol that you can register for Fall courses, contact the Career Pathways Grant Coordinator at Heidi.Campbell@BristolCC.edu, with your Bristol Student ID (900#), confirming that you have been admitted and have completed all of Bristol’s admission requirements.   
5. Successfully registered students will receive an enrollment confirmation email containing additional course and textbook information (textbooks are provided those enrolled through a textbook loan program).  

It is important to complete these steps as soon as possible, due to the limited funding available. The grant funded courses are not listed on Bristol’s course search page. Instead, course enrollments will be requested by the grant coordinator, on a first-come first served basis, after receiving participant notifications that admission steps have been completed.  

Completing our grant funded ECE 110 course will also help to begin your pathway of completing one of Bristol’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Certificate or Degree programs, if you decide to matriculate fully into Bristol as an ECE major. The ECE certificate/degree options are not covered by the Career Pathways Grant, but there may be other funding sources available through financial aid and the ECE Scholarship.

For additional information about applying to Bristol, additional funding options and completing FAFSA, visit our Free College page.  

Matriculation Options

Bristol offers two different certificate options for Early Childhood Education, which combines coursework with field observations, aligning with EEC Certification(s)

• For those interested in obtaining Lead Teacher Certification, Bristol offers the Early Childhood Education Foundational Certificate (16-credits)
• For those interested in obtaining Director Certification, Bristol also has the Early Childhood Education Certificate (26-credits)

These certificate options easily stack into the Child Care Career degree program, which is MassTransfer eligible. Additionally, Bristol also offers the Licensure degree which is a transfer program for those aspiring to become public school educators for pre-K to grade 2 children.

If interested in enrolling in one of the Early Childhood Education programs, please follow these steps:

1. Choose your Early Childhood Education program of choice
2. Apply to Bristol Community College and select your program of study
3. Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for financial aid.
4. Complete the ECE Scholarship Application for additional funding opportunities.
5. Watch for emails sent from Bristol, outlining additional steps required, such as completing an online, self-paced orientation.

After matriculation, the process for registering for courses would be slightly different, compared to registering for courses funded by the Career Pathways Grant. ECE Majors are assigned an advisor who assists with the registration process and identifying remaining courses needed for your program.

For additional information or questions, please contact Heidi.Campbell@BristolCC.edu for the Career Pathways Grant program; or contact Bristol’s Admissions department at Admissions@BristolCC.edu for application details and requirements.