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Lehigh Carbon Community College

What is a Diploma in Early Childhood Education Director?

This nine-credit program is intended for students who already hold a credential in Teacher Education and are currently employed and/or plan to move into a director or assistant director position. The primary purpose of this program is to enhance knowledge and skills for early childhood directors/administrators.

This specialized credit diploma program qualifies as the PA Pathways Director Core Certificate program. The nine credits in this program are required for eligibility for the PA Directors Credential, however credential applicants will also need to meet a number of other eligibility requirements on their own through previously demonstrated credit-bearing work in ECE, supervisory work at their place of employment, and professional contribution. Eligibility details are available from The Pennsylvania Key.

ECE Director Courses

In this program, you’ll take classes such as:

  • The Early Childhood Professional
  • The Director with Vision
  • Program Organization and Management

Pathway to a Career in Early Childhood Education

Advance your career at your own pace. Each step below transfers credits to the next. Appropriate job titles and average pay ranges are meant to help guide an individual interested in this field; they vary based on individual experience and employer.

Wage information taken from Lightcast Q1 2024 BETA Data Set – QCEW Employees. Wage range is 25%-75% hourly average in surrounding 10-county region.

State Licensing and Credential Requirements

Students who complete the A.A.S. in Early Childhood Education are qualified for specific career roles within early childhood education / childcare based on state guidelines. The below information is meant to provide a resource for students interested in roles within early childhood care and education. This is not a definitive list of requirements. Please refer to state guidelines for career roles and degree and certification requirements.

Childcare and Head Start Credential Requirements by State

Career positions in early childhood care and education are determined by individual state requirements. At this time, we have determined eligibility for the following states.

Pennsylvania (meets requirements)

Positions and Roles

  • Director, Lead Teacher, or Group Supervisor for a child or school-age care program
  • Assistant Teacher in private academic school

Requirements

Must hold one of the following:

  • Associate of Applied Science degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE) or an equivalent degree
  • Associate degree in a related field including 18 ECE credits
  • Associate degree in Elementary Education and 12 ECE credits

Contact Information

The Pennsylvania Key
200 North 3rd Street, 3rd Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101
https://www.pakeys.org/

California (meets requirements)

Child Development Teacher Permit

Requirements

  • Associate degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE)
  • Complete 3 semester units (credits) of supervised field experience

Contact Information

California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
1900 Capitol Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95811-4213

Georgia (meets requirements)

Level VII
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning – Career levels

Requirements

Associate degree (AA/AS or AAS/AAT) in Early Childhood Education or Child Development

Contact Information

Georgia Professional Standards Commission
Professional Development System
200 Piedmont Avenue SE
Suite 1712 West
Atlanta, GA 30334-9032
https://gapds.decal.ga.gov/default.aspx

New Jersey (meets requirements)

NJ Registry Career Lattice Levels and Requirements: Degreed Professional Level

Requirements

Associate or bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood, Child Development, Human Services, or related fields

Contact Information

NJ Department of Education
PO Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-500
https://www.nj.gov/education/ece/

New York (does not meet requirements, prepares for bachelor’s program)

Intervention Specialist Requirements

Requirements:
New York State teachers, administrators, and pupil personnel service providers are required to hold a New York State certificate for employment in the State’s public schools. The Office of Teaching Initiatives issues certificates to certify that an individual has met required degree, coursework, assessment, and experience requirements.

Contact Information
Office of Teaching Initiatives
New York State Education Department
89 Washington Ave., 5N EB
Albany, New York 12234
Email: tcert@nysed.gov
Contact form

Ohio (does not meet requirements, prepares for bachelor’s program)

Intervention Specialist Supplemental Teaching License

Requirements
Educators must meet the following requirements before the Department will issue the initial one-year supplemental license:

  • Hold a currently valid, standard Ohio teaching certificate or license
  • Successfully complete the content assessment for the licensure area
    • Click here for information about educator license exams
  • Be employed in a teaching position requiring the supplemental licensure area in an Ohio school or district

Additional Information

Contact Information
Office of Educator Licensure
25 South Front St., Mail Stop 504
Columbus, OH 43215-4183
(Toll free) 877-644-6338
(P) 614-466-3593
(F) 614-752-8406

educator.licensure@education.ohio.gov

Tennessee (meets requirements)

Requirements

Head Start Programs

  • Half of the teachers are required to hold a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a similar field
  • Experience teaching preschoolers is preferred

Private Childcare Programs

  • Graduate with a High School Diploma or GED
  • Obtain a Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) Orientation Certificate or the equivalent
  • Have four years of experience working with children
  • Child Abuse Prevention Training

Contact Information

Tennessee Department of Education
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243
https://www.tn.gov/education.html

Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA)

https://tecta.info/

Texas (meets requirements)

Career Lattice Level: Level 4 (higher with years of experience)

Requirements

Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field with at least 12 credit hours related to Early Childhood

Contact Information

Texas Education Agency
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701-1401

earlychildhoodeducation@tea.texas.gov
https://tea.texas.gov/academics/early-childhood-education

Program Coordinator

 Megan  Strella

Megan Strella

Assistant Professor – EDU
Schnecksville, PA

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