It's Never Too Late for an Education

Nora Hernandez hadn’t seen the inside of a classroom for more than a decade, but that wasn’t an obstacle to learning—especially with her daughter as a study partner. 

That’s what motivated the mother and daughter team of Nora and Samantha Hernandez to head back to college to earn their Basic Early Childhood Educator Technical Diploma.

Samantha, a local child care provider, was looking to uplevel her skills. 

Nora, a highly skilled educator at Watertown Family Connections, who earned her master’s degree in education in her homeland of Mexico, was eager for the opportunity. “I want to support my community, but I also want to support my daughter.”

An innovative partnership of Madison College Watertown and Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation, aimed at addressing the local child care shortage, was the opportunity Nora and Samantha needed. 

Samantha learned to excel as an educator and create strong, positive relationships with her students and their parents. 

“I can see how I’ve really grown and made progress with the early childhood educator diploma classes,” Samantha says. “It made me return to my foundations of not just being a teacher but providing a stepping stone for kids to succeed.” 

Nora’s goals were to connect with Samantha, the community, and Madison College. “Even with my education and experience, my brain never stops learning,” Nora says.
 

“My goals were to motivate my daughter to learn, to find better connections with my community, and to serve my clients better. It’s never too late to pursue education.” 

– Nora Hernandez, Watertown student