Expanded Home Caregiver

Minimum Education Requirements

Expanded home caregivers in expanded child development homes licensed by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) are required to have an associate degree in early childhood education (or early childhood development, child and family studies or a closely related field) or an associate degree in any subject area with at least 24 semester credit hours in early childhood by Dec. 2, 2023. An expanded home caregiver with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education meets the minimum education requirements.

See the bottom of this page for a planning guide template to help plan your pathway. More information on the regulations that outline the education requirement for expanded home caregivers can be found here.

Programs

The following is a list of associate degree programs, including on-campus, online and/or hybrid degree programs and resources available in the Washington, DC area. This list is neither exhaustive nor an indication of endorsement by OSSE.

College/University	Information on AA in EC	Program Point of Contact
University of the District of Columbia-Community College	Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education	Professor Scott King Director, Division of Education (202) 274-6981 [email protected]
Trinity Washington University	Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education	Monee Bentley Enrollment Recruiter (202) 884-9411 [email protected]
Howard Community College	Early Childhood Development - A.A.S. degree	[email protected] Phone: (443) 518-1620
Montgomery College	Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.) in Early Childhood Education	Dr. Sonia Pruneda-Hernandez Collegewide Senior Director/Chair, Early Childhood Education Programs (240) 467-4168 [email protected]
Prince George’s Community College	Early Childhood Education A.A.S.	Dr. Ashanti Bryant Foster, NBCT Department Chair – Education (301) 546-PGCC (7422) – Ext. 60445 [email protected]
NOVA Community College—Alexandria Campus	Associate in Applied Science degree in Early Childhood Development	Christine Pegorraro Schull, Ph.D. Professor and Assistant Dean (703) 845-6224 [email protected]
Rasmussen University	Associate degree in Early Childhood Education (online)	Mackenzie McFadden Sr. National Account Manager, Workforce Solutions (320) 761-4625 [email protected]
University of Potomac	Associate degree in Early Childhood Education (online)	Marcia Holmes Office of Admissions (202) 274-2335 Ext. 6135 [email protected]

Resources Available

Program	Information	Program Point of Contact
Higher Education Incentive Fund	Students that have applied to UDC or Trinity Washington University can receive a full scholarship toward their degree by contacting the university directly.	Professor Scott King Director, Division of Education (202) 274-6981 [email protected]
DC Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG)	DCTAG is a student-level grant program that provides grants of up to $10,000 toward the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public colleges and universities to eligible DC residents.	Kenneth McGhee DC TAG Director (202) 481-3946 [email protected]
DC Futures Program	The DC Futures Program helps DC college students complete their first associate or bachelor’s degree by providing a last-dollar scholarship (tuition, fees and cost of attendance) at three local universities in addition to college coaching and support services that will address personal and financial barriers to completion for all participants.	[email protected] (202) 727-2824
Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program	The Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program provides need-based funding for eligible DC residents earning their first associate or bachelor’s degree at select area colleges and universities.	Melanie Fleming Program Analyst (202) 741-6406 [email protected]
DC Leading Educators toward Advanced Degrees (DC LEAD) Program	The DC LEAD program provides scholarships and incentives to child care educators in the District of Columbia to complete coursework toward an associate and/or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.	Emmett Irby Program Manager, DC LEAD (202) 561-5500 [email protected]
Advancing Early Education Collaborative	The Advancing Early Education Collaborative (AEEC) is an initiative between the American University School of Education, Trinity Washington University, LIFT-DC and Martha’s Table. The partnership provides Black and Latinx women who live or work in wards 7 or 8 with a academic pathway across institutions and wrap-around supports that help students navigate, graduate and enter careers in early learning.	Gabrielle Harris Assistant Director, CDA Program of Studies American University (202) 885-8830 [email protected] Michael Rowe Director, Early Childhood Education Trinity Washington University (202) 884-9643 [email protected]