This study examines the bachelor’s degree program in early education for working people at Oranim College. People studying for this program must have at least four years of experience in working with preschoolers, ages birth to six. The bachelor's degree curriculum for early childhood educators is adapted to the needs of these people in terms of school days and hours, allowing them to continue working in the educational settings where they work. Conducted approximately seven years after the launch of this study program at Oranim College, the study includes the positions of graduates as well as current students in the program. To learn how the students and graduates perceive their identity, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 6 program graduates who are currently employed as kindergarten teachers, as well as with 8 students in various years of their degree. This study seeks to examine how the studies in this program influence on the personal and professional identity of the women who study in this program. The findings revealed that studying in the program affected these students on the personal, interpersonal, and professional levels and that these students have several identities, starting with their identity as educators whose studies shaped their educational approach and developed their self-efficacy, to their identity as mothers and as women who serve as an example to their children, and concluding with their identity as a first generation in higher education. Combined, these shed light on the multidimensional identity of female students who began their studies at an older age. This research emphasizes the impact of academic studies in early childhood education on teachers’ ability to provide a high-quality education for young children and on the advancement of women working in this profession.

Keywords: Teacher education, Professional development, Professional identity, Early childhood education.