MILWAUKEE, WI, UNITED STATES, October 16, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Literacy Lab is excited to announce a new partnership with Milwaukee Area Technical College that empowers young men of color to advance their education and careers in early childhood education.

This innovative collaboration, funded by the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, allows alumni of The Literacy Lab’s Leading Men Fellowship who are pursuing a certificate in preschool education to receive up to nine college credits for their year of service as a Fellow, along with comprehensive support including tuition assistance, technology resources, mentoring, and more.

“By joining forces with MATC, we’re not just supporting our Fellows; we’re actively working to diversify the teaching workforce,” said Bernard Rahming, midwest regional director of The Literacy Lab’s Leading Men Fellowship. “This partnership will provide our Fellows with valuable educational opportunities and resources, making a profound difference in the lives of countless students thanks to young men who are answering the call to become classroom teachers.”

The Leading Men Fellowship empowers and equips young men of color, ages 18-24, with opportunities in the field of education by serving as paid pre-K literacy tutors to help close the literacy gap in underserved and marginalized communities.

Through this collaboration, alumni of the Leading Men Fellowship will be eligible for:

- Up to nine college credits for their year of service as literacy tutors.
- Tuition support to ease the financial burden of obtaining their preschool certificate.
- Technology support, including laptops, to facilitate their studies.
- Mentoring programs designed to guide and encourage their professional growth.

The partnership agreement comes at a critical time when the need for diversity in the teaching profession has never been more apparent, particularly for students of color.

Data shows the high school dropout rate is reduced by 40 percent when an economically disadvantaged Black boy has at least one Black teacher in elementary school. Add 99 percent of all educators in Milwaukee are female. However, less than 2% of all teachers in the country are men of color.

Additionally, Black students who had just one Black teacher by third grade were 13% more likely to enroll in college.

Unfortunately, many young men of color face barriers that deter them from pursuing careers in education. Partnerships, including the one The Literacy Lab has forged with MATC, can help Black and Brown men better navigate those obstacles.

“We are excited to partner with The Literacy Lab to help shape the next generation of educators,” said Dr. Toshiba Adams, Faculty and Instructional Chair, Child Development at Milwaukee Area Technical College. “Together, we are fostering an inclusive environment that promotes educational equity and opens doors for young men of color to thrive in their careers.”

Jaylen Scott, of Milwaukee, is one of the first men to take advantage of the new partnership.

“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do coming out of high school,” said Scott, a former member of the Leading Men Fellowship in Milwaukee who is currently pursuing a preschool education certificate at MATC. “I have relatives and friends who have gone to college and I always hear them talk about all the debt they have because of student loans. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t in that same boat when I was in college. So when an opportunity like this partnership came along, it made me more eager to pursue a career in education.”

For more information about The Literacy Lab’s Leading Men Fellowship, visit theliteracylab.org/leading-men or email lmf@theliteracylab.org.

Additional information about Milwaukee Area Technical College can be found online at matc.edu.



About The Literacy Lab
The Literacy Lab is a national non-profit organization that provides students – in communities experiencing racial and/or economic inequities – with evidence-based, culturally responsive literacy instruction as preparation for academic, professional, and personal success. The Literacy Lab partners with school districts to help achieve attainment gains by embedding full-time, rigorously trained tutors in early childhood centers and elementary schools.

About Milwaukee Area Technical College
Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

About Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA)
WECA is a leading state non-profit organization, founded in 1971, that supports and advocates for the early childhood workforce and early care and education in Wisconsin. It is the state affiliate of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). A statewide organization with local reach, WECA administers and leads several key programs for child care providers and programs.

Lernard Freeman
The Literacy Lab
+1 908-271-8554
email us here

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