When Andrea Urrea steps into a classroom, she sees more than a room full of young learners. She sees potential waiting to be encouraged, confidence waiting to grow, and children who deserve every opportunity to become who they are meant to be. Her passion for empowering children to reach their full potential now guides the way she teaches each day, but Andrea may not have had the opportunity to pursue that calling without Fuller Center and the pathway created through its Apprenticeship Program.
Andrea’s journey as a teacher at Fuller Center began with a chance to learn by doing. Since launching in 2023, Fuller Center’s Apprenticeship Program has helped aspiring early childhood educators to enter the field through hands-on classroom experience, professional mentorship, and workforce training. For participants like Andrea, the program is more than a steppingstone into a career; it is an invitation to grow alongside experienced teachers while supporting the children and families Fuller Center serves.
Inside Fuller Center classrooms, apprentices learn what it means to meet children where they are. They see firsthand how experienced educators recognize each child’s strengths, respond to individual needs, and create environments where play, language, and connection become part of learning. At the same time, Fuller Center helps remove barriers that might otherwise stand in the way by offering no-cost college or credentialing coursework and, for eligible participants, family support services such as subsidized childcare and afterschool programming.
For Andrea, the experience helped shape not only her professional skills, but also her confidence. As a former apprentice, she credits mentorship and classroom training with helping her understand that early childhood education is deeply personal. Every child enters the classroom with different needs, interests, and ways of learning, and Andrea learned how to create space for each child to feel seen, supported, and ready to grow.
One lesson stayed with her: children often learn best when they are given the freedom to play with purpose. Today, Andrea designs learning centers that encourage children to explore, make choices, interact with one another, and practice communicating their needs with others. In those everyday classroom moments, children build social, emotional, and language skills that become the foundation for future success.
That opportunity continues to be strengthened by partners who believe in opening doors for future educators. Supported by partners such as FAA, the Gary Peters Family Foundation, and the Jim Moran Foundation, Fuller Center’s Apprenticeship Program can expand its reach and make room for more apprentices to follow a similar path.
Andrea’s path reflects the broader purpose of Fuller Center’s Apprenticeship Program: to invest in people who feel called to work with children and give them the training, support, and encouragement needed to succeed. By preparing aspiring educators, the program helps build classrooms where children are surrounded by adults who understand their needs, believe in their potential, and are equipped to help them thrive.
“The apprenticeship program helped me understand that every child learns differently. It gave me the tools to identify what each child needs and create opportunities for them to learn and grow in ways that work best for them,” said Andrea Urrea.
In just a few short years, the program has shown impressive results. For 2025-26, 25 apprentices have taken part, with 100 percent either working toward or completing their 45-hour childcare credential. Its comprehensive approach also recognizes that success in the classroom often depends on support beyond the workplace. As a result, 68 percent of apprentices have received added services through Fuller Center, helping remove barriers so they can continue pursuing their educational and career goals.
The program’s impact is also multi-generational. More than one-third of participating apprentices, 36 percent, have children enrolled in Fuller Center programs themselves. For these families, opportunity moves in more than one direction: parents advance their careers while their children benefit from high-quality educational experiences.
2025/2026 Program Highlights
25 apprentices trained through Fuller Center’s Apprenticeship Program
100% worked toward or completed their 45-hour childcare credential
68% received added support services from Fuller Center
36% had children enrolled in Fuller Center programs
Now, Andrea encourages others with the same passion for children to consider the Apprenticeship Program. She knows firsthand how access to the right training, mentorship, and support can transform a dream into a career. More importantly, she knows that when educators are empowered, the children in their classrooms benefit too.
As Fuller Center continues to embrace, educate, and empower children and families, Andrea’s story shows what is possible when workforce development and early childhood education work hand in hand. Through the Apprenticeship Program, Fuller Center is building more than careers; it is creating opportunities that can ripple through classrooms, families, and the wider community for years to come.
For more information on the apprenticeship program, visit https://www.fullercenterfl.org/apprenticeship-program/ or watch the video below featuring Andrea Urrea.
