Credentials, Certifications, and College Coursework

When you create a Registry membership or renew your membership, you are asked about your education and other professional qualifications. After submitting your application, you will receive an email asking you to send documentation to verify the information you provided.

If you choose to not send documents, log in to your account and select the “I have no documentation to submit” button to move your application to the next processing step.

If your membership is current and you wish to add new documentation midway through your renewal period, you must first renew your membership. Log into your account and check off Renew your membership and select Apply/Renew. Complete and update each section and then submit the renewal. That signals Registry staff that additional documents will be coming and will need to be reviewed.

How to Send Documents

Professional Documents (e.g. credentials, certifications, diplomas, teaching license, etc.)

  • Log in to your account and complete a new member application or renewal.
  • Email the documents to registry(at)ndgrowingfutures(dot)org

NOTE: The registry only accepts electronic documents and transcripts.

Email Security Policy: emails received with attachments only will be deleted and you will not receive a response to let you know your documents were not accepted. To be sure your documents are accepted, you must include information in the subject line of the email as well as in the body of the email. In the body of the email, include your name, Registry ID#, a list of the documents you’ve attached, and a note about what you want Registry staff to do with the documents.

Transcripts

Only official transcripts sent to the Registry directly from the school that issued the credits and/or degree, or through an official e-transcript service are accepted. Transcripts received from the student themselves will not be processed or returned. If you have attended more than one college or university, have transcripts sent from all of the schools. Courses that appear as transfer credits will not be added to your training record without a transcript from the issuing school. Send transcripts to registry(at)ndgrowingfutures(dot)org.

College Courses

College courses can be added to your Registry record and counted as training toward childcare licensing under the following circumstances:

  • The course was completed at an accredited college or university in the United States
  • The course provided at least one semester hour of credit
  • The course content was 80% specific to the Early Childhood period. NOTE: Development, learning, and teaching in the birth-8 years age range is unique and distinct from development and teaching practices in the elementary grades. Therefore, most K–6 coursework does not meet the 80% criteria and is not added to Registry records. However, degrees in elementary education are included in the system as related degrees.
  • The course is shown on your official transcript sent directly to the Registry by the institution that issued the credits.
  • You successfully completed the course with a letter grade of “C” or higher.

NOTE: if you completed college courses or a degree outside of the United States, your transcripts will 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 Registry training record. Please visit the NACES site for 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(at)ndgrowingfutures(dot)org

Resources