TC3 Partners with SUNY Cortland on $2 Million Teacher Preparation Grants

Tompkins Cortland Community College is part of a SUNY Cortland effort to address teacher shortages by creating alternative pathways for adults already working in schools to become certified teachers. SUNY Cortland recently was awarded nearly $2 million in Workforce Development awards announced by Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Office of Strategic Workforce Development.

The awards are designed to create two programs — the Alternative Teacher Certification Program and the Upskilling Paraprofessionals Program. Both are designed to support both those already working in classrooms and career changers.

“The Alternative Teacher Certification Program is a pathway to the teaching profession that may help reduce time and cost barriers for candidates interested in a teaching career,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “This program provides funding to expand existing alternative teacher certification programs or develop and implement new high-quality, research-based, graduate-level alternative teacher certification programs.”

The Upskilling Paraprofessionals Program is for those already working in schools as teaching assistants. These people are prime candidates to become teachers given their experience in the classroom and their strong ties to their respective communities.

Anyone with fewer than 64 credits will be advised to begin at TC3 before moving on to SUNY Cortland for upper level coursework. Throughout their experience, they will receive professional and academic support as well as full funding for their courses and certifications. To make the college courses accessible to working candidates, all program courses will be offered online or as HyFlex. 

“Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) is excited to build upon its already strong partnership with SUNY Cortland to ensure there are clear pathways for adults in our region to earn microcredentials and associate degrees at TC3, and then access bachelor’s programs at SUNY Cortland,” said TC3’s Director of CollegeNow Victoria Zeppelin.  “These grants provide an opportunity for educational and career advancement with full tuition support, an option for prior work/learning experiences to be converted to college credit, flexible course offerings and schedules, and built-in mentoring. We’re excited to see how this can make a real difference in the lives of so many.” 

The five-year grant will begin with a planning year, including the creation of a new B.S. in Educational Studies pathway. It’s anticipated that the first students will begin classes in the 2025-26 academic year.