Document Type

Article

Domestic/International

Domestic

Location

Amherst, Massachusetts 01002

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

The Career Action Program with Connecticut College is a one-of-a-kind program designed to help students delve into their interests, helping them to find and experience a diverse amount of programs, internships, or courses fit to their liking. This past summer, with the help of the Hale Center’s Career Action Program, I was able to have the opportunity to work as a substitute teacher/intern at Amherst Community Childcare, a branch of childcare under the HeadStart and Headstart Early Learning Programs within Community Action Pioneer Valley. I worked with Amherst Community Childcare, gaining more than 80 hours of experience, from June until late August. I went into this opportunity at the beginning of the summer looking to observe and analyze children with cognitive disabilities and to see how different factors affected children. While I was able to observe this in great amounts, I discovered that I was interested more in the relationships between an organization such as Community Action Pioneer Valley, a child, and their family. This summer experience exposed me to the field of social work, and I have found that I am now interested more in the relationships and support given to children and their families. I gained a new sense of responsibility, patience, and compassion, and a new perspective on the challenges that some families face in today's society. My internship taught me about the importance of relationships within a community and how care for one another turns into a unified strength.

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The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.