qualifications have an impact on quality. OSSE’s goal in updating licensing

regulations in 2016 was to protect the health, safety and welfare of children in care

and cultivate high-quality learning environments and experiences that nurture

children’s learning. The education requirements included in the regulations

support these goals by ensuring that all early childhood educators have training in

child development and that those in lead teacher, expanded home caregiver and

director roles have additional knowledge and skills necessary to create high-

quality learning experiences for children and supervise other staff to deliver

quality early learning programs.

stakeholders regarding the proposed rulemaking to increase education

requirements for the early childhood workforce. OSSE used the insights and

feedback shared by stakeholders to refine and improve the previous proposed rule

and draft revisions.

The education requirement and deadline for achieving the credential for each staff

type can be found in Table 1.

If you are unsure of your staff type, please talk with your employer. Your employer

is required to keep track of this information in the Division of Early Learning

Licensing Tool (DELLT), OSSE’s child development facility licensing system.

education requirement for my staff type, but I will not complete the program

by Dec. 2, 2023. What should I do?

credential required for your position. Your employer may apply for a waiver on

your behalf. Please note, individual early childhood educators cannot apply for a

waiver. Waivers must be submitted by the leader of the child development facility

where you are employed.

requirement for my staff type. I am not currently enrolled in a program to

meet the education requirement. What should I do?

If you do not meet the education requirement for your staff type and are not

currently pursuing coursework to achieve the required credential, please contact

the ECE Help Desk at [email protected] or (202) 478-5903 as soon as possible.

required credential.

Every licensed child care provider participates in monitoring visits conducted by

OSSE’s licensing and compliance unit to ensure they meet licensing and health and

safety requirements. Providers receive one announced visit and one unannounced

visit each year. If the licensing specialist finds problems or violations during the

visit, including staff who do not meet the education requirement for their staff type,

the provider will receive a licensing deficiency. The provider must create a

corrective action plan and make changes by the required deadline and the staff

member must take actionable steps toward meeting the education requirement for

their position (e.g., enroll in a CDA program or enroll in a degree program, etc.). For

more information about the child care provider monitoring and inspection process,

review your transcript(s) to see if you have completed 24 semester hours in ECE,

met, issue a Credential Verification Certificate. The request for a transcript review

(e.g., credential verification) can be made through the Professional Development

Information System (PDIS) at dcpdis.org, by clicking the “Apply for a Credential

Verification Certificate” once the user has logged in.

do I need to obtain a CDA?

meet the minimum education requirement for an assistant teacher, home caregiver

or associate home caregiver. If you are in one of these staff types, you do not need

to obtain a CDA credential. If you are a center director, teacher or expanded home

caregiver, please see question 3.

requirement?

OSSE recognizes degrees awarded in foreign countries provided that the foreign

credential is evaluated for US equivalency. This should be done through an

organization that has a current membership with the National Association of

Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International

There may be a fee associated with foreign credential evaluation and/or

evaluate equivalency.

Please note, the DC Leading Educators toward Advanced Degrees (DC LEAD)

program offers funding to cover the cost of foreign credential evaluation and/or

translation if you will use it for college/university admission to complete a degree

or needed credits to meet the minimum education requirement. For questions

about DC LEAD foreign credential translation and evaluation supports, please

contact DC LEAD at [email protected] or (202) 561-5500.

continuous service as of December 2016 when the licensing regulations were

must be submitted by the facility leader. Waivers are processed on a case-by-case

basis and are not guaranteed. OSSE reserves the right to grant or deny a waiver in

accordance with the regulations. All early childhood educators are strongly

encouraged to take advantage of educational opportunities that are available.

There are several options for an early childhood educator to achieve the CDA

credential at no cost to you. OSSE supports two programs, operated by CentroNía

and Southeast Children’s Fund, that offer free, in-person and/or hybrid CDA

training and preparation programs for early childhood professionals seeking an

initial, renewal or non-cohort CDA credential. CentroNía provides CDA training and

preparation in English, Spanish and Amharic. For more information, contact

Jennifer Salgado, bilingual CDA coordinator, at [email protected] or (202)

(202) 561-1100. Another option is offered through Quorum eLearning, a

membership-based online professional development platform that includes all of

the 120 training hours needed to obtain or renew a CDA credential. A guidebook on

to have a high school diploma and be a DC resident or work at a child development

coursework, such as Briya Public Charter School, the United Planning Organization

(UPO), University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC’s) Division of Workforce

Development and Lifelong Learning, Trinity Washington University and American

University. Individuals interested in pursuing one of these programs should contact

the program directly.

For assistance determining the CDA program that is right for you, contact the ECE

Help Desk at [email protected] or (202) 478-5903.

platform that includes all 120 training hours needed to obtain or renew a CDA

funding and assistance to complete the CDA portfolio and assessment. More

information can be found in this guidebook on how to obtain a CDA credential

using Quorum. For more information on Quorum, contact

CDA through Quorum needs to have a high school diploma and be a DC resident or

work at a child development facility in DC.

Quorum?

No. Early childhood educators can use Quorum to complete the 120 clock hours

needed to earn a CDA credential. Early childhood educators who complete CDA

coursework via Quorum, along with other requirements to earn a CDA, and

subsequently enroll in an institution of higher education, may be able to receive

some college credits that apply towards their associate or bachelor’s degree based

on completion of CDA coursework (see question 16 for additional information).

university? Universities in the DC region (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia)

have different criteria for accepting the CDA toward college credit. It is best to

for coursework?

OSSE understands that continuing education can be costly and has dedicated funds,

time and resources to support the DC early childhood workforce to achieve the

required credentials. Examples of scholarship opportunities for individuals

pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree include:

bachelor’s degree?

There are several associate and bachelor’s degree programs offered online. Higher

education programs in the DC area that may have online programs can be found on

the following webpages in the Program section:

information about these salaries and requirements for providers and eligible staff

will be available in spring 2023.

Every licensed child development facility is required to adhere to all applicable

federal and DC government laws and regulations. This includes the minimum

wage and living wage rates that are set by DC. For more information about the

Compliance website.

Starting in FY24 (which runs from Oct. 1, 2023-Sept. 30, 2024) child development

facilities that participate in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund will be

required to pay their staff wages or salaries that meet or exceed the minimum

required by the fund. More information about the fund, including the timeline on

which staff can expect to see higher compensation reflected in their paychecks, will

be available in spring and summer 2023. Employers are not required to participate

in the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, and the enrollment process for

child care employers to participate in the fund has not yet begun. You will need to

check with your employer in summer or fall 2023 to find out if they are