Collegis Education Partners with Region VII Head Start Association to Help Head Start Employees Continue Their Education at an Affordable Cost

CHICAGO, Feb. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Collegis Education, a technology-based education services company, today announced a new education partnership with Region VII Head Start Association based in Lee's Summit, Mo. Region VII serves children who live in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri by promoting academic, social and emotional development from birth to age five. As part of the partnership, all Region VII Head Start employees will receive a 10 percent tuition discount at more than 20 top-ranked Collegis Education partner schools. The discount applies to both part-time and full-time students from the Associate's and Bachelor's level all the way to post-graduate.

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"At Collegis Education, we believe education is power, and our passion is to help others change lives through education," said Dr. Cecelia Westby, Collegis Education academic director – Early Childhood Education. "We know Head Start employees play a crucial role in helping develop the academic readiness and social and emotional development of nearly a million children across the country every year. We are excited about the opportunity to play a part in providing continuing education to those teaching our nation's children."

Currently, each Head Start classroom in center-based programs must have a teacher who has an Associate's or Bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a field related to early childhood education. And as of September 2013, at least 50 percent of Head Start teachers nationwide must also have a Bachelor's or advanced degree in early childhood education.

"We are excited to partner with Collegis Education and bring a much needed educational resource to Head Start/Early Head Start programs throughout Region VII," said Donna Veatch, executive director, Region VII Head Start Association. "Collegis' services will assist programs in meeting teacher qualification mandates and support Head Start education staff on their road to academic success. Our joint efforts will provide high level quality educational solutions across Region VII programs and communities."

Along with a tuition discount, Head Start employees will receive a number of other valuable benefits through Collegis Education partner school, Rasmussen College. Benefits include:

• Ability to transfer up to 67 percent of previously-earned credits that are required to earn a degree at Rasmussen College. That includes the Early Childhood Education Leadership Bachelor's Degree program, a non-licensure degree, which can be completed in as little as 18 months.
• Customized academic support services to help employees succeed in their courses.
• Access to in-demand Associate's and Bachelor's degree programs in seven professional schools, including Business, Technology, Design, Nursing, Health Sciences, Justice Studies and Education.

The education partnership also includes professional development and training opportunities for Region VII Head Start employees. Collegis Education will work with Head Start leadership to coordinate and provide specific training on topics such as human resources management, marketing, customer service and other business topics. Based on additional needs of Head Start employees, other opportunities and services may be identified and added to the partnership in the future.

The corporate education solutions team at Collegis Education is dedicated to helping companies and organizations equip their employees with the knowledge and skills they need to advance their careers, as well as grow the organization. To learn more about Collegis Education, visit www.CollegisEducation.com or follow Collegis Education on Twitter: @CollegisEdu.

To learn more about Region VII Head Start Association, visit http://www.r7hsa.com/.

ABOUT COLLEGIS EDUCATION:
Collegis Education is a technology-based services company that offers industry-leading education solutions for colleges and universities of every size in every sector. Using an analytical approach, Collegis Education empowers education institutions to make a broader impact by providing insights that improve student outcomes, optimize expenses and increase revenue. The leadership team at Collegis Education brings 40 years of experience integrating technology into the delivery of education. Currently, the infrastructures established by Collegis Education support more than 27,000 students through 32 college partners. For more information about Collegis Education, please visit www.CollegisEducation.com.

Contact: Molly Andersen
Phone: (952) 844-5647
Mobile: (903) 920-4366
Email: [email protected]

Contact: Donna Veatch
Phone: (816) 537-7801
Mobile: (816) 718-2260
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Collegis Education