First-of-its-kind Santa Fe-funded apprenticeship creating ‘on-ramp’ to early child care careers
By Carina Julig cjulig@sfnewmexican.com
Jan 2, 2026
Etagu Wondimu first came to the Santa Fe Community College Kids Campus because she was looking for child care for her son.
Also interested in studying early childhood education, she learned she could do both at the community college through Aprende, an apprenticeship program that gives students hands-on experience in the classroom while working toward early childhood certificate and degree programs.
Wondimu, a native of Ethiopia who has lived in Santa Fe since 2013, is now a registered apprentice and teaching assistant at the Kids Campus, where her now-4-year-old son is a student.
Aprende inspired a passion in her for the early child care field, Wondimu said in a November interview, adding she believes the model should be “in every city in New Mexico.”
Funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars from the city of Santa Fe, the Aprende program is the first and so far only apprenticeship program in the state of New Mexico focused on early childhood education. The program has led to 31 new early child care educators in Santa Fe, according to recent data from the community college, and more than 800 children have been in a classroom with an Aprende apprentice.
The city awarded the community college $900,000 in ARPA money in 2022 for the apprenticeship program, which pairs traditional education with hands-on time in a child care facility under the guidance of a mentor. The allocation sunsets at the end of 2026.
After New Mexico’s first-in-the-nation launch of universal free early child care in 2025, officials with Aprende say the program is more important than ever as the state works to increase access to meet demand.
“The only way for us to expand more slots in child care is to have that workforce behind it,” Catron Allred, executive director of the community college’s Early Childhood Center of Excellence, told members of the Santa Fe City Council.
How it works
In a presentation to the City Council Quality of Life committee in October, Allred and Aprende Manager Krystel Sanchez noted that when people think of apprenticeships, their minds are more likely to go to plumbers or electricians than child care workers.
Designed as a workforce pipeline program, Aprende offers pre-apprenticeships for people without prior experience in the early childhood field and registered apprenticeships for those already working in the field interested in working toward an associates degree.
The pre-apprenticeship is an “on-ramp” to the registered apprentice program, Sanchez said. Both include hands-on time in a classroom, where students gain experience and are evaluated by trained professionals on dozens of skills.
Along with the Kids Campus, the community college partners with a number of local child care facilities to place apprentices, including Santa Fe Public Schools, Presbyterian Medical Services and the YMCA.
Allred said some partner providers have told her they were able to remain open only because of the apprentices because, unlike schools, few child care facilities have substitutes.
“Aprende is filling a lot of gaps in this sector that is sort of hanging on by its fingernails,” she said.
One of the program’s partner providers is Temple Beth Shalom Preschool, which has had two apprentices so far.
“I’ve become such a huge fan of the program,” said Director Amelia Byrne Gonzales, who now sits on Aprende’s advisory committee.
She said she hopes the city continues to fund Aprende— even increasing its support — once the ARPA funding expires to help meet the need fueled by universal child care.
“We want to grow the workforce, but we want to do it with quality, and that’s what I think Aprende brings,” Byrne Gonzales said. Somebody who completes the whole program “is going to come out feeling like they’re ready.”
Money, experience
Aprende participants who meet certain requirements are eligible for a scholarship through the state Early Childhood Education and Care Department that covers 100% of tuition and books for associate degree students. They also receive stipends from the community college based on the number of credit hours they are taking.
Wondimu said she used some of her stipend money to buy groceries and to help save money for a trip back to Ethiopia to visit her family: “It was helpful in many ways.”
Allred said many students have told the community college the stipend is what allowed them to participate in the degree program.
Allred said both employers and faculty have described the practical, on-the-ground experience Aprende provides as a significant strength for participants.
“It’s great you got your degree, but do you know what to do when somebody is biting?” she asked hypothetically.
Wondimu said the two parts of the program worked hand-in-hand for her.
“Everything I was learning in theory, I was practicing at the Kids Campus,” she said, adding things she learned in the classroom even helped her better understand the behavior of her own young children.
‘A thriving wage’
Learning more about the skills that go into early child education spurred Wondimu to advocate for higher pay in the profession. The state is also attempting to boost pay for workers through the universal child care rollout.
Allred said helping people understand they could make the equivalent of a public school teacher’s salary after receiving an early child care credential is a crucial part of attracting people to the field: “People need to know there’s a thriving wage at the end of this.”
Byrne Gonzales said she believes getting people to understand that child care isn’t just “glorified babysitting” is key to the success of universal child care.
“We’re supporting and nurturing the minds of young children, which will turn around and be the adults of tomorrow,” she said. “If we can really support them … I think we’re going to do great things for this state.”
Aprende is currently funded only by the city although, in the past, it also received money from a private foundation. During the October presentation, Allred said the community college is working to make the program financially sustainable. To that end, the college has had some conversations with Santa Fe County officials about the potential for its support, and it applied for federal funding through U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich’s office before the government shutdown wiped out the appropriation.
In a Friday email, Allred wrote the community college has applied for more money through a foundation and is in conversation with the state Early Childhood Education and Care Department about funding, “but nothing is definite yet.”
The city has not stated any plans for continued support past the ARPA expiration but both elected officials and staff appear interested in continued investment.
City Human Services Division Program Manager Sandra Emory wrote in a December statement the Aprende program “shows what happens when we invest in our own community.”
“By utilizing the City’s ARPA funds in this way, Santa Fe residents can begin meaningful careers in early childhood education while families gain access to the nurturing care every young child deserves,” she wrote.
Local support
Councilors expressed support for the program during the October presentation, including then-councilor and now Mayor Michael Garcia, who said his family was on a waiting list for two years for child care for their son.
Allred said an informal poll of Aprende’s partner providers found they had between 50 to 600 families on their waiting lists.
Garcia noted the city’s child care shortage can sometimes force parents to choose between work and taking care of their child: “It should not come down to that,” he said.
Councilor Jamie Cassutt, a parent who has advocated as a councilor for changes to the city code to reduce barriers for new child care centers, said access to child care is a critical part of workforce development.
While 31 new educators may not sound like a lot, she said that equates to more than 120 new child care slots in the city, based on student-teacher classroom ratios.
“That is a lot,” she said.