One Educator’s Journey From Child Care Provider to College Graduate

In 2021, we profiled Christy Bortolotto, a child care provider in West Roxbury. After 20 years as a licensed child care provider, she decided to pursue further education to advance her career, and Neighborhood Villages was there to help her achieve her goals with our’ Career Pathways for Early Educators (CPEE) program. This NV workforce support pilot helped early educators with navigation and wraparound services towards attaining cost-free pathway teacher credentials. 

A lot has happened since then and despite challenges brought on by the pandemic, Bortolotto thrived in her studies. Through this initial iteration of the program which launched in 2019, Neighborhood Villages provided her with resources and tools such as meals, transportation, and supplies that enabled her to focus on her education without worrying about any external pressures.

“Once I got into the classroom, I absolutely loved being a student. I went to Bunker Hill. I loved Bunker Hill. And then I applied to Boston College in June of 2020, was accepted, and started classes right away,” shared Bortolotto.

Bortolotto noted how the support she received from Neighborhood Villages impacted her experience. “It gave me confidence to apply to Boston College. It gave me confidence to be in a classroom learning with much younger students, because I'm in my 50s. It gave me a great education in child development. It also gave me a lot of self-confidence. It was absolutely a great experience. I loved it.”

Even with the adjustment from one educational setting to another, Bortolotto felt that her studies at Bunker Hill gave her the confidence she needed and the savvy to seek out resources like free tutoring services at Boston College to review her papers and prepare for assignments.

We are thrilled to share that Bortolotto transferred her college credits from Bunker Hill Community College to Boston College and graduated this year with a 3.9 GPA. 

Bortolotto’s journey from a family child care provider to a college graduate is a testament to the power of education and the importance of having support systems in place to achieve professional growth. She emphasized the importance of having a strong support network, especially in the early education field. 

“My advice to anybody that was going into early education or child care would be to make sure you have some type of adult support system, whether it's a network of providers in your neighborhood or professional development, like a group or cohort of people that you do professional development with or becoming friendly with your coworkers. This can be a very isolating job and so you need to have a very good, adult, support system.”

When asked what she’d tell others thinking of taking the leap, Bortolotto shared, “Everyone attending these programs should know that there are a lot of supports in place. The professors want you to be successful, so there’s no harm in getting out there and trying.”

We are proud to have played an important role in Bortolotto’s educational journey in supporting her to take the first steps, and to have helped to expand access to higher education for early educators in the Commonwealth. To learn more about how to access free college courses to begin or advance a career in early education, visit the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) website.

Neighborhood Villages’ has continued to invest in piloting innovative workforce development solutions for the early childhood education field. We now offer an Early Childhood Education Registered Apprenticeship Program in partnership with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development that provides hands-on training and mentorship opportunities for new educators, pairing them with experienced professionals to ensure they gain practical skills and confidence in their roles. Our apprenticeship program is another way we continue to support and empower early educators towards career advancement.

When we invest in our teachers, we support their professional growth and also enhance the quality of education for our children. Programs that offer these opportunities in an accessible way are essential in attracting and retaining dedicated professionals in the early education and child care field, providing the necessary infrastructure, tools, and support we need to empower educators to succeed. 

We are so proud of Bortolotto’s accomplishments and look forward to supporting many more early educators on their professional journeys. Together, we can build a stronger, more resilient child care workforce and ensure that every child has an opportunity to thrive.