Do you really need to be certified to be a pre-school teacher or even as a teacher's aide?

Question

I have a lot of experience with children. I have been a cheerleading coach for about 3 years and I am enrolled in an ROP course that is called "Careers with children/Pre school teacher" I am not too sure if this gets you REALLY certified to be a pre school teacher. I REALLY want to be one, but the lazy part of myself is that I dont wanna sit in a classroom for 4-6 years to become a so-called "Teacher" I really want to work with younger children. I wonder if I can get away with becoming a pre-school teacher or an aide with internship experience with working in a daycare. I wonder if they will disregard the degree in "child development" The hard part about is that I work full time. 9-5, worse hours ever! This means I would have to quit my job and intern in the morning because obviously those are the operation hours for schools. Not at nite time.

Answer 1

i believe a teacher's aide is what you do when you are studying to become a teacher. And i think you need to take child development courses to be a pre-school teacher.

Answer 2

Well, my guess is that you can get a job in a lot of schools with your experience. I've worked with many women who had less. But it would be good for everyone if you continued to take classes - maybe online?

Answer 3

Each state has different requirements to obtain teaching licensure. To do the job well, one really must take the courses... Child Development, Educational Psychology, etc. If you are really interested in working with young children, apply for work in a daycare. Another option may be starting a daycare in your own home.

Teacher aides in some states must pass a minimum skills test, or have a required number of hours to qualify as an aide. Google and log on to the department of education in your state for specifics.

PS I take offense to the phrase, "so-called". I have a master's degree in education. It takes more than a love of children to do the job well.

Answer 4

No one can answer this question adequately unless they first know what state you would like to teach in.  I am the center director of a bilingual preschool in Washington State.  Preschools in our state do not even require state or local licensing if they have children “in school” for 4 hours or less per day as per WAC; therefore it is up to the professional discretion of the Human Resource Department or Director, in our case, as to what criteria they choose to require their teachers to have.  We chose to have our center licensed by the Department of Early Learning as a means to show families some sort of license and to show that we are at least meeting the minimum license requirements of a daycare; which we are not.  Some things that we require put are not a blanket certification are: CPR, First Aid, Blood Borne Pathogens training, HEP B vaccination series, TB test, on the job experience working with children 2-5yo. Any Early Childhood education or ELED/ELE classes.

Answer 5

Well....if you live in Ontario I know this for sure (I'm a daycare owner). You can definately work within a daycare/preschool as an assistant either full time or part time without your ECE however if you decide that you really like it and want to make a career of it, you can either apply for p/t studies at a local college or work as an apprentice (on the job- get paid and work towards your ECE). Just to be sure....I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you volunteer a few hours a week at a local daycare. Also, the ECE program is only 2 years.

I know it's really hard to make the decision since you're working full time. Also, consider that the pay in not high up there so you want to be really sure that this is really, really what you want to do.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 6

To answer your question...I live in Maryland and I am a director of a small private preschool and the lead teacher as well. I initially went to college for nursing and switched over to education. I have a lot of credits for various courses. Things like sociology, psychology, and a ton more. I have taken a lot of educational courses and I also have certification. Plus in this state you must have a CPR and first aid certification to work with children younger then 5 years old. I really think that you should go to school for the training. It will make the all the difference in the world with how you relate to the children and their parents. Also, just a side note, in the state you cannot be a " lead " teacher without certification and at least one yrs experience. To also agree with the lady above, there is no such thing as a "so-called" teacher! It's one of the hardest jobs in the world. It can also be one of the most rewarding as well!!! It requires great patience and skill, that's why you really need to go to school for it. It's truly not for everyone.

Answer 7

u have 2 have have college credits to be a teacher.u cannot be left alone w kids just by taking an rop class.it's a min 6 units to work w kids "supervised"and anywhere from 12-24 units to be left alone.good luck.it only takes 1 semester to get 12 units and lots of pre schools will hire u w just those.i should know,ive been doing it for years:)

Answer 8

Most places no, but some require continuing education of some sort, and a certain amount each year. I have a cert. of achv. in ECE, and I got a pay raise when I got it, and not like .25, more like $2 per hour added! I think its worth working towards even if its not required.

Answer 9

I'm not sure where you live but the minimum requirements in Florida are to take a 40 hour state mandated training class. Which covers nutrition, behavior, rules and regulations, abuse and neglect, and then a 10 hour class either in infant, preschool, school age, or special needs. Most places will offer the class on weekends. Although those are the minimum requirements most daycare require you to have a CDA. You can contact the department of children and families and they can tell you what the requirements are, or you can also call around to a day cares to see what qualifications their asking for. Experience in a daycare is the best way to learn, although you can learn a lot from classes.