Early Childhood Education Internships

Internship and Independent Study Possibilities


LDOE Student Worker

Student workers who work as part of the LDOE Early Childhood Strategy Team will support the work of the Early Childhood Academics team. Examples of Early Childhood Academics’ projects that the student may be working on include, but are not limited to:

  • Assisting in the creation of professional learning content and supporting materials focused on
    • early childhood development,
    • early language and emergent literacy,
    • family engagement,
    • supporting young children with disabilities, and
    • curriculum implementation.
  • Supporting the creation and dissemination of Early Childhood communications, including
    • The Early Childhood Newsletter,
    • The Early Childhood Monthly Provider Webinar, and
    • The Community Network Lead Agency Office Hours Webinar.
  • Assisting with planning for the Early Childhood Conference

Minimum qualifications:

  • Comfortable in utilizing the entire Microsoft suite
  • Comfortable in utilizing Google suite
  • Synthesize data and research into presentations
  • Can read and understand policy, research, and other dense texts
  • Willing and interested in learning about education accountability policy
  • A belief that all students in Louisiana are capable of learning, growing, and achieving proficiency

Documentation Requirements:

  • Student application that is certified by the university’s registrar
  • Current Official Transcripts (must be received by HR directly from the university, via mail or email)
  • Work permit (for student under the age of 18)

Contact Amy Poirier at amy.poirier@la.gov or Trevor Paul at trevor.paul@la.gov


Board of Regents Graduate Student Researcher

The Board of Regents (BOR) requests applications from graduate students for the position of Graduate Student Researcher. The successful candidate will report directly to the Manager of Early Childhood Initiatives, who will provide guidance and supervision on all assigned tasks.

Responsibilities include:

  • Conducting background research on higher education policy matters, which could include higher education academic affairs topics from both national and regional perspectives, as well as best practices.
  • Summarizing research articles on policy matters and developing preliminary analyses and recommendations.
  • Coordinating, providing assistance, and taking meeting minutes for various meetings and special events/projects.
  • Attending stakeholder meetings along with the appropriate BOR staff.
  • Collaborating with BOR staff on reports.
  • Taking personal initiative to demonstrate new ideas, directions, and methods for improving higher education in Louisiana.
  • Performing other duties as assigned by the Manager of Early Childhood Initiatives.

Minimum qualifications:

  • A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university.
  • Current enrollment in a graduate program in higher education, public administration, or similar field.
  • Ability to communicate in a professional manner with internal and external audiences.
  • Problem-solving skills.
  • Experience with Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

Desired qualifications:

  • Proficiency in qualitative and quantitative research principles.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects with flexibility and adaptability.

Contact Michelle Demeulenaere at michelle.demeulenaere@laregents.edu


Community Collaboration Internship

The Pointe Coupee Early Childhood Coalition is seeking a motivated and dedicated student intern. This internship will provide the selected candidate with an opportunity to gain valuable experience in community engagement, research, and collaboration. Perfect for students in education with strong research and analytical skills,  an interest in early childhood health and wellness, and family engagement expertise.

Responsibilities:

  • Research successful community collaboration and governance efforts in the US.
    • Conduct a comprehensive review of literature and best practices on community collaboration and governance models.
    • Identify and analyze case studies of successful community collaborations in rural America
    • Develop a synthesis of key findings and recommendations for implementing effective community collaboration strategies.
  • Create a master contact list of needed partners for a successful Pointe Coupee Community Health and Wellness Collaborative
    • Identify potential community partners, including local organizations, government agencies, healthcare providers, and educational institutions.
    • Develop and maintain a comprehensive database of community partners, including their contact information, areas of expertise, and potential contributions to the Collaborative.
  • Write a summary of existing community collaborative efforts in Pointe Coupee Parish
    • Conduct a comprehensive mapping of existing community collaboration initiatives in Pointe Coupee Parish and neighboring areas, including  goals, activities, and outcomes of existing collaborative efforts.
    • Prepare a written summary of the current landscape of community collaboration in Pointe Coupee

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to executivedirector@pcearlystart.org


Knock Knock Children’s Museum

The early childhood internship at Knock Knock Children’s Museum is a part-time, unpaid experience. Knock Knock’s staff and Education Chair will work with your professors to help you earn college credit. Applicants must be enrolled in or have recently graduated from an institution of higher learning, have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and be at least 18 years old. Through this internship you can:

  • Gain valuable career-related experience
  • Contribute fresh ideas and energetic insights to your community
  • Learn non-profit management skills
  • Develop communication and workplace skills
  • Share your talents and meet new people
  • Earn college credit

Prior to the museum opening, the Early Childhood Intern will assist the Education Chair and Education Director (to be hired) in planning, prototyping, researching and designing educational programs appropriate for children birth to age 8. This intern will help develop educational resources, both in print and online, for educators and families to support children’s learning.  They will also assist in planning, designing, and implementing community outreach projects.  Once the museum opens, this intern will assist in assessing, prototyping, observing, and evaluating facilitated programs at the Museum. The information gathered will be used to ensure program objectives and educational goals are being met.

Interested students can contact the volunteer coordinator at Knock Knock for more information.


Internship Fund

Lagniappe Internship Fund

The Campus-Wide Lagniappe internship fund aims to reduce financial barriers LSU students may face when presented with out of state or unpaid internships. No student should pass up a career opportunity because of living expenses, travel or unpaid opportunities. For questions please contact Jesse Downs

CLASS Observers Fellows Program

Fellows will receive complimentary CLASS® training along with specialized support from Teachstone.


Louisiana Public Broadcasting – LPB Education

The early childhood internship at LPB Education is a part-time, unpaid experience. LPB Education staff and Education Director will work with your professors to help you earn college credit. Applicants must be enrolled in or have recently graduated from an institution of higher learning, have a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and be at least 18 years old.

Through this internship you can:

  • Gain valuable career-related experience
  • Contribute fresh ideas and energetic insights to your community
  • Learn early education content production of digital media
  • Learn the vast resources for early education teachers from PBS
  • Assist in family engagement activities
  • Develop communication and workplace skills
  • Share your talents and meet new people
  • Earn college credit 

The Early Childhood Intern will assist the Education Director and Education staff in planning, prototyping, researching, and designing educational programs and media appropriate for children ages 2 to age 8. This intern will assist in developing educational resources, both in print and online, for educators and families to support children’s learning.  They will also assist in planning, designing, and implementing community outreach projects, including summer camps at LPB for children ages 5-8 and/or family and community learning workshops with caregivers in our local area with our community partners.

Interested students can contact Nancy Tooraen (ntooraen@lpb.org), LPB Education Director, for more information.


Pointe Coupee Early Childhood Coalition

The primary responsibility of the data intern is to support administrators and schools to capture data, report it accurately, and use data to drive improvement. Data are essential for early childhood sites and administrators to maximize funding and ensure that the greatest number of children have access to early care and education. To that end the intern:

  • Utilizes LDOE funding source guidance and child count guidance to accurately count the number of children receiving public funding at each site in pointe coupee, including relevant demographic details
  • Creates a system for the distribution of resources to publicly funded sites in response to data
  • Keeps a digital log of counts of children by age, funding source, and demographics
  • Creates charts and graphs comparing prior year child count information with current data and analyses trends over time as it pertains to quality and cost  

Contact executivedirector@pcearlystart.org for more information