Early Childhood & Youth Development major graduating this spring
Stasia McKinney, 24, an Early Childhood & Youth Development (ECYD) major at Dakota County Technical College, has been honored with the 2026 Dave Schroeder Outstanding Student Award. Stasia is graduating this May with an ECYD A.A.S. degree. She maintains a 4.0 GPA and excels as a student leader on campus.
“I am extremely grateful to have received this award,” she said, “and I am proud that my dedication and hard work is recognized and celebrated.”
DCTC Open House Fall 2024
Stasia is looking forward to applying her college education as a family childcare entrepreneur. After graduating, she plans on working with preschoolers while saving up to buy a house. Her goal is to open her own in-home, family childcare business—she has take a range of business courses at DCTC to increase her entrepreneurial knowledge.
She currently works as an assistant family childcare provider at Forever Friends Childcare in Prior Lake, a role she began in August 2021. She has completed two practicums, one at the Rise Early Learning Center in St. Louis Park and one at the Small Wonders Preschool in Lakeville. Stasia worked as an au pair in Canberra, Australia, from January to May 2023. She greatly values that transformational experience and would love to revisit to Australia in the future.
Disability In Action 2025: Student Experience Panel
Stasia credits her participation in TRIO/Student Support Services (SSS) with helping her advance her college career. “It has truly helped me immensely!!” she said. “I really struggled academically because I had not gotten the best support or given really any tools. Through TRIO/Student Support Services, I was not only given extra support in my educational journey, but I had people to hold me accountable to not give up! It also really helped while I was figuring out what methods of studying or organization worked or didn’t work for me because my advisors always had more ideas!”
An active and engaged student at DCTC, Stasia is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society Alpha Omicron Beta chapter. She serves as Rotaract Club director of event planning and Lego Club president. Her volunteer work at the college includes working at the TRIO/SSS table during open houses, providing peer support in the Center for Student Success and at the Study Table, and participating on student panels, including at a Disability in Action event. Her work with Rotaract Club includes volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and Loaves and Fishes as well as at the annual Chili Cook-Off.
When asked what advice she would you give students thinking about getting more involved in student clubs and activities, Stasia said, “I really encourage it! It is a really good opportunity for you to be a part of the campus community! I really liked that I had spaces where I could get to know others more and have familiar faces around campus!”
About the Dave Schroeder Outstanding Student Award
Dave Schroeder
Dave Schroeder
First DCTC president: 1970 – 1999When he took over as the first director of the Dakota County Area Vocational-Technical Institute in October of 1970, David L. Schroeder brought a philosophy for technical education focused on providing incoming students with effective pathways to rewarding, secure careers.
President Schroeder was taking the helm of a school whose main campus building wouldn’t be completed for three years. Classes ran all year and tuition was free. The first students attended class in rented space across an archipelago of buildings. Enrollment was three shy of 50.
Working three years straight with no time off, President Schroeder put in 60-hour weeks creating programs, hiring faculty and staff, buying equipment and coordinating everything on the fly. When the main building opened in Rosemount, Minnesota, in 1973, enrollment had reached 700 students in some 30 programs.
“We started with nothing and created programs that changed people’s lives.”
David L. Schroeder
Dakota County Technical College President
1970 – 1999
“By the time I finally took a vacation, I was totally wiped out. I went up north to our family cabin and sat in the woods for two weeks,” President Schroeder remembered with a smile. “But it was a fun time and everyone was up to the task.”
After two name changes, the tech institute, as it was nicknamed, became Dakota County Technical College in 1989. Six years later, when DCTC merged with other higher education institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, Dave Schroeder assumed the role of president of the college.
“From the very beginning, our mission was Education for Employment,” said President Schroeder, who retired in 1999 and passed away in 2011. “When I look back on my career, I feel the strongest about serving students and getting them jobs.
“We started with nothing and created programs that changed people’s lives. It was hard to leave, but after thirty years it was time. I loved the place.”
Dave Schroeder Outstanding Student Award nominations are based on the following criteria:
- College involvement and participation
- Academic performance
- Service to community
- Other considerations, including perseverance in the face of adversity or unique challenges
More about Stasia…
14th Annual DCTC Chili Cook-Off
Originally from Prior Lake, Minnesota, Stasia graduated from Mayer Lutheran High School, Class of 2020. Stasia’s mom, Rose, works as a dental hygienist, and her dad, Howard, is the frozen, dairy, and foods director at UNFI.
Ruby
“My brother, Greyson, is seventeen months younger and finishing up an accelerated nursing program this summer!” Stasia said. “We have an 11-year-old golden retriever named Ruby. She is the first dog we have gotten and she is the best addition to our family! I currently live at home with my parents while I save for a house, and I’m grateful to live here and spend more time with them! I enjoy scrapbooking with my mom and sitting and chatting with her! She is one of my favorite people to talk to! My dad and I go down to Mankato for hockey games frequently and have for the last six years. Go Mavs!”
When she’s not studying, Stasia enjoys reading romance books—she’s a sucker for happy love stories and occasionally self-reflection books. She also enjoys scrapbooking her memories, walking outdoors, spending time with her loved ones, skiing in the winter, and baking.
“I’m also a huge music buff and am almost always listening to music!” she said. “I really like discovering new music and sharing it with others! I also love going to concerts! Hozier last summer is my favorite concert so far! He is one of my top artists. I actually went to the concert alone in Fargo. It was such an amazing experience start to end! I even really liked the opener’s music going into it too, Gigi Perez. I would definitely go to a concert alone again!”
Stasia added that she really enjoys being outdoors and exploring new places in the summertime. “New restaurants, cafes, bookstores, anywhere new to see I’m up for it!” she said. “My favorite thing in the summer is the State Fair! I have been going every year since I was a kid, and even some years multiple times! I also really enjoy traveling; I’m open to all kinds of travel from a hiking road trip to exploring different countries and learning about different cultures!”
Stasia resides with her family in Prior Lake.
Stasia family, life, and college gallery
Stasia McKinney • Q & A
Stasia McKinney
What inspired you to enroll in the Early Childhood & Youth Development program at DCTC?
I have always loved and known I wanted to work with children, but never knew quite where my perfect fit was. After learning more about family childcare and working with a provider, I fell in love with it. The Early Childhood & Youth Development program would give me more education and knowledge of how to be the best provider and educator I can be for the children I will care for and teach!
What do you like best about the Early Childhood & Youth Development program?
I have really loved how much my knowledge about children and their development has grown throughout this program. I also appreciate how this program has challenged me through hands-on experiences and assignments such as completing observation-based assessments and a practicum, which is student teaching in a classroom applying the skills and knowledge learned.
Three words that describe you as a college student:
HARDWORKING. RESILIENT. DETERMINED.
What advice would you give students looking at attending a two-year technical college?
My advice would be that if you are unsure if a four-year school is the right fit right away for you attending a two-year technical college is a really great route to ease into college! College is not easy—it’s not meant to be, and at a two-year technical college, you have a smaller community and often have much more personal relations with instructors and support systems. I had the same two instructors for most all of my program and was able to build relationships with them and receive more individualized support.
What person has influenced your life the most and why?
My mom—she has truly supported me in life in ways that I will be eternally grateful for. She is always there for me to talk to or to vent. She has supported me as I have navigated life and college. She also did not take the traditional route of high school to college right away for four years and has always reminded me that all paths can look different for everyone and encouraged me throughout college.
If you could make one thing happen on Earth right now, what would it be?
That everyone would have access to their basic rights, such as a home, safety, food, and healthcare. Nobody should ever have to worry about those things.
One word that best describes your experience at DCTC:
SUPPORTED
Stasia McKinney • 12 Answers
- Favorite sport or physical activity: My favorite sport (to watch) is hockey or baseball
Place you would most like to visit: Europe, I know it’s vague, but I can’t choose just one country in Europe; I’d just love to see it all!- Most exciting thing you’ve ever done: Live in and travel around Australia for four and half months!
- Three things you would do if you won a $1 billion lottery: 1) Donate to many causes to help others 2) Travel to Europe and also revisit Australia 3) Buy a house to open my childcare (Yes, I would still do it just on a smaller scale–it’s my dream and passion!)
- Best book or movie you’ve read or seen lately: How to Train Your Dragon (2025); I already really like the How to Train Your Dragon movies, and I really enjoyed the live action! I went and saw it alone on a whim in the theaters!
- Time period you would explore if you could time travel: I think the Regency Era; I’ve been finding it really cool learning about the history around it
- One thing you most want to accomplish in life: Having a family of my own one day and to have the best adventures with them!
Your national bird if you were your own country: Peacock—they are absolutely beautiful birds! If you ever get the chance to see one with its tail ruffled, it is amazing!- Dream occupation: Early childhood educator! I feel very grateful that I’m in a career that I am passionate about and is my dream job!
- Person you would most like to meet: There are so many, but I’m going to go with Princess Diana; I know she is no longer with us, but she is definitely someone if I had the chance or ability to meet I would; she was such a gem, an inspiring humanitarian, and made such a difference in the way the world viewed many people
- Skill you would most like to learn and master: I’ve always wanted to learn American Sign Language
- Most important issue or problem facing humankind: Lack of empathy and love for one another; truly at the end of the day, we are all human and it often feels that we forget that and don’t empathize with one another enough
Gabriel Bermudez Ferreira Honored with 2026 Dave Schroeder Outstanding Student Award
Gabriel Bermudez Ferreira
Gabriel Bermudez Ferreira is an excellent student in the college’s Exercise Science Transfer Pathway A.S. degree program. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Gabriel demonstrates a strong commitment to academic excellence as he navigates the challenges of studying in a nonnative language while adapting to a new educational and cultural environment.
He currently holds a 3.74 GPA, an accomplishment made even more impressive considering he also works on campus and excels as a defender on the DCTC Blue Knights NJCAA soccer team.
Watch for Gabriel’s upcoming spotlight story on DCTC News…
Learn more about the Early Childhood & Youth Development program at DCTC by contacting:
Admissions
admissions@dctc.edu
651-423-8266
Room 2-110
Learn more about TRIO/Student Support Services at DCTC by contacting:
Xuong Tran
TRIO/Student Support Services Advisor
Dakota County Technical College
xuong.tran@dctc.edu
651-423-8289
Aria Kronebusch
TRIO/Student Support Services Advisor
Dakota County Technical College
aria.kronebusch@dctc.edu
651-423-8384
More about Early Childhood & Youth Development at DCTC…
Have a big heart?
Make a lasting difference in the lives of children. Prepare for a variety of roles such as a teacher, paraprofessional, center director, parenting coach, child life assistant, and much more. Enter the field right away after earning your associate degree or diploma or transfer to a four-year school to complete a bachelor’s degree program.
Take a hand, open a mind, change a life. It all starts in Early Childhood & Youth Development at DCTC.
Degree, diploma, and certificate options
Course delivery: Daytime and fully online; some courses require off campus field experience hours
Start: Fall semester or spring semester; full-time or part-time
Early Childhood & Youth Development Program Planning Guide (PDF)
Participation in any ECYD award program requires a clear Minnesota Criminal Background Study.
Students must earn a grade of ‘C-‘ or better for all required ECYD courses and ECYD technical electives.
Early Childhood Education Transfer Pathway A.S. degree
Credits: 60
Course delivery: On campus; 100% online
This A.S. degree program prepares you for transfer to an early childhood teacher licensure program. You will learn about child development, guidance, professional relationships, nutrition, health and safety, cultural sensitivity, and techniques for promoting learning in young children.
This program is available online and most courses are also available in the classroom. Courses meet Minnesota Department of Human Services educational requirements for teachers in a childcare setting.
Child and Family Studies A.S. degree
Credits: 60
Course delivery: On campus; 100% online
This A.S. degree program delivers a broad scope of knowledge and skills necessary for working with or on behalf of children and families in a variety of non-teaching career fields such as human service agencies and services, home visiting, coaching, early childhood management, and child life.
You learn about child development, guidance, professional relationships, nutrition, health and safety, cultural sensitivity, and techniques for supporting children and families in a variety of settings, including therapeutic sites.
This program is available online and most courses are also available in the classroom. This degree is designed for you if you are seeking to transfer to a four-year institution to obtain an advanced degree. Courses meet Minnesota Department of Human Services educational requirements for teachers in a childcare setting.
Early Childhood and Youth Development A.A.S. degree
Credits: 60
Course delivery: On campus; 100% online
This A.A.S. degree program prepares you for employment in a variety of early childhood and youth settings. Students learn about child development, guidance, professional relationships, nutrition, health and safety, cultural sensitivity, and techniques for promoting learning in young children.
This program is available online and most courses are also available in the classroom. Courses meet Minnesota Department of Human Services educational requirements for teachers in a child care setting.
Early Childhood and Youth Development diploma
Credits: 33
Course delivery: On campus; 100% online
This diploma program prepares you to work in a childcare center or preschool as a lead teacher or in a family childcare program.
Early Childhood and Youth Development certificate
Credits: 18
Course delivery: On campus; 100% online
This certificate program prepares you to work in a childcare center or preschool as a teacher or in a family childcare program.
Childcare Workers
Attend to children at schools, businesses, private households, and childcare institutions. Perform a variety of tasks, such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and overseeing play.
Reported job titles
- Caregiver
- Child care worker
- Child caregiver
- Childcare provider
- Childcare sorker
- Daycare teacher
- Daycare worker
- Infant teacher
- Toddler teacher
WAGES
Minnesota
Workers on average earn $33,610.
10% of workers earn $27,510 or less.
10% of workers earn $44,840 or more.
United States
Workers on average earn $32,050.
10% of workers earn $22,900 or less.
10% of workers earn $44,560 or more.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 wage data.
EMPLOYMENT TRENDS
Minnesota
Employment (2022): 16,520 employees
Projected employment (2032): 16,940 employees
Projected growth(2022–2032): 3%
Projected annual job openings (2022–2032): 2,810
United States
Employment (2024): 991,600 employees
Projected employment (2034): 962,400 employees
Projected growth (2024–2034): −3%
Projected annual job openings (2024–2034): 160,200
Minnesota source: Projections Central 2022–2032 long-term projections.
United States source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 employment projections.
“Projected growth” represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period. “Projected annual job openings” represent openings due to growth and replacement.
Visit O*NET OnLine for comprehensive information about the occupation: Childcare Workers
SOURCE: O*NET OnLine: Childcare Workers
More about TRIO/Student Support Services (SSS) at DCTC…
TRIO/SSS is a Federal TRIO educational opportunity outreach program. These programs support and motivate low-income, first-generation college students as well as students with disabilities to navigate academic environments from middle school to postgraduate programs. The goal of Federal TRIO programs is to increase the percentage of low-income and first-generation college students who successfully pursue postsecondary education opportunities.
Three key goals
- Help you do well in your courses
- Help you re-enroll each semester and graduate
- Help you transfer to a four-year college and earn your bachelor’s degree
Student Support Services (SSS) eligibility
To be eligible for Student Support Services, you must be one or more of the following:
- Students with limited income based on federal income guidelines
- First-generation college student with neither parent having a bachelor’s degree
- Student with a documented disability
Funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, SSS is an educational opportunity program that serves 160 students. Students in our program receive intensive one-on-one and small-group assistance designed to meet their specific needs.
LEARN MORE…
