Background

As of September 1, 2020, child care programs were required to participate in Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) in order to provide publicly funded child care services, unless exempt. This includes programs serving school-age children as well as stand-alone school-age programs.

Due to the nature of the school-age programs, school-age professionals are often individuals who only work part-time at the program. As a result, a school-age endorsement was implemented on August 1, 2018 to support school-age professionals in obtaining the targeted professional development and classroom experience needed to meet the SUTQ education requirements and to best meet the needs of school-age children.

Teachers and administrators in all programs regulated by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) can apply for the endorsement.

Updates

The Ohio Approved prescribed coursework is now competency based. Professionals can now apply for the level for which they meet the requirements. For example, an individual no longer has to be awarded a level one endorsement before being eligible to apply for a level two endorsement or an individual can apply for a level 3 endorsement without being awarded a level one or two.

Overview of the School-Age Professional Endorsement

The School-Age Professional Endorsement is designed for teachers and administrators working in centers and family child care (FCC) programs in which school-age children are enrolled including school-age only programs. There are three levels of endorsements: School-Age Assistant Teacher, School-Age Lead Teacher, and School-Age Administrator.

The endorsement requires the following:

1.Hours of experience in a regulated ODJFS/ODE program

2.Ohio Approved prescribed professional development or college level coursework that meets the National Afterschool Association (NAA) Competencies (NAA Core Knowledge Skills Competencies for OST Professionals).

3.Completion of Ohio Approved professional selected professional development

4.A high school diploma or an Ohio High School Equivalence Diploma (formally GED).

Professionals who work with school-age children can use the endorsement as an option to meet SUTQ education requirements for all five-star ratings. However, extra points cannot be attained by administrators for four- to five-star ratings. Administrators will also need to meet the licensing administrator qualifications pursuant to rule 5101:2-12-07, 5101:2-13-07 or 3301-32-03 of Ohio Administrative Code (OAC). All new and current administrators in programs serving only school-age children and child care staff in a school-age only group can use the endorsement to meet the staff education requirements found in the appendices to rule 5101:2-17-01 of the OAC. Once an endorsement is awarded, it is discontinued two years after the award date unless the professional renews or increases their endorsement level.

Components of the School-Age Professional Endorsement

The school-age prescribed Ohio Approved professional development/or college coursework must be completed within the previous six years for the initial endorsement. This timeframe does not change as a professional increases their endorsement level.

A professional's Ohio Approved coursework can be used to meet the requirement for professional-selected coursework when increasing an endorsement level if the coursework was:

• Completed after the date of the most recently issued endorsement; or
• Completed within the previous two years.

Lead or Assistant Teachers can use experience from any age group. However, 600 hours of Administrator’s experience must be specifically in a program serving school-age children.

College Coursework Requirements for SAE Levels 1, 2, and 3

All college coursework must be completed within six years of the application submission date. A professional must have earned a grade C or better in a course related to the Level's Core Knowledge and Competencies (CKC) in accordance with the National Afterschool Association (NAA) Competencies. The completed qualifying coursework must be submitted to the Education tab of your OPR profile on a copy of an official college transcript only. For initial endorsements at each level, one college course can be used to meet two competencies. A professional can only use one college course twice to meet each level of the endorsement.

If the coursework was completed during the current biennium, the professional can still have the credit hours converted to contact hours for credit toward their PD certificate, as is present day policy.

Endorsement Level Increase and Renewal

A professional cannot have more than one endorsement at the same time.

An endorsement may be renewed 60 days prior to the expiration in the professional's Ohio Professional Registry (OPR) profile. It is important not to wait until the expiration date to ensure staff continue to meet the qualifications for Step Up To Quality.

A professional can only renew at their current endorsement level. If the individual would like to obtain a lower-level endorsement, they will need to let the higher endorsement lapse and apply for a lower level.

The endorsement will be discontinued two years from the award date unless the professional renews or increases their endorsement level. If the endorsement is discontinued and the professional wishes to attain another endorsement, the professional must go through the application process and apply for any level for which they meet the requirements.

Implementation: These revisions will be effective on 08/19/2022.

For more information on the School-Age Professional Endorsement go to: School-Age Endorsement - OCCRRA

If you have any questions, please contact the Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRRA) at 614-396-5959 or Toll Free 1-877-547-6978 or support@occrra.org.