Career navigation made easy

by Ché Walker, Career Navigator

My name is Ché Walker (it is a hard “ch”; say “chay”) and I am the Career Navigator for Denver’s Early Childhood Council! I have a BFA from University of Colorado at Denver and an AA from Metro State University. I am also an Elementary and Early Childhood licensed teacher.

I have worked in Early Education for more than 25 years as a child care assistant, site coordinator, and director for extended care programs in Denver Public Schools. I have also led day camps. The bulk of my career has been as a teacher of 4- and 5-year-olds, but I have also worked with 3-year-olds. I spent the last 8 years teaching kindergarteners and first graders. I have worked in both private and public schools including private pay, DPP, CPP, and Head Start-funded programs. I believe very strongly in quality, equity, and inclusion for our ALL of our young learners and ALL their teachers!

I am currently focused on early childhood workforce retention and recruitment, made possible by a grant from Early Milestones Colorado that involves collaboration among three early childhood councils – Denver’s Early Childhood Council, Joint Initiatives (El Paso County,) and ECPAC (Adams County).

During the planning stage of this grant there were several workforce surveys done. Interestingly, what we learned from the surveys was that even more than better pay and benefits, the early childhood workforce needs TIME – time to find resources, time to work on PDIS accounts, and time to find scholarships and classes to keep their credentials up to date. So, as the position of Career Navigator was developed, the idea of making more time for teachers really was given consideration.

A large part of my job is to do the research and legwork for you so that you and your staff can get to the heart of your work more quickly.

Here are examples of what I have done and what I can help with:

I have shared the steps for entering external professional development credits, how to enter formal education, how directors can access staff accounts, how to search for Level 2 classes and meeting teachers via video chat to go over their PDIS accounts. I have enjoyed discovering teachers are already Level 2 and do not need further professional development or are already Level 3 teacher and director qualified!

I ensure account information is ready for reviews. I have researched Montessori programs and training options for a hopeful educator, helped teachers set goals for getting ECT, director, coach, and trainer qualified, and have put teachers in touch with DPP classes and scholarships, CCD classes, and COSI and T.E.A.C.H. scholarships. I have investigated how to add ECE endorsements to existing licenses and found Pyramid Plus Approach and EQIT classes to fit child care schedules. I help teachers set goals and plan for getting higher level credentials, achieve AA and BA degrees, make sure PDIS credentials are in good shape, and more!

I can also help individuals find community resources such as transportation, free food sources, make mental health referrals, aid with SNAP account set-up, budgeting, and how to deal with prior debt.

The easiest way for you or your teachers to contact me is through this link:

https://denverearlychildhood.org/for-educators/

Put in your name, your need(s), and the best times to get in touch and I will contact you! Easy peasy! You can email me directly as well.