How one Philly high school is building a pipeline of teachers

For a time, Mikai’l Grant wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life.

Then he took advantage of an opportunity at Parkway West that allowed him to get hands-on experience in an early childhood education center.

He’ll soon earn his child development associate certification — a professional credential — and this week will sign on to become a full-fledged employee at KenCrest West Philadelphia Early Learning Center. He’ll also enroll at Community College of Philadelphia with 12 credits already under his belt.

He’s 18 now, a Parkway West graduate with a career plan, and intentions of becoming a teacher in an industry that needs new blood, particularly Black men like Grant.

“I’ve always been good with kids, but I never really wanted to become a teacher, but being here was motivation for me,” said Grant, who spent three full days a week this school year at KenCrest, which offers pre-K and before- and after-school care, playing with toddlers, planning activities, and helping teachers. “I always came in with a smile to see my kids.”

Parkway West is the only Philadelphia School District school to have a career and technical education program in early childhood education.

That Grant and two other Parkway West students are completing their required hands-on hours, headed to college, and fully on the path to becoming educators, is a cause for celebration to the school’s staff. The Philadelphia public school has offered early childhood classes for several years but had struggled to find a partner to get students the field experience necessary to graduate with industry credentials.

When Principal Will Brown took over from Kathleen McCladdie, Parkway West’s longtime leader who retired a year ago, one of his first goals was to nail down a place for students to gain meaningful experience.

“I said, ‘If this program is going to work, we need to get our students in front of students,’” Brown said. The students could only learn so much in classes that taught theory and gave them fake babies to care for.

The hands-on aspect was imperative. Jonathan Jacobs, a career awareness specialist with the district’s office of career and technical education, used to walk into Parkway West classrooms and ask who wanted to be a teacher.

“Nobody would raise their hands,” said Jacobs. “We were losing kids because they weren’t going into the field. Now, we have people asking, ‘How do we become teachers?’ We’re creating our future educators.”

Inside KenCrest West’s Star room, it was Hawa’s 4th birthday. Miyon Jones sat next to the little girl, talking to her as she shaped green Play-Doh into a flat disc.

“It’s a cake!” Jones, 18, said.

“No, it’s a green cookie,” Hawa said, laughing with her whole body as Jones playfully reached for her creation and pretended to take a bite of it.

Jones often watched reruns of the TV show Living Single growing up, and he was inspired by the character of Maxine, a lawyer. He thought that would be his career, too.

But when Jones got to Parkway West and learned about the option to have meaningful credentials paid for — background checks, fingerprinting, child-abuse clearances, industry exams — he reevaluated his plans.

“Coming here and having the hands-on experience, it became this blooming, opening of opportunities,” said Jones. “I didn’t think I was good with kids, but I have this patience and understanding I never would have known.”

Jones graduated from Parkway West in June, and he’s also signing on to work at KenCrest while he takes early childhood courses at CCP. So is his classmate Shytina Jones, who wants to use early childhood education as a backup while she studies music production.

Josie Jones, KenCrest West’s director, has been delighted by the work ethic of the Parkway West students. (Neither Miyon, Shytina nor Josie Jones are related.)

“These young people didn’t mind putting out trash, serving food, wiping tables, making sure children washed their hands,” said Josie Jones. “They didn’t turn away, and they didn’t get paid for any of it.”

As it was for most childcare centers, the pandemic was tough for KenCrest West — parent demand remained high, but the center had significant staff shortages, Josie Jones said. Parkway West students were crucial sets of hands.

Thirty-five Parkway seniors worked at KenCrest three days a week this year, taking classes in a room the facility set aside for them; among that group, Grant, Shytina Jones, and Miyon Jones will continue their journeys working for KenCrest.

“We are so invested in these young people,” said Josie Jones, whose staff mentored the Parkway West students, including them in lesson planning and other classroom events. “They are our replacements.”

Yenda Hall, the Parkway West educator who taught Grant, Shytina Jones, and Mayon Jones, said the students gained much from the experience — respect for the work educators do, patience, and strong helpings of joy in the relationships they built with children. And building a pipeline also matters.

“We’re short educators all over,” Hall said. “I’m so excited to see what they’re going to do, and how this affects us even at Parkway.”