New Fund Pays Students to Take More College Courses in Early Childhood Education
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/ Categories: NEWS, 2022

New Fund Pays Students to Take More College Courses in Early Childhood Education

Program encourages students to graduate earlier and join the workforce.

BENNINGTON, VT—December 8, 2022— Students pursuing a certificate or degree in early childhood education can get paid to increase the number of college courses they take and graduate sooner. A partnership between the Community College of Vermont (CCV) and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) is leveraging funds secured by Vermont’s federal congressional delegation to pay students while they take college classes.

Many students pursuing a career in early childhood education, otherwise known as child care, are taking classes while working a full- or part-time job. The need for income to cover life expenses can hamper a student’s ability to take a full course load and extends the time until they get their certificate or degree. The new Early Childhood Education (ECE) Residency Program pays students $3,500 if the student reduces their work time and takes more classes.

“The residency program is an outstanding opportunity for students pursuing a degree or certificate in early childhood education at CCV,” said Leslie Johnson, associate academic dean at CCV. “Our students live rich and busy lives, balancing families, work, and careers in addition to the courses that they take at the College. The residency program funds provide a way to alleviate some of the competing demands faced by our students and will support them in accelerating progress toward becoming a professional in the field of early childhood education.”

The Early Childhood Education Residency Program is accepting applications for the spring semester at CCV. The student must be a Vermont resident, be enrolled in a CCV early childhood education certificate or degree program, have completed at least 2 courses at CCV (not exclusive to ECE classes), have completed all financial aid forms, and agree to increase their course enrollment. Students considering applying for the program should discuss the opportunity with their CCV advisor and financial aid counselor. Residency funds are designed to help pay for living expenses during the more intense academic semester.

Paying students to complete degrees more quickly in fields with critical workforce shortages could be a model for addressing the national labor shortage.

“There are community colleges across the nation with students balancing work and academics which slows progression to a degree,” said James Trimarchi, director of Planning at SVMC. “One or two semesters of payment for life expenses, while redirecting effort to academics would shorten the time to a degree considerably and could greatly increase the number of professionals in the labor force.”

The Residency Program has limited funds and is determining funding on a rolling basis. The final deadline for applications is December 15, 2022. The two-page application is simple and should take less than 20 minutes to complete. The program anticipates funding 8-10 residents. For more information and to obtain an application contact James Trimarchi at james.trimarchi@svhealthcare.org. Spring classes at CCV begin January 23, 2023. To learn more, visit www.ccv.edu.

About CCV:
CCV is Vermont’s second-largest college, serving nearly 10,000 students each year. With 12 locations and extensive online learning options, our students don’t have to travel far from their communities to access our degree and certificate programs, workforce, secondary and continuing education opportunities, and academic and veterans support services.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, healthcare system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index in 2020 and is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. The health system is fortunate to have the support of platinum-level corporate sponsor Mack, a leading supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts based in Arlington, VT.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

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COVID-19 Scams

Scams are almost as old as time. They always take advantage of our vulnerabilities and fears. So in times of mass panic, like has been caused by COVID-19, opportunities for scammers increase, said Southwestern Vermont Health Care's Information Technology Security Engineer Geoffrey Mazanec.

IT experts noted a 667 percent increase in malicious phishing e-mails as of the end of last month. Security firm Barracuda Networks identified 137 coronavirus-related phishing emails in January, 1,188 in February, and more than 9,000 in March. 

There are most likely several reasons for the increase.

  • First, many scams exploit our fears. As fear increases, so to opportunities for scammers. Many scams have been tweaked to include a reference to COVID-19, which may cause people to react more quickly and without thinking.
  • Scammers also exploit our desires to be good people—to pay our bills on time and follow directions—which could also be heightened during a crisis.
  • During COVID-19, everyone is conducting more business remotely. In the effort to keep all of our online activities straight, we may lose track of who is on the other end of the phone line or e-mail.
  • Mazanec notes that, with so many people out of work, scammers may have taken what had been a part-time swindling gig full time.

These startling statistics and our increased vulnerability make it a great time for a refresher about how scammers attack and how to avoid getting caught in a scheme.

Phishing. The most common way scammers operate is by phishing. They call or e-mail, usually posing to be a company or organization that you trust: the IRS, Medicare or Medicaid, or a company that you have done business with before. And they are crafty. They can even make it look as if they are calling from a business you recognize. They are counting on your thinking that they are the real thing.

"Lots of people, looking for protective equipment, for instance, are purchasing from companies that they have not dealt with in the past," Mazanec said. "Scammers want you to believe that you have purchased from them, when you have not."

They might send you an "invoice due" message with a .pdf attachment, or they might provide a link for you to click and log in. They want you to do one of two things: (1) Give up your personal information, either over the phone or by logging in to a fake sign-in page or (2) click on a .pdf or website that will infect your system.

So what can you do? Mazanec recommends not clicking. "If you don’t recognize it, don't open it. Instead, always question whether it is legitimate. And, no matter who it is, don't give anyone usernames or passwords."

Disconnect the call or delete the e-mail and call the company directly. If you don't have their number on hand, you can find it using a Google search. If you ask them whether they just called or e-mailed you, you will likely find that they have not. Congratulations. You’ve just avoided a scam.

Too good to be true. Some scammers are also selling fake products. For instance, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued warnings to seven companies selling fraudulent products that claim to test for, prevent, or treat COVID-19. Some even claimed to be approved by the FDA! Other companies are taking personal information in exchange for being added to a fake list for early access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

There is no valid at-home test for COVID-19 and no viable at-home treatments, unless you count rest and plenty of fluids for mild cases. Consult with your local healthcare provider before taking any testing or treatment action, as some can be harmful or even deadly.

To avoid scams like this one, read, watch, and listen to reputable news sources. If there is a legitimate at-home test, treatment, or vaccine, you will hear reports about it from your state's department of health and other official organizations.

More information about scams related to COVID-19 can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/media/phishing.html and https://www.ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams-consumer-advice.

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