PIECE Project

The PIECE Project is looking for passionate and caring pre-service and in-service early childhood teacher candidates who value children’s differences as assets to meet the urgent need of training and retaining quality inclusive educators in our community.

The PIECE Project provides inclusive early childhood pre-service and in-service teacher candidates with high-quality coursework, diverse field experiences, and one-on-one mentoring to prepare inclusive teachers who will create strong learning environments in which multilingual/multimodal learners and students with disability labels can thrive academically and socially.

PIECE Project candidates will be eligible to obtain licensure in Wisconsin for the following:

• Early Childhood Education
• Early Childhood Special Education
• K-12 English as a Second Language
• Add-on Bilingual Education (candidate must be proficient in Spanish or Hmong and English).

The Need for Inclusive Educators

English Learners comprise a tremendously diverse group of students in US public schools, representing 9.6% of the total student population. By 2025, 1 out of 4 students in classroom will be an English Learner.

Recent data show that the number of ELs continues to increase while several states, including Wisconsin, report a shortage of teachers qualified to serve ELs.

To ensure that all children can access and participate in high-quality learning experiences, inclusive early childhood educators incorporate the intersections of culture, language, and socioeconomic status that young children bring into preschool and elementary school programs.

Through its innovative model, The PIECE program will prepare the next generation of inclusive educators for the realities of our classrooms today.

Benefits for Students

• $10,000 in scholarship spread over 5 semesters.
• Job flexibility and marketability.
• Field placements in diverse early childhood classrooms.
• One-on-one mentoring, support and professional development through the first year of teaching.
• The opportunity to work with children and families who will impact and enrich your life.
• Develop specialized expertise for teaching all children.

Who Should Apply?

• Current Inclusive Early Childhood students who are currently enrolled in CURRINS 240/501.
• UWM students who are interested in becoming an inclusive early childhood education teacher.
• Certified Early Childhood teachers interested in adding an Early Childhood Special Education teacher license, K-12 English as a Second Language teaching license, and/or Bilingual teaching license.
• Certified Early Childhood Special Education teachers interested in adding a K-12 English as a Second Language teaching license, and/or a Bilingual teaching license.

Application Process

• Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students without an early childhood teaching license can apply to enroll in the Inclusive Early Childhood Education Program.
• Post-baccalaureate students with an early childhood license can contact uw-milwaukeepiece2022@uwm.edu for additional information.

Financial Assistance

Accepted students receive a tuition/stipend of $10,000 spread over five semesters.