Please review our list of frequently asked questions.
You could meet the School-Age specialty requirement by completing one of the 16-hour School-age training bundles located on Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood – DIEEC (dieecpd.org) (i.e. Social Emotional Wellness or Family & Community Partnerships) or by completing 15 hours of School-age Quality-assured Training Institutions. School-age quality-assured training will be accepted from any of these companies:
- Better Kid Care (Penn State)
- Care Courses
- ChildCare Education Institute
- ChildCareEd – Online Courses
- School-Age Bundle (DIEEC) | CollaborNation®
- Quorumlearning.com
You can complete 15 hours of infant/toddler specific training from DIEEC or from one of these infant/toddler Quality-assured Training Institutions.
If documentation is uploaded with a last name that differs from the last name the educator has opened an account with, proof of a name change document, such as a “marriage certificate” or “divorce decree”, to validate the individual has legally had all names associated to the account and uploaded documentation.
Click Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood – DIEEC (dieecpd.org) to answer these questions. DEEDS Early Learning does not have access to DIEEC’s information.
The Department of Education has partnered with the Early Childhood Innovation Center to assist those seeking a CDA. Click Child Development Associate® | Early Childhood Innovation Center (desu.edu) to learn more.
In addition the Council for Professional Recognition’s website contains information and resources for educators seeking to earn a CDA.
Yes, you are able to view any educator’s current credentials by searching the Find an Educator tool from the Delaware Department of Education. If there is no information listed when you search for an educator’s name, then that means the educator does not hold any qualifications.
Yes, your degree must be from an accredited college or university. Search for recognized accrediting organizations and/or search for accreditation information on a specific college using the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs.
Credentials from other states do not automatically transfer to Delaware, as there is no reciprocity for Early Childhood qualifications between states. Your education and experience will need to be submitted to our office and reviewed. You will first need to create an EDAccess account – it is through this account that you will apply for certifications, upload documents, and view certifications/credentials. You can find more information about how to do that here: Credentialing Application – DEEDS – Delaware Department of Education
Once you have been approved and have access to your EdAccess account, you can login and apply for an Early Childhood certification. Click Educator Dashboard User Guide to assist you with applying.
Pages 1-10 have information about how to apply for Early Learning Credentials. There is also other information included throughout the document on how to view applications, respond to deficiencies, print certificates, etc.
TECE I and TECE II will only be offered through the High School Teacher Academy beginning June 1, 2024.
Instead of TECE I, you may complete 60 hours of training that may be counted towards a CDA from one of these Quality-Assured Training Institutions. Be sure to complete at least 10 hours in at least 4 content areas. Please note scholarships are available from the Early Childhood Innovation Center | Innovative Support for Children (desu.edu). Scholarships will be provided for training hours, even if a person does not wish to obtain a CDA.
Instead of TECE 1 or TECE II, you may complete 120 hours of training that may be counted towards a CDA from one of these Quality-Assured Training Institutions. Be sure to complete at least 10 hours in at least 8 content areas. Please note scholarships are available from the Early Childhood Innovation Center | Innovative Support for Children (desu.edu). Scholarships will be provided for training hours, even if a person does not wish to obtain a CDA.
Currently, the State of Delaware has a cohort with Delaware State University. They are offering scholarships towards educators seeking a higher education in Early Childhood: Early Childhood Innovation Center | Innovative Support for Children (desu.edu). Additional questions can be directed to (302) 857-7400 or ecic@desu.edu.
Additionally, Delaware Technical Community College is offering scholarships through the SEED program.
College transcripts and proof of degree from other countries need to be evaluated as a professional credential evaluation. Please have your education evaluated by a Foreign Credential Evaluation Reporting company. National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member agencies and The Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) maintain a complete listing of acceptable agencies. Once a company is selected, please have them send the document directly to deedsearlylearning@doe.k12.de.us for review.
Unfortunately, there is no way to move beyond an “Intern” position without proof of graduating High School or earning a GED.
To apply for certification, you first need to create an EdAccess account. Click Credentialing Application – DEEDS – Delaware Department of Education to learn how to do this.
Once you have been approved and have access to your EdAccess account, you can login and apply for an Early Childhood certification. Click Educator Dashboard User Guide to assist you with applying.
Pages 1-10 have information about how to apply for Early Learning Credentials. There is also other information included throughout the document on how to view applications, respond to deficiencies, print certificates, etc.
Early Childhood educators will need to provide a Verification of Child Care Experience form showing 6 months including 500 hours or 12 months including 1000 hours of experience working with children birth through second grade, depending on the requirements needed to become qualified for a particular position. This form must be completed by the administrator/owner/human resource staff of your current or previous employer.
School-age educators will need to provide a Verification of Child Care Experience form showing hours providing care to children kindergarten through sixth grade in a group setting. The amount of time needed to qualify varies depending on the position desired and which months were worked in the year (September to June or June to August). This form must be completed by the administrator/owner/human resource staff of your current or previous employer.
If you are using student teaching to meet the experience requirement, student teaching must appear on your official college or university transcript. If the ages of the children you worked with cannot be determined, you will need to have Verification of Teaching form completed by the school where your student teaching placement was conducted.
To upload a document, you must login to your account, then on the right-hand side will be a blue box that says, “View my Credentials.” Click this, and it takes you to a page with multicolored tabs. Look for the tab that says “Documents” and click this. At the bottom of the page will be a rectangle in a dotted box that says, “Click to upload documents.” You will upload these documents to that section. Please be sure the documents are in PDF format, or they may not “stick” to your profile.
To obtain a copy of your certificate, please first create an EDAccess account. Click Credentialing Application – DEEDS – Delaware Department of Education to learn about this process.
Once you log in, you’ll click on the “Educator Credentialing” icon. Then, you’ll click on the blue tab that says “Print my credentials” in the top right corner. That will take you to a screen with a drop-down menu, where you can select which license you want, and the document type. You then click on the green “Generate” button, and it will download that certificate to your computer. Go to your downloads folder and click on the file and print out the certificate.
The Early Childhood pathway for comprehensive High Schools in the State of Delaware consist of:
- Human Growth and Development
- Early Childhood as a Profession
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Dual enrollment
If you completed a pathway from Polytech High School, St. George’s Technical High School, Paul M. Hodgson Technical High School, or Sussex Technical High School, you graduated with 12 months experience to include 1000 hours working with children birth to second grade and do not need to submit a Verification of Experience (VOE) form.
Requesting an official college or university transcript can be done by contacting your college or university directly. We often see digital transcripts delivered by “Parchment” or “National Student Clearing House”, although this is not a comprehensive list. College or university transcripts should be sent directly to deedsearlylearning@doe.k12.de.us. If needed, the official transcript may also be sent by mail to the following:
Delaware Department of Education
ATTN: DEEDS Early Learning
401 Federal Street, Suite 2 Dover, DE 19901
Transcripts will not be accepted if you upload them or if you email them to deedsearlylearning@doe.k12.de.us. In addition, they are not accepted if they are not sealed when received in the mail.
Click School-age Course List to see a list of accepted School-age courses. This list is not comprehensive, and courses can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis when needed
Click Early Childhood Course List to see a list of accepted Early Childhood courses. This list is not comprehensive, and courses can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis when needed.
Once you login, you’ll click the white box that says, “Apply for Early Learning Centers”. A drop-down menu will appear, and you should click “Early Learning Certificate.” This will bring you to a new screen and you will select “Early Childhood” as the certificate type. A drop-down menu will appear again, and you should select your desired certificate.
For Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), please look at this four-minute YouTube guidance video: EDAccess Multi-Factor Authentication. The video explains each option and how to change the selected option. If you continue to have trouble, please submit a ticket to application support by clicking Program Assistance- Delaware Department of Education . Please make sure that you select “EdAccess Single Sign-On” under “I need help with” so that the support request goes directly to the IT Support department. Once a ticket is submitted, it can take up to three business days to receive a response.
Please submit a ticket to EdAccess Login Support by clicking Program Assistance- Delaware Department of Education. Please make sure that you select “EdAccess Single Sign-On” under “I need help with” so that the support request goes directly to the Login Support department. Once a ticket is submitted, it can take up to three business days to receive a response.
