No. A person who has an AA, BA or advanced degree that includes student teaching in a college placement setting with infants, toddlers or preschoolers does not need additional experience in working with children to be qualified as a Head Start teacher. His/her college placement has been supervised and found to be of acceptable quality and this meets the requirements for "experience."
2. What types of courses count toward the six courses in early childhood education and/or child development and qualify a degree as a "related degree?"
A degree other than in early childhood education or child development requires six appropriate courses. These courses include child development or early childhood education courses that focus on children up to age five. Some of the courses will focus on developmental issues, some on addressing the needs of children and parents in program settings (classrooms or homes), and some may focus on the development of children in the contexts of their families. The focus, however, must be on children birth to age five. These six courses should be either two or three credit courses, and should total at least 15 semester college credits.
3. Do courses in psychology or library science, for example, count toward the six courses required for teachers who do not have degrees in early childhood education or child development?
It would be impossible to list all of the courses that could conceivable
count toward the six courses in early childhood educator and/or child development.
It is up to each employee or prospective employee to provide the agency
with information on the courses taken and to demonstrate that they address
early childhood development with a focus on children up to age five. Programs
can review course descriptions and examine the college transcripts, to
determine the relevance of the courses to the Early Head Start or Head
Start program.
A general library studies course, for example, would not count as one
of the six courses. However, a course in children's literature, that covers
selecting and reading appropriate books for children from infancy through
pre-kindergarten would count toward the six courses.
4. If an experienced Head Start or Early Head Start teacher already has an AA, BA or advanced degree in another field can they meet the mandate by taking an additional six courses in early childhood education and/or child development regarding children up to age five?
Yes. The teacher who already has an AA, BA, or advanced degree in a field other than child development or early childhood education can meet the requirements by taking six courses in child development or early childhood education focusing on children birth to age five as described above.
5. Does the experienced Head Start or Early Head Start teacher also need student teaching or additional experience to meet the teacher qualification mandate?
No. If the Head Start or Early Head Start teacher has been teaching in Head Start or another preschool or infant and toddler setting; has a degree in child development, early childhood education, or another field with the six appropriate courses focused on children birth to age five; and has been receiving satisfactory performance evaluations as a Head Start or Early Head Start teacher, he/she meets the teacher qualification mandate.
6. Does a person with an AA, BA or advanced degree in a field outside of child development or early childhood education need to get experience in an early childhood setting in addition to the six courses to meet the qualifications for a Head Start or Early Head Start teacher?
Yes. An individual who has a degree in another field must have experience in an early childhood (birth to five) setting in addition to the six courses in early childhood development to meet the qualifications mandate for Head Start or Early Head Start teachers. As stated above, a Head Start or Early Head Start teacher who is receiving satisfactory evaluations meets the experience requirement and would only need the six appropriate courses.
7. Do CEUs or credits from training courses and workshops count toward the six-course requirement?
No. There must be college course credit given for the six-course requirement. CEUs (even those awarded by colleges) do not count. Generally, these are not applicable toward a degree.
8. Do one-credit courses count toward this requirement?
No. The goal is to have the requirement met by six two or three credit courses. Courses given for one credit do not provide the intensity or the depth of content and assignments necessary for mastery of a subject or improvement of skills. The requirement is to complete six courses in child development or early childhood education focusing on children up to age five, for a total of at least 15-semester college credits.
9. If a program has all degreed teachers earning the same salaries as teachers in the local school district, how should they spend their teacher quality funds?
Such a program could spend their funds on additional training for a teacher that is not tied to college credits. Expenditure of funds for training on topics such as curriculum development and implementation, introducing technology to children, or working with parents would be appropriate, as would teacher attendance at professional meetings or conferences. The funds could also be used to provide college credit training for teacher aides, who could then be qualified for teaching positions, when such positions open up at the agency.
10. Should an agency only concentrate on 50 percent of the teachers to meet the mandate?
An agency should get as many teachers qualified with AA, BA or advanced degrees as possible. Doing so will provide for a more qualified staff as well as provide insurance that, as teachers retire, change positions or leave the program, there will be qualified people who can apply for those teaching positions.
11. In an Early Head Start program, how many of the adults in a classroom fall under this mandate?
In Early Head Start, there is a maximum group size of eight. Every four children must be assigned one qualified teacher. Thus, in every Early Head Start classroom with eight children (two clusters of four children) there must be two teachers (1304.52 (g) (4)) and both would fall under the teacher qualifications mandate.
12. Is there any kind of exemption or "grandfather clause" for teachers who have been teaching in Head Start for a certain number of years?
No. The purpose of this mandate is to ensure that teachers are qualified and can provide the best quality program for Head Start and Early Head Start children. The research shows that higher levels of education for teachers are related to better quality classrooms and that better quality classrooms are related to better child outcomes. There are no exemptions, waivers, or grandfather clauses pertaining to this mandate.
13. Is a CDA still relevant for Head Start and Early Head Start agencies?
Yes. The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential remains the minimum qualification for classroom teachers. Any classroom that does not have a teacher who has an AA, BA or advanced degree in early childhood education or in a related field with pre-school teaching experience must have a current CDA credential appropriate to the ages of the children being served or a State-awarded certificate for preschool teachers that meet or exceeds the requirements of a Child Development Associate credential.
Infant and Toddler teachers, at a minimum, must obtain a CDA credential for Infant and Toddler Caregivers or an equivalent credential within one year of hire as a teacher of infants and toddlers. In addition, infant and toddler staff must have the training and experience required in 1304.52(f).
Preschool Teachers - grantees may apply to the Regional Office for a waiver of the CDA requirement for 180 days from the date of the person's employment as a teacher of preschool age children in order to allow time to complete the preschool CDA requirements.
The Head Start Bureau continues to support the importance of the CDA
as the entry-level credential for teacher aides and parents and volunteers.
This supports Head Start's career development philosophy of helping parent
and other community members to move from the CDA to higher levels of education,
training and professional responsibility.