Did you know that the education requirements for early education teachers working in childcare centers in DC have changed? These changes will be in effect by the end of the calendar year, and the new requirements apply to both lead and assistant teachers. According to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), lead teachers must have a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a related field, while assistant teachers must hold a high school diploma and a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential starting December 2023.
The anticipated impact is that the requirements in the District of Columbia will result in higher-quality care and education for children who receive center-based care. Research has shown that children who receive high-quality early childhood education have better outcomes later in life, including improved academic performance and higher earnings (Brookings, 2021; First Five Years Fund, 2019). The change in requirements will likely impact the industry overall as it will result in a more professionalized workforce and, hopefully, increased respect for the field, possibly driving competition in hiring that pushes salaries higher while also improving outcomes for children.
If you have been connected to us for some time, you know that Jubilee JumpStart has been supporting our teachers in earning these credentials for years now with tuition support, education leave, flexible work schedules, and procurement of translation services for staff who have earned credentials outside of the U.S. Your support has allowed Jubilee JumpStart to empower our teachers with odds otherwise stacked against them to pursue and meet these requirements before the December deadline.
Join us in congratulating Yonalkys Maloney and Elsa Cerros-Rodriquez for becoming our latest teachers to earn new credentials. Yonalkys, our Associate Pre-K Teacher, earned her bachelor's degree last November and walked to receive her diploma in June. Elsa completed her child development certification program this spring and now has her CDA.
We look forward to celebrating more of our teaching staff over the next six months as the deadline approaches. Many of them are working hard to teach our children while learning and doing their own homework outside of JJS.