Delaware County Community College Professor Honored with Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children 2023 Voice for Children Award
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA - April 4, 2023) — Jean C. Allison, Ph.D., associate professor of Early Childhood Education, Delaware County Community College, was recently named as a Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children 2023 VOICE for Children Award Honoree. She was recognized at a special award celebration on Friday, March 31 in Hershey, PA hosted by the organization, whose mission is to be an effective voice for high-quality early childhood care and education in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Allison has devoted more than 30 years to the field of education and has been instrumental in the development of the registered Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship program in Delaware and Chester Counties, which gives access to higher education opportunities and on the job skill development for the early learning workforce. In addition, Dr. Allison is currently working to help address workforce shortages and advance the qualifications of the existing Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce by supporting the early childhood community through the Learn and Earn Career Pathway Program, in partnership with First Up.
"Dr. Allison is known statewide for her work establishing and replicating the ECE apprenticeship program in Delaware and Chester Counties. We know apprenticeships are a proven model to help early educators reach degree completion and earn higher wages, ultimately benefiting our youngest children. She has dedicated her career to children and families and the early educators that serve them and truly embodies what the Voice for Children Award is all about," said Jen DeBell, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association for the Education of Young Children.
Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Early Childhood Education associate degree program at Delaware County Community College develops the knowledge, skills and abilities of students interested in teaching or working in related careers with children from birth through the fourth grade and provides a strong theoretical foundation in the principles of child growth and development from the prenatal through primary years.
A member of the Delaware County Community College faculty since 2006, Dr. Allison began her career as a preschool teacher. She has worked for The Preschool Project to improve the quality of care and education being delivered to young children at child care centers in Philadelphia, and at the Early Childhood Collaborative in North Philadelphia, where she was involved with the Keystone STARS system, providing professional development and technical assistance for programs in the Southeast Pennsylvania region. During her career she has served on state committees and in professional organizations to support and advocate for training and education for the early care and education workforce.
Dr. Allison received her doctorate in Education Psychology from Temple University.
Photo caption: Dr. Jean C. Allison of Delaware County Community College.
