Child Care Learning Centers - Bright from the Start

Rule Consolidation
Child Care Learning Centers
Page 1
June 19, 2007

Rule Consolidation
- Two Sets of Rules
• When Bright from the Start was created in 2004,
the Department inherited rules and regulations
from both the Office of School Readiness and
the Department of Human Services. Both sets
of rules govern what are now known as child
care learning centers.
• We propose to consolidate these two sets of
rules so that all rules and regulations about
child care learning centers are found in one
place.
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 2
June 19, 2007

Rule Consolidation
- Rules Currently Used
• Bright from the Start currently uses all of the
rules located in Chapter 591-1-1 that originated
from the Office of School Readiness.
• Bright from the Start also uses the rules
involving exemptions located in Chapter 290-2-2
that originated from the Department of Human
Services.
• This proposal will consolidate these rules and
eliminate redundancies.
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 3
June 19, 2007

Rule Consolidation
- Proposal to Adopt and Repeal
• Combine the rules about Exemptions currently
found in Chapter 290-2-2-.05(e) and 290-2-2-.05(f).
• Adopt these rules into the Rules for Child Care
Learning Centers as Chapter 591-1-1-.46
Exemptions.
• Repeal the remainder of the Rules and Regulation
for Day Care Centers, Chapter 290-2-2 to eliminate
redundancy in compliance with Governor Deal’s
February 13, 2012 Executive Order to “reduce
inefficiencies, redundancies and consolidate all
rules and regulations…”.
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 4
June 19, 2007

New Credential
Requirements
Rule 591-1-.31 (1) Director and
591-1-.31 (2) Teacher/Lead Caregiver
Effective 12/1/2012
Page 5
June 19, 2007

Credential Requirement
• The credential rule was adopted in December 2009 with
a three year phase-in period. The rule is effective
December 1, 2012.
• The rule is not going to change. This is a meeting for
DECAL to give you information and listen to your
comments and questions.
• All child care programs are expected to meet the
credential requirement.
• Additional options for meeting this rule are being
explored.
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 6
June 19, 2007

Purpose of this Rule
• To improve the quality of early childhood programs.
Research indicates that the education and skills of
teachers and directors positively impact children’s
preschool experiences.
• To improve professional development in early
childhood programs.
Raising early childhood standards is a national initiative.
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 7
June 19, 2007

Ground Rules
• Please hold questions and comments until the end
of the presentation.
• Please ask general questions that are a benefit to
everyone. Specific questions regarding your
program and/or your center may be directed to your
child care consultant.
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 8
June 19, 2007

Common Questions
• The rule does not require all teachers in a child
care program to meet the new credential
requirements. ONLY the director and the lead
teacher in each classroom are required to meet this
new rule.
• The CDA credential is not required for everyone.
• A two or four-year degree is not required for
everyone. Several credential options are listed in
the rule requirement.
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 9
June 19, 2007

Common Questions
• DECAL will not close child care programs on
December 1, 2012 if the rule requirement is not
met.
• DECAL will not require that directors or lead
teachers are terminated for not meeting the
credential requirement December 1, 2012.
• Funds are still available through SCHOLARSHIPS
to assist directors and lead teachers with meeting
the credential requirement.
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 10
June 19, 2007

Director
New Credential Requirements
Rule 591-1-.31 Staff
• 1(b)3.(i) through (xiii) Qualifications of Director
Effective December 1, 2012, and thereafter, all directors
must possess at least one of the following sets of
minimum academic requirements and qualifying child
care experience at the time of employment:
• Child Development Associate (CDA) PLUS six (6)
months of qualifying child care experience
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 11
June 19, 2007

Director
New Credential Requirements
• Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) in Early Childhood
Education, Child Development, Infant/Toddler, School
Age/Youth Care or Program Administration PLUS six (6)
months of qualifying child care experience
• Technical College Diploma (TCD) in Early Childhood
Education, Child Development, Infant/Toddler, School
Age/Youth Care or Program Administration PLUS six (6)
months of qualifying child care experience
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 12
June 19, 2007

Director
New Credential Requirements
• 40 hour Director Training course approved by Department
PLUS five (5) years employment as an on-site child care
learning center or group day care home director
• Associate Degree in early Childhood Education, Child
Development or a related field PLUS six (6) months of
qualifying child care experience
• Paraprofessional Certificate PLUS six (6) months of qualifying
child care experience
• 15 Semester hours or 25 Quarter hours of Early Childhood
Education or Child Development (or related coursework) from
an accredited college or university PLUS six (6) months of
qualifying child care experience
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 13
June 19, 2007

Director
New Credential Requirements
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in early childhood
education (ECE) or child development (or related field)
• Bachelor’s degree in a field other than ECE or child
development PLUS three (3) months of qualifying child
care experience
• Montessori diploma from a nationally accredited
organization PLUS six (6) months of qualifying child
care experience (child care program is licensed as a
Montessori program)
©2012 Bright from the Start
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June 19, 2007

No changes for the Assistant Director
• Assistant directors are not required to meet the new
credential requirement.
• Each facility must have at least one director who meets
the educational requirements.
▪ If a program has co-directors at least one of those
directors must meet the requirement.
• Assistant Director can be solely in charge:
▪ Before and after the director’s normal work hours
▪ During the director’s vacation
▪ When the director is out sick
▪ When Director is off site for brief periods (field trips,
etc.)
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 15
June 19, 2007

Rule 591-1-1-.31 Staff
• (2) Teacher/Lead Caregiver
• (a) A center must have a designated teacher/lead
caregiver for each group of children.
• (b) Qualifications of Teacher/Lead Caregiver . . .
These requirements will change effective December 1,
2012, and the new educational and qualifying child care
experience requirements for teachers/lead caregivers
are listed in 591-1-1-.31(2)(b)3.(i) through (xii)
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 16
June 19, 2007

Lead Teacher/Caregiver
New Credential Requirements
• Child Development Associate (CDA) credential issued
by the Council for Professional Recognition
• Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC)
▪ Early Childhood Education
▪ Child Development
▪ Infant and Toddler
▪ Program Administration
▪ School Age and Youth Care
• Technical College Diploma (TCD) in Early Childhood
Education/Child Development or a related field
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 17
June 19, 2007

Lead Teacher/Caregiver
New Credential Requirements
• Montessori diploma from a nationally accredited
organization (child care program is licensed as a
Montessori program)
• Associate’s degree in early childhood education/child
development or a related field
• 25 quarter hours or 15 semester hours of early
childhood education (ECE) or related field coursework
from an accredited college or university
• Non-ECE related degree from an accredited
college/university
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 18
June 19, 2007

Lead Teacher/Caregiver
New Credential Requirements
• Currently issued Paraprofessional Certificate available
only to public school/educational P-12 programs
▪ NOTE this credential is accepted for those teachers
who are currently certified in the public school
system to work in the private sector as a child care
teacher in a non-Pre-K classroom.
▪ HOWEVER, the Paraprofessional Certificate cannot
be renewed in the non-public school/educational
setting, so when it expires, another qualifying
credential is required
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 19
June 19, 2007

Teacher/Lead Caregiver
New Credential Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/ university
in ECE or a related field
• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university
in ECE or a related field
• Specialist degree (EdS) from an accredited college or
university in ECE or a related field
• Doctorate degree (PhD) from an accredited college or
university in ECE or a related field
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 20
June 19, 2007

No Changes for Assistant Teacher
/Caregiver Aides
• The assistant teacher/caregiver aide is not required to
meet the educational credential requirements set forth
for lead teachers and directors.
• The assistant teacher/caregiver aide is required to have
a high school diploma and/or GED.
• The assistant teacher can be solely responsible for
classroom for brief periods such as:
▪ Before and after the lead teacher’s normal work hours
▪ A sick day for the lead teacher
▪ Bathroom breaks
▪ Lunch breaks
NOTE: Even though caregiver aides can be 16 years old, anyone left
alone with children in classroom must be at least 18 years old.
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 21
June 19, 2007

School-age Teacher
New Credential Requirement
• 591-1-1-.31 (8) Staff for School-Age Programs
• Effective December 1, 2012, after school programs
serving children ages five years and older (school age)
that routinely operate a maximum of four hours per day
Monday through Friday (school age only OR part of full
day child care learning center) must:
• Have at least ONE (1) lead teacher/caregiver who meets
the credential requirement
• If the program has more than one classroom, each
classroom must have at least an assistant teacher (age
18 or older)
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 22
June 19, 2007

How do I know if an institution is
accredited?
• To verify whether or not the institution is accredited,
go to the Office of Postsecondary Education:
http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/search.aspx
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 23
June 19, 2007

Foreign Credentials
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 24
June 19, 2007

Credentials
Child Development Associate (CDA) Certificate – Issued through
the Council for Professional Recognition
• Be 18 years of age or older
• Hold a high school diploma or GED
• Have 480 hours of experience working with children within past five
years
• Have 120 training hours of formal child care education within the past
five years
▪ Trainer Approval / Training Approval www.training.decal.ga.gov
▪ SCHOLARSHIPS (for application fee)
▪ INCENTIVES ($250 paid twice to ECE professional)
www.caresolutions.com
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 25
June 19, 2007

Credentials
• Technical Certificate of Credit
• Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)
• https://kms.tcsg.edu/POA/tcsg/TCSGProgramOfferings.as
px?appitemid=405
• https://kms.dtae.org/portal/tcsg/TCSGProgramOfferings.a
spx
• www.gvtc.org (Georgia Virtual Technical Connection)
▪ HOPE Grant
▪ SCHOLARSHIPS
▪ INCENTIVES - $375 (paid twice to qualified ECE
professional)
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 26
June 19, 2007

Credentials
Technical Certificate of Credit
• 9-18 Semester Hours (1-2 Semesters)
▪ Application to technical college
▪ Official high school or GED transcripts and/or college
transcripts for all colleges attended in past
▪ Valid ASSET, COMPASS, SAT or ACT test scores
▪ As few as three (3) courses (ECE Basic TCC
includes ECE 1101, 1103 and 1105)
▪ http://www.dtae.org/teched/standards/earlychildhood/
earlychildhood.html
©2012 Bright from the Start
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June 19, 2007

Credentials
Technical College Diploma
• 53 Semester Hours (3-4 Semesters)
▪ Combination of ECE and education theory and
practical application
▪ Articulates to degree program
▪ SCHOLARSHIPS
©2012 Bright from the Start
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June 19, 2007

Credentials
Associate of Applied Science Degree
• 72 Semester Hours (4-5 Semesters)
• ECE AAS Degree with Specialization in:
▪ Child Care Development Specialist
▪ Exceptionalities
▪ Family Childcare Specialist
▪ Infant Toddler Specialist
▪ Program Administration
▪ School Age and Youth Care
• SCHOLARSHIPS, HOPE and PELL
©2007 Bright from the Start
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June 19, 2007

Credentials
• Bachelor’s Degree
▪ Early Childhood Education/Elementary Education
▪ Birth through Five
▪ Special Education
▪ ECE related degree (15 semester hours/25 quarter
hours of ECE related course work)
▪ SCHOLARSHIPS
NOTE: Unrelated degree qualifies as minimum credential
©2012 Bright from the Start
Page 30
June 19, 2007

Credentials
• Master’s Degree
▪ Early Childhood Education/Elementary Education
▪ Birth Through Five
▪ Special Education
▪ ECE Related Degree (15 semester hours/25 quarter
hours of ECE related course work)
▪ SCHOLARSHIPS
NOTE: Unrelated degree qualifies as minimum credential but
does not qualify for financial incentives/scholarships/support
©2012 Bright from the Start
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June 19, 2007

Academic Credit
• 15 Semester hours/25 quarter hours of ECE course work
meets credential requirements
• Transcript from institution indicating completion of course work
• To verify coursework:
http://www.decal.ga.gov/documents/attachments/ECERelated.pdf
©2012 Bright from the Start
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June 19, 2007

SCHOLARSHIPS Program
• 80% of tuition at public institutions
• Up to $1,800 per semester at private
Institutions
• Individual stipend: $300 per semester or
$225 per quarter
©2007 Bright from the Start
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June 19, 2007

Rewards for Increasing Education
INCENTIVES
• MA, MEd, MS $1,250
• BA, BA $1,000
• AAS, AAT $750
• Technical College Diploma $500
• Technical Certificate of Credit $375
• Intro to Child Care TCC $250
• CDA $250
* Qualifying applicants receive a maximum of two
payments per education level.
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 34
June 19, 2007

©2007 Bright from the Start
Professional Development Registry
Page 35
June 19, 2007

Acceptable Credentials
• National Administrator Credential (NAC) through
National Early Childhood Program Accreditation equal to
40-hour director training, if approved by Georgia Early
Care and Learning Professional Development System
• TCC Course 2320 -Program Administration and Facility
Management - equal to 40-hour director training
• USAF (MOU with Covenant College for 1 hour credit per
module for 15 module course) – Accepted by DECAL
and NAEYC as CDA equivalent
• Childcare Education Institute (CCEI) – CDA credential
equal to Council issued CDA
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 36
June 19, 2007

Acceptable Credentials
• Child Care Management, Child Day Care, Child
Development diplomas offered through accredited
(www.ope.ed) colleges/career schools are accepted
• Technical College System of Georgia Terminal
TCC
-Lower ASSET/COMPASS test scores
required
-More experience oriented/less theory
For more information go to:
Southern Crescent Technical College
http://www.sctech.edu/academics/program.php?id=161
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 37
June 19, 2007

Waivers
• Other comparable credentials not listed in the rule
requirements.
• Lead teacher was employed with the child care
program before 12-1-12, and has 7 or more years
continuous experience teaching in child care
program(s). Teacher meets licensing training
requirements for current year.
• Child care programs may submit a waiver request
for other situations where they believe the rule
should be waived.
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 38
June 19, 2007

Improvement Plans
• Lead teacher has completed the CDA training,
submitted the application and is waiting for the
observation.
• Lead teacher has completed the TCC course work
and is waiting for the certificate to be awarded.
• Lead teacher is enrolled in a credential program.
• Director is enrolled in a credential program.
• All other lead teachers employed before 12-1-12
who do not have an education credential as
required by the rules.
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 39
June 19, 2007

Question & Answer Period
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 40
June 19, 2007

Contact Child Care Services
Bright from the Start
Georgia Department of Early Care & Learning
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE,
East Tower Suite 670
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
(404)657-5562
www.decal.ga.gov
Follow us on Twitter
at: www.twitter.com/gadeptearlycare or Facebook
at: www.facebook.com/brightfromthestart
©2007 Bright from the Start
Page 41
June 19, 2007