Daycare Teacher Certification

Series Summary

Sometimes parents need to seek the help of others when raising young children. Child daycare is a great solution for busy or working parents to get things done while their child learns and plays with other children under adult supervision. Daycare centers vary in quality and cost, but all must meet certain state regulations. Not only do daycare centers provide relief for the parent on-the-go, but they also provide a great learning and socializing environment for young children before they start attending school. In this free video series on child care, the owner of a daycare center discusses several topics about running and working at a daycare facility. Find out about the rules and regulations for starting up a daycare, and learn the qualifications for daycare teachers around the country. Find out what to include on a daycare job resume, and get tips on finding a good location for a new center. Cater to the needs of the community when starting a daycare, and always let the passion for caring for children shine through the facility.

Video Transcript

"Hello, I'm Sarah Norris with Total Childcare Center in Wilmington, North Carolina. Today we're going to talk about childcare teacher certification. In North Carolina that's sort of a new word. There is a pilot program now in existence that is going to be certifying teachers at particular levels. We have not had this before and it's exciting for our state and for our teachers in early-childhood. It will be dependent ... Your level will be dependent upon your education and your experience. States vary from state to state in what they require for teacher certification. You will need to check with your local state agencies to see what the requirements are, and you will need to decide for your particular facility what you will require as far as teacher certification is concerned. I think it's great to have a step process in which you have what we call a lead teacher. We have a teacher, we have a teacher's aid ... We have an assistant teacher and a teacher's aid, and so there are levels and those levels will be spelled out very specifically in our credentialing. We also now say that all of our teachers, our lead teachers in North Carolina, must have credentials, childcare credentials which involves a one semester course in college. It used to be divided into two; it's now one semester. So you must at least have this in order to qualify as a lead teacher. As time goes on, there's going to be more required, but right now those are the requirements. So check with your local states to see what the credentialing process is, how you might fit and what you would need in order to obtain the credentialing level or in order to obtain a higher level."