Early Childhood Education in Spanish

The WVC Early Childhood Education program is “a community-based program,” said ECE Director Hilary Martinez, one that is built around the population and their needs. Prior to 2023, ECE courses were taught in English, with Spanish language support through the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program . When the community said that they might prefer a program taught in their native language, ECE adapted.  

ECE staff used Responsive Pathways Funding, which is part of the Early Achievers grant, to create focus groups and distribute a survey to current, past, and potential students, and to Spanish-speaking early learning providers in the college’s service district. The results indicated that while the community appreciated the way the program was structured, they would prefer to learn in their native language so that they could grasp all the content.   

Hilary emphasized the importance of “taking a class in the language you think in and dream in, [and] then you learn the language so you can do your job.”   

ECE staff began offering courses in Spanish for the initial and short certificates, which are required for childcare home providers. In 2024, after the college received another grant for the ECE program, Hilary  collaborated with professors Sompheng Batch, Janna Goodyear, and Karen Alman to develop a state certificate program delivered fully in Spanish and to start work on the AAS degree, which was rolled out in 2025. As of the summer of 2026, most instruction is taught in Spanish—only 11 to 15 credits’ worth of courses continue to be taught in English. ECE staff are hoping to offer Spanish instruction for the entire AAS degree in the 2026-27 academic year.  

The ECE program has been striving to meet students where they’re at in many other ways as well. Most students in the program already have full-time jobs, so courses are offered in hybrid format, with online and limited in-person instruction. Students have a broad range of support throughout WVC, from the navigational support that they receive from Eden Cazares, the ECE navigator, to the bilingual staff working in several departments. Students who were seeking a specific certificate program often continue their education to complete their degree. “They want to keep going; they want to keep taking classes,” Eden said, adding that students are connecting with community in their classes.    

WVC’s ECE program is offered at both Wenatchee and Omak campuses, and at Nespelem, where tribal childcare providers and Head Start program staff complete the initial and short certificates that are required for those programs.  

The result is that WVC’s ECE program is widely popular, with students from outside of the college’s service area seeking to complete their certificate(s) or degree at WVC.