Career Advancement and Planning

ND Early Childhood Career Pathways 

The ND Early Childhood Career Pathways can help you see the many career options available in the field of early care and education, and the preparation that is needed to be hired in a specific position. The Pathways can help you choose training that serves a purpose, adds up to meaningful career goals and provides a solid background in the topics and knowledge areas that are important when working with young children.

Your Career Pathways placement showcases and recognizes the preparation you bring to your work. You can also use the Pathways to determine the additional preparation you might need to achieve your career goals. 

Career Pathways are Easy to Update

It’s easy to request an update to your Career Pathways placement. Whenever you have completed the requirements for placement in another category, log into your Early Childhood Workforce Registry account and select "Apply or Renew your Membership". 

Professional Credentials

A credential is a professional development achievement that is documented to verify or prove a person’s qualifications. Credentials are typically professional designations that do not apply to college degree programs. In some cases, a valid credential may be accepted for college credit on a school-by-school basis. College credits may also be used toward completing a Credential, as determined by the organization that issues the credential.

Several early childhood professional credentials are recognized as hiring qualifications in the field nationwide. Most notably, the national Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential is recognized by most state licensing systems and is a hiring consideration in Head Start and Early Head Start programs. In North Dakota, a valid CDA Credential is an accepted licensing qualification for a center director.

The Career Pathways specifically recognizes two national early childhood professional credentials: the Aim4Excellence™ Center Director Credential and the Child Development Associate (CDA).

Higher Education

North Dakota’s higher education system is an essential partner in preparing the state’s early childhood workforce. With the current growing interest in quality early childhood education, demand for highly qualified early childhood teachers is on the rise. You may wish to complete college courses to help you expand your knowledge, renew your CDA Credential, complete coursework for continuing education credits, or earn a degree.

Adding Higher Education to Your Registry Record

Early Childhood courses (content is 80% specific to the early childhood period) completed at an accredited college or university in the United States with a letter grade of "C" or higher can be added to your Registry record. For-credit courses can only be added to your record when the Registry receives an official transcript sent directly to the Registry by the school that issued the credits/degree; unofficial transcripts or other informal documentation of college courses are not accepted. Courses that are completed in your child care program’s licensing year can be applied toward annual training requirements and are added to your Training Record as Level 3 training. For-credit courses are counted as clock hours, with one semester credit equal to 15 clock hours.

If you completed college courses outside of the United States, your transcripts would first need to be evaluated by an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) before those credits can be accepted by the Registry or added to your training record. Please visit NACES’ site to see a complete list of evaluation services. We request a comprehensive course by course evaluation where all degrees are converted to US equivalencies. Have the official evaluation sent directly to the Registry by the evaluation service at registry@ndgrowingfutures.org.

Thinking of Going Back to School?

If you are considering going back to school, be sure you are a careful higher education consumer. There are many online degree programs being marketed. Many of them are not regionally accredited, and the credits you receive may not count for Career Pathways or transfer into other colleges and universities. Before you invest your time, energy, and money, be certain the school you are thinking of attending is regionally accredited. Registry staff can help you determine if the school and degree program you are considering is credible.

• Check on regional accreditation

North Dakota Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Practitioners

Competency means knowing how to do your job well. Doing a job well is the result of preparation and of learning the specific knowledge and skills that are required on the job. In the field of early childhood, there is a well-defined knowledge base and clearly identified skills that practitioners must use on the job to support children’s healthy early development and learning. As an early childhood practitioner, it is your responsibility to be competent on the job every day — in other words, to base all your decisions and actions with children on solid knowledge of how young human beings develop, learn, form relationships, and start the journey to a healthy, productive life.

To help early childhood practitioners identify the knowledge and skills needed to be competent on the job, the core competencies are divided into eight content areas. Each of the eight areas contains five levels that range from the skills and knowledge of a beginning practitioner to the more advanced skills and knowledge possessed by a professional with a master’s degree. The core competencies are designed to serve as a guide for improving your work with children and families. The competencies are worded so they can be measured or demonstrated.

The North Dakota Core Competencies for Early Childhood Educators and Practitioners  have been adopted for professional development planning and are used to define the knowledge and skill to gain as you complete training. The Career Pathways are set up to encourage you to complete at least 10 clock hours of training in each core competency area as the starting point to becoming a knowledgeable, skilled, and competent practitioner. Each step on the Career Pathways lays the foundation for the next, starting with the basics of health and safety, and establishing a learning environment and curriculum. At Career Pathways Category C, you expand your knowledge by learning more about child development, interactions with children, and ways to assess children’s development and learning. At Career Pathways D, you complete your basic knowledge with communicating with families, program evaluation, and professionalism. By completing the Core Competency training outlined in the Career Pathways Categories A-D, you gain 120 hours of basic training in the fundamentals of being a knowledgeable, competent practitioner. This package of training also meets the education requirements for the national CDA Credential, the most widely recognized early childhood professional credential across the United States.