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. Some courses may be offered online or in a distance format.
Adding Higher Education to Your Registry Record
The North Dakota Early Childhood Higher Education Consortium has developed common course numbering that allows ECE credits to easily transfer between most North Dakota colleges and universities. A number of these courses have been identified as accepted by the Growing Futures Registry toward Career Pathways placement as well as for licensing training hours. Please note that the courses identified in the list provided by the Higher Education Consortium are just a starting point. In fact, any Early Childhood course completed at an accredited college or university in the United States with a letter grade of "C" or higher can be added to your Growing Futures professional 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 childcare program’s licensing year can be applied toward your annual training requirements, and are added to your Training Record as Level 3 training. For-credit courses are counted as clock hours, with one (1) semester credit equal to fifteen (15) clock hours.
If you completed college courses 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 Growing Futures Registry or added to your Growing Futures training record. Please visit www.naces.org to see a complete list of evaluation services. We request a comprehensive course by course evaluation where all degrees are converted to US equivalencies. Please have the official evaluation sent directly to the Registry by the evaluation service at registry@ndgrowingfutures.org.
Thinking of Going Back to School?
Watch out! 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. Growing Futures Registry staff can help you determine if the school and degree program you are considering is credible.