Minimum Education Requirements
Child care licensing regulations require members of the DC early childhood workforce to meet minimum education requirements based on their position. Effective Dec. 20, 2023, a teacher can meet the education requirement by meeting any one of the following:
- Associate degree (or higher) in early childhood education (ESE) or a closely related field; OR
- Completion of at least 60 credit hours or an associate degree (or higher) in any subject area with at least 12 credit hours in ECE; OR
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NOTE: Credit hours can only be earned by completing college credit hours through an accredited college or university. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) also considers holding a valid Child Development Associate (CDA) credential as satisfying the requirement for 12 hours of college credit in ECE. To obtain a CDA credential, a CDA candidate is required to complete 120 clock hours of coursework and successfully complete 480 hours of work experience, a professional portfolio, a passing score on the CDA exam, and a verification visit from a professional development specialist. Completing only CDA coursework does not qualify an early educator as meeting requirements for 12 hours of college credit in ECE.
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- Enrollment in a degree program provided that the teacher holds a CDA and earns an associate degree (or higher) within four years of their initial date of hire as a teacher at a child development center licensed by the OSSE.
More information on the regulations that outline the education requirement for teachers 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 Associate Degree Program |
Program Point of Contact |
|---|---|---|
| University of the District of Columbia-Community College | Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education |
Professor Ayanna C. Kelley |
| Trinity Washington University | Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education |
Monee Bentley
|
| Howard Community College | Early Childhood Development - A.A.S. Degree |
(443) 518-1620
[email protected] |
| Montgomery College | Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.) in Early Childhood Education |
|
| Prince George’s Community College | Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Early Childhood Education |
Dr. Ashanti Bryant-Foster
Associate Dean, Professional Studies and Community Education Division (301) 546-PGCC (7422) – Ext. 60445 [email protected] |
| NOVA Community College-Alexandria Campus | Associate of Applied Sciences (A.A.S.) in Early Childhood Education | |
| Rasmussen University |
Mackenzie McFadden |
|
| University of the Potomac |
Marcia Holmes |
The following is a list of CDA programs available in the Washington, DC area. This list is neither exhaustive nor an indication of endorsement by OSSE.
| Organization | Information on CDA Program | Program Point of Contact |
| University of the District of Columbia-Community College | Workforce Development Program | Crystal Randall Pathway Director (202) 276-6769 [email protected] |
| Southeast Children’s Fund | CDA Training and Preparation Program | Kamila Johnson CDA Program Manager (202) 561-5500 (202) 406-0422 [email protected] |
| CentroNía | CDA Training and Preparation Program | Alfredo Monterrey Bilingual CDA Coordinator (202) 332-4200 Ext. 1142 (202) 332-4200 Ext. 1021 (202) 948-6851 [email protected] |
| Briya Public Charter School and Mary’s Center | CDA Program | Mau Castro-Trujillo CDA Program Manager (202) 420-7034 [email protected] |
| American University | CDA Program | Gabrielle Harris Assistant Director, CDA Program of Studies (202) 885-8830 [email protected] |
Resources Available
|
Program |
Information |
Program Point of Contact |
|---|---|---|
| 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 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. |
DC Futures Team |
| Mayor’s Scholars Undergraduate Program | The DC 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 an academic pathway across institutions and wrap-around supports that help students navigate, graduate and enter careers in early learning. |
Gabrielle Harris Michael Rowe |
| Higher Education Incentive (HEI) Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Scholarship | The HEI TAP scholarship is designed to support teachers and assistant teachers who work at least 25 hours a week at child development facility licensed by OSSE or public or public charter school providing care and education to infants, toddlers, preschoolers and students up to third grade in the DC. The HEI TAP scholarship supports participants to complete coursework at UDC. | Rosa Moraes Program Coordinator, HEI-TAP (202) 274-6970 [email protected] |