EO Annual Report

Building the Future Workforce, One Internship at a Time

After graduating from high school, Isabella Stuart assumed she would have to settle for summer employment unrelated to her career goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. Instead, thanks to staff at her school, she connected with EO’s Ignite Internships, and she was able to spend her summer working as an Early Childhood Care and Education Intern at EO. EO’s Ignite Internships connects high school students 16 and older (including recent graduates) with local employers who partner with EO to offer paid opportunities. Each internship job is a minimum 82 hours of work with their given organization. Stuart shared that she has wanted to be a teacher ever since she was four years old. So, when a staff member at her high school told her about the available Ignite internships related to early childhood education, she was immediately interested “I’ve always had a passion for education, and I really wanted a job directed at the field I wanted to go into,” Stuart said. “I was interested in a stepping stone into what I want to continue doing.” During her time in EO’s Early Childhood Care and Education department, Stuart worked on a variety of projects, ranging from preparing materials for educator trainings, to helping with data and research, and even participating in professional development courses. However, Stuart maintained that her favorite experience was working hands on with elementary school students at EO’s Career Discovery Summer Camp. “As soon as I saw the kids again, I was like ‘this is what I’m meant for,’” Stuart said. “This internship showed me that my heart is with the kids and doing work in that setting.” Stuart is currently pursuing her degree online through UVA Wise while working full time as a one-on-one aide for a 4-year-old student at Abingdon Elementary in Washington County Public Schools. She credits her EO internship experience with helping her land the position and prepare for the classroom. “The reason they gave me this job is because of my experience at EO with Early Childhood Care and Education,” Stuart said. “It’s already benefitted me, and I know it will continue to benefit me.” Fostering interest in early childhood education is especially vital in Southwest Virginia. According to EO’s 2025 Childhood Lanscape Report, nearly half (46%) of childcare sites reported struggling to find and hire lead teachers, while 59% struggled to find additional staff, including assistant teachers. Dr. Susan Patrick, Senior Director of Early Childhood Care and Education at EO, served as Stuart’s mentor for her internship, and shared why she feels it is important to get involved with the program, both as an employer and as an employee of EO. “We want to encourage other employers to participate, so EO is leading by example,” Patrick said. “The importance

Students who complete internships are more likely to secure employment, earn higher wages, and remain in the community where they intern. of hosting an internship in Early Care and Education specifically is to highlight all the possible job pathways there are. Because we have various initiatives and partners, we are able to show broad opportunities in the education field, some that a high school student might not think of.” An internship is a valuable experience for students across industries, not only childcare. Not only does it allow students to gain experience in the field they are interested in, but it also allows some to discover early on if that industry is the right fit for them. For Stuart, it only strengthened her love for early childcare, but for students like EO’s Marketing and Communications Intern, Mia Jarvis, it helped clarify what she liked along with what she did not particularly enjoy. “I’ve learned what I want in a job, and what I don’t want in a job,” Jarvis said. “I’ve learned how to work with other people and was introduced to the workforce.” Lexie, an intern for CGI, echoed the same sentiment, saying, “I’ve found out what I wanted to do career wise because of this internship.” Nationwide research shows that internships are key in providing this career clarity for young adults. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s “Pathways to High Quality Jobs for Young Adults” says that internships and other work-based learning experiences that involve positive adult relationships affect a young adult’s job quality over a decade later. That’s why programs like EO’s Ignite Internships are vital. They not only strengthen the region’s workforce pipeline in areas facing the greatest need, but they give students a vital chance to build skills and explore career paths that they would not otherwise have access to. “I was interested in a stepping stone into what I want to continue doing.” -Isabella Stuart

ANNUAL REPORT

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