Duluth, GA/ December 9, 2011 – ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI), an IACET approved, nationally accredited, distance training institution dedicated exclusively to the child care and education workforce, announces that the Office of Head Start will consider holders of the CCEI Early Childhood Credential (ECC) as qualified to meet formal education requirements for certain positions.

Holders of the CCEI Early Childhood Credential can be considered qualified for Head Start positions that require a minimum of a CDA or other certificate. For assistant teachers, obtaining the CCEI Early Childhood Credential is an alternate route to meet Section 648A of the Head Start Act, as amended in 2007, which, by 2013, requires Head Start teaching assistants to have a minimum of at least a Child Development Associate credential or be enrolled in a Child Development Associate credential program to be completed within 2 years, or enrolled in a program leading to an associate or baccalaureate degree. The content of the CCEI Early Childhood Credential is also appropriate to qualify infant-toddler teachers.

The CCEI credential awards 18 IACET CEUs and is recommended for 12 hours of semester credit in early childhood education by the National College Credit Recommendation Service (National CCRS), which has more than 1,500 schools willing to consider credit. The Credential is also recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to meet a part of the Alternative Pathways for directors to meet educational qualifications of the Designated Program Administrator.

“CCEI’s online ECC provides another educational option for the early childhood workforce, including those in and seeking to work in Head Start,” said Maria C. Taylor, ChildCare Education Institute President and CEO. “We have developed relationships with many higher education articulation partners so that ECC graduates can continue their education in early childhood degree programs.”