There are several routes you may take to obtain a Georgia teaching certificate in the field of Early Childhood Education. Please note that Georgia educators may not add the field of Early Childhood Education, unlike many other teaching fields, to their certificate simply by passing the GACE content assessment in the field.

If you have never been professionally certified in GA but hold a professional teaching certificate in another state in Early Childhood Education or a comparable field:

You may apply for initial Georgia certification through interstate reciprocity. If you have not passed an acceptable content assessment in this field, you may be required to pass the appropriate GACE assessment. Please submit your application materials in order to determine which additional requirements, if any, you will be required to fulfill to obtain Georgia certification in this field.

If you do not hold a professional teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education in any state:

You must complete a state-approved educator preparation program, including a student teaching internship, in Early Childhood Education and pass the GACE assessment in Early Childhood Education. You may choose to complete a program in Georgia or another state. For a list of Georgia approved programs in this field, please click the “What approved programs are available?” tab above. For more information about initial certification programs, please click here.

You may be able to qualify for an Induction Pathway 4 certificate before you have completed an approved program. This certificate is considered non-professional and is only valid for 3 years. Because this certificate can only be issued at the request of an employing Georgia school or school system, you must be hired to teach in this field in order to qualify for an Induction Pathway 4 certificate. In addition, you must meet the following requirements:

·        Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from a GaPSC-accepted accredited institution. If your highest degree is a bachelor’s degree and it was earned less than 10 years prior to the date of application, you must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.5. If you do not, you may still qualify by submitting proof of acceptance into a GaPSC-accepted educator preparation program or an accredited advanced degree program.

·        Pass or exempt the GACE Program Admission Assessment.

·        Pass the appropriate GACE content assessment at the Induction level or higher.

·        As of January 1, 2015, pass the Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment.

To read the GaPSC Certification Rule pertaining to Early Childhood Education certification, please click here.