Dr. Teressa Sumrall, associate professor, left, and Rhonda Russell, senior lecturer — both faculty in App State’s Reich College of Education — are leading the development and implementation of three Child Care Academies in Western North Carolina that are designed to help address significant child care staffing shortages in the region. Their work is supported by a $50,000 federal grant. Photo by Chase Reynolds
BOONE, N.C. — To help address significant child care staffing shortages, Appalachian State University is partnering with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to offer three Child Care Academies in Western North Carolina this spring and summer.
Dr. Teressa Sumrall, associate professor, and Rhonda Russell, senior lecturer — both faculty in App State’s Reich College of Education — received an approximately $50,000 grant to develop and implement the academies, which will offer streamlined, intensive child care training and certification at no cost to participants.
“In rural regions like the High Country and Catawba Valley, addressing the early childhood teacher shortage requires both immediate solutions and sustainable career pathways,” said Sumrall. “App State’s Child Care Academies offer accelerated training that opens doors to employment while laying the groundwork for continued learning and advancement in early care and education.”
NCDHHS announced in December that it is partnering with 16 institutions — 13 community colleges and three University of North Carolina System universities — to implement the statewide workforce initiative. The effort is funded by NCDHHS’ Division of Child Development and Early Education, using funds from a federal Preschool Development Grant.
“North Carolina’s early learning system depends on a strong, well-prepared workforce, and the Child Care Academies are designed to meet that need head on,” said Michael Leighs, NCDHHS deputy secretary for opportunity and well-being. “By providing free, high-quality training, we’re opening doors for new educators while supporting families and ensuring children across our state have access to safe and nurturing care.”
Each academy will deliver a comprehensive curriculum that meets or exceeds the state’s minimum training standards for new child care professionals, according to NCDHHS.
The training will cover CPR/first aid, health and safety, infant/toddler safe sleep and sudden infant death syndrome, playground safety, and recognizing and responding to suspicions of child maltreatment. Additionally, participants will receive an overview of the North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development and instruction on the Environment Rating Scales, as well as information about program standards for Pathways to the Stars, the state’s modernized Quality Rating and Improvement System, NCDHHS said. They will also receive certification and support in completing required NCDHHS criminal background checks.
“We are committed to helping lead this statewide effort to strengthen the early childhood workforce,” Russell said. “Every child deserves a caring and competent early educator, and every family deserves reliable child care. When the child care workforce thrives, children, families and communities flourish.”
App State alumna and Reich College of Education graduate Morgan Greene ’21 ’22 works with children at the Parkway School site as part of App State’s Lucy Brock Child Development Laboratory Program, which provides high-quality early learning experiences to local children and hands-on opportunities to future educators. App State is one of 16 higher education institutions partnering with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to offer Child Care Academies designed to help address significant child care staffing shortages. App State and NCDHHS will offer three academies in Western NC this spring and summer, with each offering intensive child care training and certification at no cost to participants. Photo by Marie Freeman
App State’s Child Care Academies will offer training in multiple formats across various counties to ensure statewide accessibility, incorporating both virtual and in-person learning opportunities. In addition, App State is partnering with regional institutions and organizations to support the academies with resources such as venues and free child care.
The Child Care Academies are established with the goals of expanding access to high-quality early learning programs, supporting workforce development and strengthening the economic infrastructure by enabling parents to remain in the workforce, NCDHHS said. The initiative aligns with recommendations from the NC Task Force on Child Care and Early Education.
David Jackson, president and CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce, said that access to child care is vitally important to the local workforce.
“The staff of our child care centers are the workforce behind the workforce, and we are appreciative of all who see projects like this as a positive investment,” he said. “This effort is another display of the community’s commitment to solving the workforce challenges for this critical industry.”
Providing high-quality, accelerated training
App State will offer three Child Care Academy opportunities this spring and summer, each three weeks in length. The academies will include two in-person meetings, as well as self-paced online modules.
Child Care Academy 1
March 20–21 (in-person); March 22–April 10 (online, self-paced)
Location: App State’s Boone campus
Partnering organizations: NC Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child Development and Early Education; the Children’s Council of Watauga County; Partnership of Ashe; Blue Ridge Energy Members Foundation, Kid Cove; Watauga County; and the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce
Child Care Academy 2
May 1–2 (in-person); May 3–June 5 (online, self-paced)
Location: The campus of Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton
Partnering organizations: To be determined
Child Care Academy 3
June 19–20 (in-person); June 20–July 10 (online, self-paced)
Location: The campus of Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory
Partnering organizations: To be determined
To learn more and register for one of the academies, complete the online interest form.
What do you think?
Share your feedback on this story.
About the Department of Child Development, Literacy and Special Education
The Department of Child Development, Literacy and Special Education, housed in App State's Reich College of Education, offers innovative baccalaureate and graduate degree programs that focus on all facets of child development, reading, writing and language arts, as well as specific areas of special education. These programs provide coursework and field experiences in a variety of settings and can lead to licensure. Learn more at https://clse.appstate.edu.
About the Reich College of Education
Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
![The Search for Vertical Grasslands [alumni featured]](/_images/_posts/2026/03/vertical-grasslands-600x400.jpg)
![How NCInnovation Is Rethinking Economic Development in North Carolina [faculty featured]](/_images/_posts/2026/02/rethinking-economic-development-600x400.jpg)
