Indicator: Teachers With Early Childhood Certification

Priority or Priorities: Early childhood development
Initiative(s): Task force on early childhood/early childhood systems initiative
Outcome (s): Children ready to enter school and schools ready for children

Why This is Important

Having a strong background in early childhood education may help elementary teachers in the primary grades plan and adjust their instruction to their learners’ needs. School boards and administrators that support professional development efforts and hiring criteria that encourage more elementary level teachers to have this special level of certification are demonstrating a way to make schools readier for children.

Where We Stand

Teachers who hold Early Childhood Education Certificates have completed coursework and training specific to the developmental needs of young children (ages 0-8). While 298 Maine teachers have this certification in the 2005-2006 school year, this is only 2% of the public and private elementary school classroom teachers in Maine. Furthermore, of those individuals that now hold such a certificate, only 63 are employed in a school setting.

Data Source and Context

The data source is the Division of Certification, Maine Department of Education, 2006.