Okeechobee's Emerging Educators

The Okeechobee County School Board has partnered with BloomBoard to offer select paraprofessionals the opportunity to earn a fully accredited Bachelor’s of Elementary Education degree through a flexible, on-the-job program—paid for by the district—called Emerging Educators!

Program Overview

Through the Emerging Educators program, practicing paraprofessionals will complete 20 skills-based courses (60 credit hours) while working in a classroom. This learn-by-doing program is designed for current associate level degree paraprofessionals with regular access to students. Participants will be required to create artifacts from their classroom practice and upload them to the BloomBoard platform for assessment. Participants will earn college credit for successful completion of courses, which can lead to a fully-accredited Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, and ultimately teacher licensure in Florida.

The program is accredited by Lake Erie College and can be completed in 2 years at no-cost for paraprofessionals working within Okeechobee County School District.

Schedule an Appointment to Learn More

Schedule an appointment with Okeechobee Human Resources to learn more about the program including elgibility requirements, application process, and program structure. This is your chance to get all your questions answered about the program.

Program Benefits

Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education

Salary Advancement

Work Teacher Hours & Days

Program Supports

Get personalized support and connect with your cohort through orientation, weekly sessions, 1:1 faculty guidance, and ongoing online discussions.

Orientation

Once you’ve completed enrollment, you’ll be invited to a kickoff orientation with your program facilitator and other educators in your cohort.

Support Sessions

During your first semester in the program, assigned faculty will lead weekly, synchronous support sessions. These are optional, but highly encouraged. They will be one hour and the time will be sent to you at the beginning of your first semester in the program.

1:1 Support

Faculty are available to provide you with personalized 1:1 support during the program.

Asynchronous Discussions

Throughout the program, you can also communicate with other educators in your cohort through the BloomBoard platform.

BloomBoard Overview

Learn more about BloomBoard’s on-the-job learning model and what teachers have to say about it.

What Educators Are Saying

Christine Jackson

The Bloomboard program helped me streamline resources. As teachers, we gained a plethora of knowledge to facilitate remote learning in a short amount of time. The program encourages us to look at students’ needs and use tools that meet their needs to be able to foster synchronous and asynchronous learning.

Christine Jackson

2nd grade teacher, Lincoln Elementary, IL

Learn more about the Emerging Educators U Program

Complete the form below or call 1-863-462-5000 ext. 1028