Six CareerPoint Graduates Earn Early Childhood Education Credentials
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
Operation Fresh Start (OFS) recently celebrated six graduates of its CareerPoint Early Childhood Education cohort, a six-week training program that helps young adults build the skills, experience, and confidence needed to enter the childcare field. The cohort is part of OFS’s paid CareerPoint program for young adults ages 18 to 24, combining career readiness, industry-specific instruction, and ongoing support as participants take meaningful steps toward employment.
Training, Credentials, and Real-World Experience
Participants completed professional development training while receiving specialized instruction for entry-level roles in childcare. With guidance from CareerPoint Coordinator Nicole Knox and 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care's Early Childhood Specialist Briana Kurlinkus, they earned certifications in CPR/First Aid and AED, Mandated Reporter, Safe Sleep Ambassador, Stop the Bleed Abusive Head Trauma, and Introduction to the Child Care Profession.
Nicole highlighted what participants gained through the cohort:
“You have each taken important steps in your journey, building skills, confidence, and a deeper understanding of yourselves and the careers you are preparing to enter.”
The cohort also included exposure to child development and caregiving practices, along with paid hands-on experience in an early learning environment through Reach Dane.
Briana said the graduates left her with real confidence in their future in the field:
“These six are going to do amazing things, and I can definitely say that I would trust them with my own child.”
The Impact
The graduation also made clear what helped these six young adults reach the finish line. Speakers reflected on how participants began the program as strangers and left with stronger relationships, mutual trust, and a deeper sense of belonging. Graduates spoke honestly about balancing family responsibilities, uncertainty, and other challenges outside the classroom while continuing to show up and do the work.
For Ana, that persistence made the accomplishment especially meaningful.
“I feel like this is something I needed because I have a problem finishing things,” she said. “So me actually doing it and getting this done was a real life-changing experience for me.”
Those stories grounded the ceremony in something larger than a certificate. Eddie spoke about perseverance and the importance of continuing forward even when the path ahead is unclear, sharing a Duke Ellington quote that has stayed with him:
“There are two rules to life. Rule number one, never quit. Rule number two, always remember rule number one.”
Miriam, meanwhile, pointed to the family support that made her completion possible.
“My sister Jazmin (past CareerPoint participant) had to wake up early in the morning to take care of my son while she had to work overnight,” she said. “I really appreciate her because without her I wouldn’t make it here.”
Together, their words showed that the cohort offered both practical training and the structure to keep moving forward.
Powered by Partnership
The cohort reflects what is possible when community partners invest in young adults and in a workforce need that affects families across Dane County. OFS offers the CareerPoint Early Childhood Education program through collaboration with Reach Dane, 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care, and the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin.
Together, these partners help create a direct pathway into the childcare field by combining professional training, industry expertise, work-based experience, and wraparound support.
That sense of growth and self-belief came through again in the ceremony’s closing remarks. OFS Deputy Director of Empowerment & Strategic Initiatives, Jasmine Banks, reminded graduates that their achievement began with a choice.
“Of all the places you could be in this moment, you all chose OFS,” she said. “But more importantly, you chose yourselves.”
Completing this cohort meant building tangible skills, earning industry-recognized credentials, gaining real exposure to the field, and taking a meaningful step toward careers that support children and families. It is also a clear example of how investment in young adults creates both immediate and long-term impact. These six graduates left with new knowledge, recognized credentials, and a clearer path into early childhood education—exactly the kind of opportunity CareerPoint is designed to provide.
