Links to search for an accredited institution can be found in Announcement PDO 22 #01.

Yes. Announcement PDO 22 #01 explains that non-regionally accredited ASB/AST degrees and credits will be counted if they are issued prior to July 1, 2022.

Yes.

Review Announcement PDO 22 #01. Any degrees or credits from non-regionally accredited programs earned after July 1, 2022, will not be counted towards placement on the Career Pathway.

Review Announcement PDO 22 #01. Any degrees or credits from non-regionally accredited programs earned after July 1, 2022, will not be counted towards placement on the Career Pathway. After July 1, 2022, students should be encouraged to enroll in and attend a regionally credited school as the credits will not count for a Career Pathway placement until the college is listed as regionally accredited.

Review Announcement PDO 22 #01. Any degrees or credits from non-regionally accredited programs earned before July 1, 2022, will still be counted towards placement on the Career Pathway.

Announcement PDO 22 #01 was released February 7, 2022. Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) were a target group of this communication. The announcement asks ELRCs, PDOs, and other groups to share the announcement.

If there is a particular college that needs outreach, contact Rebecca Lamar (reblam@pakey.org).

For credits to count on Pennsylvania’s Career Pathway after July 1, 2022, students should be encouraged to enroll in and attend a regionally credited school as the credits will not count for a Career Pathway placement until the college is listed as regionally accredited.

To maintain an accurate workforce data set, each professional needs to review and renew their PD Registry profile information, on an annual basis, for accuracy and upload any new education documents. The profile includes personal and employment information, and the Career Pathway. If an individual has not completed any new courses or obtained a degree, they only need to renew their profile and do not need to upload any additional documents.

Career Pathway assessment will be completed within 90 days of completed submission.

There are no plans at this time, but this suggestion will be taken into consideration.

Yes. This counts as “some college”.

No. You will need to submit your HS diploma or HS equivalency, if that is your highest level of completed education, or if you are in school currently pursuing your first degree.

Career advancement through credit-bearing coursework and degree attainment is one component of a successful PD system. Another is a means to obtain on-going PD once a professional reaches their desired job role, so that the professional can remain up to date with changing research and best practice. Both DHS child care certification regulations and STARS performance standards require on-going PD.

Pennsylvania’s ECE Career Pathway levels are evaluated on college courses, degrees, and certifications, and/or other OCDEL approved endorsements for the goal of career advancement.

Policy on new PD, STARS and/or state requirements were not addressed during this webinar except those specifically related to Announcement PDO 22 #01. Policy announcements on any new or changing requirements are shared through the Early Education News, ECE Recap, or Special Announcements.

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An individual may submit an updated education document (i.e. transcript) at any time, however in cases where an individual has already been placed on the Career Pathway and new documentation is uploaded, the new items will not be reviewed until their current Career Pathway placement expires and the individual resubmits for annual review. The exception to this is cases where an individual submits a Career Pathway Placement Review Form. This can be filled out by an ECE Professional or by a representative from an Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) or Early Childhood Education Professional Development Organization (ECE PDO) on behalf of an ECE Professional.

Requesting transcripts for homeschooling or closed schools can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)’s website.

Yes.

If the institute of higher education is accredited at the time of graduation, the degree will be counted.

If the institute of higher education is not accredited at the time of graduation, the degree will not be counted.

Credits from an ECE degree or equivalent degree are fully counted. ECE equivalent degrees can be found via NAEYC’s Early Childhood Higher Education Directory (degreefinder.naeyc.org). The Career Pathway system also allows coursework from several areas to be considered “related” because they may include some related competencies but do not include all competencies covered in an ECE focused course. Credits in these “related” courses are awarded “partial credit.”

Yes.

Career Pathway levels are based on the professional competencies and are research-based to assure quality. The Professional Development Organizations have funding available to make degree attainment and Career Pathway advancement more accessible.

The Career Pathway system defines coursework and degrees as ECE equivalent, related or unrelated. Credits from an ECE degree or equivalent degree are fully counted. ECE equivalent degrees can be found via NAEYC’s Early Childhood Higher Education Directory (degreefinder.naeyc.org). The Career Pathway system also allows coursework from several areas to be considered “related” because they may include some related competencies but do not include all competencies covered in an ECE focused course. Credits in these “related” courses are awarded “partial credit.”

At the time of release of this FAQ, OCDEL does not intend to restore ERA.