SUNY Potsdam Education Students Complete Early Childhood Paid Internship Program

SUNY Potsdam Students Tori Bubie '23 & Nicole Pelliccia '24 Complete Paid Internships at College's Childcare Center, Thanks to SUNY Grant

Potsdam, NY (05/12/2022) — Thanks to a grant from the SUNY Early Childhood Paid Internship Program, two SUNY Potsdam students are wrapping up an unforgettable internship experience at the College's Childcare Center.

Tori Bubie '23 of Poestenkill, N.Y., and Nicole Pelliccia '24 of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., are both majoring in early childhood/childhood education and are both in the Honors Program. They are also the first students to complete paid internships experiences at the SUNY Potsdam Childcare Center, thanks to a $26,761 grant from the State University of New York.

Bubie and Pelliccia spent the spring semester working 20 hours a week at the center, earning six upper-division credit hours toward their studies. They also worked with the Office of Student Research and Creativity to complete honors projects as part of their internship, presenting on their experiences at the Student Research and Learning Fair.

"This internship has been the single most influential experience I could and have had while working towards my degree and future career. Going into this internship, I was unsure of the age range I wanted to work with, though I had always gravitated towards Kindergarten through second grade as my focus," Bubie said. "However, working with infants has opened up my consideration to work with younger children in a daycare setting, and has allowed me to appreciate and fall in love with the work that infant and toddler teachers do every day. Through this internship, I was given the opportunity to observe and gradually take on responsibility at my own pace, and to learn how to function as a caregiver for infants and early toddlers."

Bubie earned her associate degree in early childhood development at Hudson Valley Community College before transferring to SUNY Potsdam. Beyond her studies, she is an active volunteer focused on outdoor recreational activities for youth ages 5 to 17, through the Boy Scouts of America.

Pelliccia has also worked in the infant and toddler classrooms at the SUNY Potsdam Childcare Center throughout the internship, developing skills in everything from diaper changes to comforting children and classroom management. She is the president of SUNY Potsdam's Teacher Education Student Association.

"I have loved working with the teachers and making connections with the children. I have gained a lot of experience that I think I wouldn't have if I didn't do this internship," Pelliccia said.

SUNY Potsdam and the College's Childcare Center were awarded $26,761 to support the paid internship experience, thanks to a grant through the SUNY Office of University Life and Student Affairs. They have already started searching for four interns for the Fall 2022 semester.

Dr. Sarah Solley, an assistant professor and chair of the Department of Elementary Education, serves as the faculty sponsor for the academic component of the internship. She guided the students through completing weekly readings on child development, as they reflect on their own experiences and make connections with observations in the classroom.

The SUNY Potsdam Childcare Center is a fully licensed, center-based childcare facility serving children of SUNY faculty, staff and students, as well as the community at large. The center's program is based on the philosophy that each child has unique, individual needs and developmental patterns. Experiences planned for the children promote the positive development of emotional, social, intellectual and physical/motor abilities. Curriculum planning focuses on each child's need to grow and enhances development of a positive self-image. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu/community/spccc.

The School of Education and Professional Studies at SUNY Potsdam has been preparing educators for more than 200 years. Today, that legacy of educational excellence also stretches to undergraduate and graduate programs in business administration, public health and human performance, to help students prepare for professions in the global economy. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/SOEPS.

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