Alternate Route to Certification in Early Childhood Education

Charter Oak State College offers an alternate route to the Connecticut Birth through Five teaching certificate (112 endorsement). This teaching certificate qualifies professionals to work in a variety of settings such as public preschools, Birth to Three Early Intervention services, and public school kindergartens.

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This program will consist of intensive and accelerated instruction by expert faculty. All students will receive orientation in the use of on-line learning technology and Charter Oak State College resources. Students will complete on-line coursework as well as meet for weekend classes on Saturdays. Additionally, students must be able to complete multiple field based projects throughout the duration of the program as well as complete a four week unpaid full-time internship towards the end of the program. Field sites for the internship will be approved for the students by the ECE ARC coordinator. Students must successfully complete all portions of the program as well as a final edTPA portfolio assessment in order to be recommended for teacher certification. Students who complete the ECE ARC program must obtain employment for 90 days with a temporary teaching certificate prior to receiving their initial teaching certification from the State Department of Education.

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To be considered for the program, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Have completed a bachelor's degree in any subject area.
  • Have 15 credits in human growth and development (needed prior to certification approval).
  • Meet Connecticut's Assessment Requirements for Certification (PDF), specifically Endorsement #112
  • Sign up to take the PRAXIS 1 test with ETS
  • Have attained a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Students with GPAs between 2.7 and 3.0 may petition in writing to the ARC Director for consideration of a waiver based on a history of exceptional professional experience.
  • Have verified full-time experience as an early childhood educator (with children ages birth through five) or as a home visitor providing educational services to families with children between the ages of birth to five.
  • College transcripts for undergraduate and graduate work sent directly to Charter Oak State College by all institutions in sealed envelopes. If transcripts are sent to you and are in sealed envelopes, you may submit the sealed envelopes to ARC.
  • Two professional references.

All qualified students will be interviewed for the program. Acceptance decisions will take into consideration candidates' knowledge base in early childhood, strength of references, depth and breadth of work experiences, and capacity for academic inquiry as indicated by academic history and written and oral expression skills.

Tuition for the next cohort of the program is $6995 with a $300 portfolio fee paid to Pearson.

Liberal payment plans are available.

The Alternate Route to Certification does not directly result in an initial teacher certification. Upon completion of the final assessments, candidates must find employment in a certified position to be issued a temporary certificate during the first 90 days of employment. After successfully completing employment on a 90-day certificate, the State Department of Education will issue teaching certification at an initial, provisional or professional level.

Cohorts begin each August, January and May.

Applications are accepted throughout the year. View the ECE ARC Application Process.

Request more information about this program - click here.

For More Information

Contact: Kate Griffin, Interim ARC Coordinator, Charter Oak State College, (860) 515-3876, arc@charteroak.edu