Spotlight on Louisiana's Early Childhood Ancillary Certificate

In 2012, the state of Louisiana set out to create a unified system of education from birth through grade 12. During the initial planning phase, it became clear that a critical piece missing from this system was training and education for the early childhood workforce. To address this, in 2014, the Louisiana Department of Education passed a policy requiring that, by July 2019, all lead teachers in child care centers that receive public funding must attain a new educational credential called the Early Childhood Ancillary Certificate (ECAC). Prior to 2014, a clean criminal background check was the only requirement to be a lead teacher in a child care classroom in Louisiana. There was strong support for establishing a minimum education and training requirement for lead teachers in child care settings. To develop the ECAC as a way to support and retain a qualified early childhood workforce, the Louisiana Department of Education partnered with Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies, technical colleges, universities, school districts, and non-profits interested in designing and implementing high-quality professional development programs for child care lead teachers. These ECAC program partners provide flexible course offerings, onsite coaching, and CLASS™ observations for lead teachers working in publicly funded child care centers in Louisiana. To incentivize teachers to obtain the ECAC, Louisiana developed a system of scholarships, incentives, and special recognition for completing trainings required for the certificate. The ECAC requirement was phased in over a five-year period, which allowed for time to coordinate quality improvement efforts, create a financial incentives structure, and align all aspects of the policy work with Louisiana's outcomes framework for children and families. Some of this initiative's successes and challenges are described in this report.