Little Enterprisers: Career Development Program

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Little Enterprisers Career Development
Program

• Nancy McQuade
• Amy Ruggirello
• Lindsay Schwedack

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Mission Statement

• Little Enterprisers is committed to
  providing an early education for kindergarten
  students in the city of Trenton that will enhance
  each childs knowledge about career development

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The Need or Problem

• Diverse role models needed
• Lack of career education for children in low
  income areas
• Factors affecting inner city families (population
  85,403)
• TANIF (Welfare) - 93 of population or 3,706
  people
• Unemployment-
• 37,840 people in Trenton are employable
• 9.2 of them or 3,486 people are unemployed
• Need for multiple jobs
• Limited time with children

Sources Bureau of Labor Statistics
Department of Social Services
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Need for Career Program



Source 2000 Census

• In Trenton
• Highest high school drop out rate in NJ. In
  2004-2005 only 64 of students graduated from
  high school in Trenton
• Only 9.2 of the population has a Bachelor's
  degree or higher
• The median household income is only 31,074,
  which is significantly lower than the NJ median
  income of 55,146 
• 62.4 of people ages 25 graduated high school. 
• The median percentage for NJ high school
  graduates is 82.1

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Barriers

• Obtaining community support
• Securing parent and teacher involvement
• Retaining financial support

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Goals

• Make children aware of various types of jobs
• Emphasize that they can be whatever they want
  regardless of gender or ethnicity
• Initiate students thinking about their futures
  and careers
• Motivate students and get them excited about
  their futures
• For students to begin role-playing different
  occupations, which will not only broaden their
  imagination, but will help them to actually
  become a person in the workforce

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Population

• Demographics Kindergarten public school
  students in inner city Trenton, New Jersey
• Socioeconomic Status - Low Income (median
  31,074)
• Ethnicity 52African American, 32.6 Caucasian,
  21.5 Latino
• Multicultural Concerns cultural exposure may
  limit career expectancy
• Developmental Concerns gender specific roles
  develop
• Related Issues

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Population Comparison Source 2000 Census
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Population Comparison
Source 2000 Census
U.S. Population
NJ Population
Trenton Population
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Program

• Travel to areas of Trenton to inform kindergarten
  students about career opportunities
• Address the types of careers there are and assess
  what knowledge students have
• Address the controversy with gender roles in
  occupations
• Invite the children to bring in someone to
  describe their work experience
• Distribute a calendar explaining types of
  activities to be done throughout the week
• Work in large and small groups, engage the
  children in activities including class
  discussions

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Demonstration
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Weekly Calendar
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Theoretical Orientation

• Ann Roe - Needs Approach Theory
• John Holland - Typology Approach Theory
• Piaget Cognitive Development
• gtgtPre-operational Stage
• Egocentrism

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Evaluation

• Students will
• Name at least two career opportunities they have
  learned
• Name at least one career discovered not to be a
  gender specific job after all
• Demonstrate career learning process through
  drawings of themselves in their respective job
  choices
• Dress in costume as their respective career
  choice attire
• Demonstrate newly acquired knowledge in their
  role plays during child-initiated play

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Budget Proposal
(based on 10 month school year, 5 day program
17 schools)
TOTAL 22,525 (Cost per
student 13.25)
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Benefits of the Program

• Early education in career development
• Provides a positive outlook on employment
• Emphasizes importance of career planning
• Broadens views on gender role expectations
• Challenges students to evaluate what they want to
  be what interests them

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Resources

• Bureau of Labor Statistics http//www.bls.gov/
• Career Resource Library http//www.americascareer
  info.net
• Census Bureau (2000) http//www.census.gov/
• Department of Labor March 2005
  http//www.dol.gov/
• Department of Social Services March 2005
• http//www.unioncountynj.org/humansv/SOCSERV.
  HTM
• New Jersey Kids Count Snap Shot of Child
  Well-Being
• http//www.acnj.org/main.asp?uri1004sti143
  -29k
• Trenton Head Start Inc.
• Zunker, V. G. (2002). Career Counseling Applied
  Concepts of Life Planning (6th ed.). Canada
  Thompson Wadsworth.

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Questions

• Would you like to know more
• about Little Enterprisers?