DC Early Childhood Educators
Minimum Education Requirements and Professional Development
| Child Development Facility Settings | Pre-Kindergarten Enhancement and Expansion Funding program (PKEEP) | School-based Settings (DC Public Schools and public charter schools) |
|---|---|---|
|
Minimum Education Requirements:
Educators employed at child development facilities in DC must meet the requirements below. Annual Professional Development:
The minimum professional development hours to be completed annually for child development facility
staff are detailed below in the section, "Annual Training and Professional
Development."
|
Minimum Education Requirements:
Educators employed at child development facilities in DC must meet the following requirements for teaching in a pre-K classroom as part of PKEEP. Teacher: A teacher that holds a bachelor’s degree in early child development, early childhood education, or child and family studies or who has a bachelor’s degree and has completed eighteen (18) credits in child development, early childhood education, or child and family studies Assistant Teacher: An assistant teacher that holds an associate’s degree in early childhood education or who has completed nine (9) credits in child development, early childhood education, or child and family studies Annual Professional Development: |
Minimum Education Requirements: For more information on educator credentialing for school-based teachers, visit OSSE's Educator Credentialing and Certification page.
Annual Professional Development: For more information on how school-based teachers can use professional development hours to renew their license, visit OSSE's Educator Credential Renewal page. |
Summary of Minimum Education Requirements for Child Development Facility Staff with Accompanying Timeline
| Childhood Development Facility Position | Minimum Education Credential Required | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Center Director | Bachelor’s degree (BA) in early childhood education (including early childhood development, early childhood education, elementary education, or early special education) or a bachelor’s degree in any subject area with at least 15 semester credit hours in early childhood education | Dec. 2022 |
| Teacher (Child Development Center) |
Associate degree (AA) in early childhood education (or early childhood development, child and family studies, or a closely related field) or an associate degree (or higher) in any subject area with at least 24 semester credit hours in early childhood. | Dec. 2023 |
| Assistant Teacher (Child Development Center) |
Child Development Associate (CDA) or associate degree in any field | Dec. 2023 |
| Expanded Home Caregiver | Associate degree in early childhood education (or early childhood development, child and family studies or a closely related field) or an associate degree (or higher) in any subject area with at least 24 semester credit hours in early childhood. | Dec. 2023 |
| Home Caregiver and Associate Home Caregiver | Child Development Associate (CDA) | Dec. 2023 |
Childcare staff shall participate in professional development (PD) annually. This number of PD hours includes maintenance of trainings in health and safety. The number of PD required is dependent upon the position and facility type of an individual, as detailed below.
Annual Training and Professional Development
| Staff | Required Hours of PD |
|---|---|
| Child development center staff | At least 21 hours of PD annually |
| Center Directors | 12 hours of training in program management, business operations, and evaluation annually |
| Child development home caregivers and staff | At least 12 hours of PD annually |
| Expanded home caregivers and staff | At least 15 hours of PD annually |