According to Bright from the Start’s licensing rules and regulations, in order to become a lead teacher one must be at least 18 years of age and possess at least one of the following minimum academic requirements:
- Child Development Associate (CDA) credential issued by the Council for Professional Recognition
- Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) in Early Childhood Education or Child Development;
- Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) in Infant and Toddler;
- Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) in Program Administration;
- Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) in School Age and Youth Care;
- Technical College Diploma (TCD) in Early Childhood Education or Child Development;
- Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education or Child Development (AA, AAS, AAT);
- Paraprofessional Certificate issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission;
- Twenty-five (25) quarter hours or fifteen (15) semester hours from an accredited college or university in Early Childhood Education or Child Development;
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a field other than Early Childhood Education or Child Development and three (3) months of qualifying child care experience;
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Early Childhood Education or Child Development;
- Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Early Childhood Education or Child Development.
For early childhood programs, Montessori teachers must have a state-issued credential to teach. But in most states, Montessori teacher preparation programs are not recognized as approved programs. As a result, to teach in a Montessori school and have a state license, teachers effectively must go through two training programs: one that meets state requirements, and one that meets Montessori requirements. Teachers can visit the Montessori Public Policy Initiative to learn more about the Montessori credentialing.
We here at H&H Child Care Training (ChildCareEd) can help teachers meet Georgia’s CDA requirements to start their process of becoming a Montessori certified teacher as we currently offer the 120 hours of CDA coursework for Infant and Toddler, Preschool, and Family Child Care. The 120-hour credentials currently offer 12 CEUs for each course. Our online training is designed to fulfill the CDA requirement for 120 hours of formal education in specific child-care competency areas.
To see a full list of classes H&H Child Care Training (ChildCareEd) has approved in Georgia, please visit our website or you can visit the GaPDS at www.gapds.decal.ga.gov and search under Approved Sponsor Organization for H&H Child Care Training (TR-ASO-76) to schedule your next training today!