The Early Childhood Education (ECE) program provides the knowledge and skills necessary for employment. The Early Childhood Professional Certificate (ECPC) is a preschool specialization and recipients are eligible for the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Staff Credential.  Students who complete the ECE program AND meet all requirements are awarded the ECPC. 

Program Facts:

•	The ECE Program includes the DCF 40-hour Introductory Child Care Training – Part I and Part II. (See table in “Students” section)

•	Students must pass the DCF Part I and Part II Introductory Child Care Training competency exams prior to being issued the ECPC.

•	To offer the DCF Introductory Child Care Training courses, a program must be approved by the local DCF child care Training Coordinating Agency.

•	Programs are required to use DCF materials and will be subject to monitoring by DCF Training Coordinating Agencies.

•	The Florida Department of Education ECPC is based upon the eight content areas listed below:

1.	Planning a safe, healthy, supportive, and respectful learning environment.
2.	Steps to advance children’s physical and intellectual development (including literacy).
3.	Positive ways to support and promote children’s social and emotional development.
4.	Strategies to establish productive, positive relationships with families.
5.	Strategies to manage effective program operations.
6.	Maintaining a commitment to professionalism.
7.	Observing and recording children’s behavior including an understanding of screening and assessment.
8.	Principles of child growth and development.

•	Each content area is an integral part of the ECE Program. 

•	The ECE Program is a 4 credit/600 hour program, which is comprised of 120 hours of classroom instruction and 480 hours of direct work with children. 

•	It is acceptable for a student to begin this program in high school and then continue/complete the program at a technical center. 

•	The ECPC is one of the acceptable minimum credentials for employment as a Voluntary PreKindergarten (VPK) instructor during the school year.  Additional requirements and information can be found at http://www.floridaearlylearning.com/voluntary_pre_k.aspx.  

•	The ECPC is aligned with the National Child Development Associate (CDA).  Students who earn the ECPC can earn the National CDA if they choose to do so, by completing additional requirements and payment of fee (http://www.cdacouncil.org).

Instructors:

In order for teachers to have the best experience in the delivery of the ECE Program and the awarding of the ECPC, the guidelines provided below must be followed.

Before teaching the DCF mandated training, instructors must:

1.	Review the training requirements as outlined in Florida Administrative Code (FAC) 65C-22.003 and must meet the trainer requirements established by the Department of Children and Families (Chapter 65C-22.003(5) F.A.C. http://ccrain.fl-dcf.org/documents/2/470.pdf).

2.	Meet with local Training Coordinating Agency (contracted with DCF); training coordinators list may be viewed at http://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/child-care/contacts.

3.	Instructors must complete the six-hour train-the-trainer course and must meet additional qualifications outlined in Florida Administrative Code (FAC) 65C-22.003(5).

Qualified observer criteria:

4.	Instructors must be a qualified observer to validate students’ 480 hours of direct work with children and conduct at least one formal observation of the student. The observer must meet the following qualifications and be able to document that a person is competent in the eight content areas.   The observations must occur in a child care setting.

a.	Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education/Child Development, Elementary Education, Family and Consumer Sciences (formerly Home Economics) or related field 
OR
b.	Bachelor’s degree with a teaching certificate and employed by a school district in the state of Florida to teach the Early Childhood Education program 
OR
c.	An active National Early Childhood Credential or Birth Through Five FCCPC, four years of experience* working with children ages birth through eight, and two years of responsibility for the professional growth of another adult** 

OR
d.	Associate’s level degree in Early Childhood Education, Child Development or related field***, two years of experience* working with children ages birth through eight, and two years of responsibility for the professional growth of another adult**.
Note:
*Year(s) of experience shall be verified and shall be defined as follows: one year is equivalent to a minimum of 1040 hours, two years are equivalent to a minimum of 2080 hours, and four years are equivalent to a minimum of 4160 hours.
** Professional growth shall be defined as professional development activities (i.e. career advising, mentoring and job coaching sessions, and other training activities) that enhance the knowledge and professional skills of another adult.
***Related field shall be defined as an associate’s or bachelor’s level degree with a minimum of six college credits in Early Childhood Education/Child Development.

5.	Instruction for the DCF courses should be instructor-based.  It is recommended that the online DCF courses be used as a supplement to instructor-based instruction, if needed.

6.	Instructors should provide ECE Program students with copies of the Requirement Checklist, Practical Experience Documentation form, and the Application for Florida Department of Education Early Childhood Professional Certificate.

7.	Instructors should verify student completion of all of the ECPC requirements and sign/date the student’s Requirement Checklist.  At program completion, the Requirement Checklist should accompany the Application for Florida Department of Education Early Childhood Professional Certificate.

Students:

Students must meet the following requirements before an ECPC can be awarded:

1.	Complete 4 credit/600 hour ECE program, which includes DCF training.

2.	Submit DCF transcript documenting passage of six DCF competency exams with a score of 70 or better.

3.	Submit documentation of five-hour literacy training.

4.	Submit documentation of 480 hours of direct work with children (which must occur while enrolled in the ECE program).

5.	Demonstrate competency in the eight content areas (listed above in the “Program Facts” Section). 

6.	Submit completed Professional Resource File (for details, review Early Childhood Education NEW curriculum framework at http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/dwdframe/edu_cluster_frame14.asp). 

7.	Be formally observed at least once by a qualified observer.

8.	Earn a high school diploma or GED. (**Note – A Certificate of Completion is not a diploma)

9.	Submit documentation of age (minimum 18).

Students must complete Part I and Part II of the DCF mandated Introductory Child Care Training coursework by the end of the fourth course of this program. The required training courses are listed as follows:

Part I:	Part II:	
State and Local Rules and Regulations 
(6 hours)	Preschool Appropriate Practices 
(10 hours)	
Health, Safety, and Nutrition 
(8 hours)	5 clock hours of DCF approved literacy training	
Identifying & Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect 
(4 hours)	Note:
Students must also complete five clock hours of literacy training.  Students can meet this literacy requirement by successfully completing any of the DCF approved literacy courses. For more information, visit
http://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/child-care/early-literacy.	
Child Growth and Development 
(6 hours)		
Behavioral Observation & Screening 
(6 hours)		

10.	A student must successfully complete the Emergent Literacy for VPK Instructors course to be eligible as a VPK instructor, unless he/she has successfully completed a DCF approved literacy training course prior to November 28, 2005 (http://www.floridaearlylearning.com/voluntary_pre_k.aspx). 

11.	It is recommended that students obtain certification in infant/child CPR and first aid for initial employment.

Schools/Districts:

1.	In order for ECPC recipients to receive their Staff Credential, their name/information must be entered into a database by the instructor, district supervisor, or designated personnel.  That information is approved by DOE and then processed by DCF’s credentialing unit by awarding the Staff Credential.  The link for the database is 

https://app1.fldoe.org/ECPC_Certificate/default.aspx.  Contact Alicia Alexander (Alicia.Alexander@fldoe.org) for user ID and database instructions.

2.	Instructors/district representatives must request an electronic copy of the ECPC certificate from Alicia Alexander (Alicia.Alexander@fldoe.org). It is recommended that ECPC certificates be printed on quality paper and awarded to students.

3.	Schools should award students the Florida Department of Education ECPC only when all criteria have been met.  The ECPC is recognized by DCF and enables students to apply for the DCF Staff Credential.   Access to certificates should be limited to school/district personnel.

4.	Districts/schools should keep an electronic copy of the ECPC in a secure location.

5.	Districts should document the issuing of the ECPC by numbering each certificate.      

Note:  The Child Care Program Office will only issue a Staff Credential, CF-FSP Form 5206, through a student’s on-line training transcript.  Students may print hard copies of their Staff Credential directly from their transcript.  

6.	Within two weeks after database submission, students will be able print a hard copy of their Staff Credential directly from their DCF online transcript.