Requirements for ECE Teacher Certification in Missouri
Being a Preschool Teacher in Missouri is a job that’s taken seriously by lawmakers such as Margie Vandeven, the Missouri Education Commissioner. One of her goals is, with the support of Missouri Governor Mike Parson, to expand early childhood education, particularly in the early childhood education area. She wants to give all Missouri infants, toddlers, and their families the support they need through funding for high-quality learning opportunities. Although Missouri offers quality early childhood education programs, its public early childhood education programs are underfunded and have a long waiting list. Often students who enter the program are in need of specialized consideration, especially for those large numbers of children who are from low-income families.
For individuals who want to teach in Early Childhood Education or ECE (from nursery school to third grade) under the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, how does one go about it? What educational requirements, exams, and licenses and certifications are necessary to teach in either the Missouri public school system or in one of its many private school settings?
Missouri Steps to Follow for Teachers
Step 1. Earn Your Degree
Fill Out the Missouri Educator Profile or MEP
You must fill out the MEP. It is 192 multiple-choice questions meant to determine your personality and how you would handle a preschool classroom. It’s also the basis for meeting with your ECE counselor before you are admitted to a university or college’s ECE program. The online survey is not scored, and it does not affect your admission to the university or college. You can register for the survey online at the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessments. There is a fee to complete the MEP, but you can do so online from anywhere you like.
Take the Missouri General Education Assessment or MoGEA
To be admitted into Missouri’s professional education program, you must take the MoGEA which replaces the College BASE or CBASE test. The test is administered online; covers five subtests - English, math, social science, science, and writing; and contains multiple choice questions plus the writing assignment. You must pass all five subtests. Passing scores are determined by the college or university you attend. You can register for the test online at the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessments.
Complete an approved ECE program
To teach in a public or private school setting, you must complete a state-approved undergraduate teacher educator preparation program in Early Childhood Education. Not only must your education be from an approved institution, but it must also be from an accredited institution. Your courses will include general studies, such as mathematics, writing, and introductory psychology. It will also include focused studies on early childhood education, such as Introduction to Education, Behavior Management, Elementary Math, etc. You must complete a requirement of 60 semester hours of ECE coursework, have an overall GPA of a minimum of 2.75 out of 4.0, and also have a minimum of 3.00 in your early childhood education courses.
Obtain a recommendation
Upon your graduation from the undergraduate ECE program, a recommendation by the official designated for teacher education at your university or college must be obtained to be licensed to teach ECE in Missouri.
Step 2. Take Your Exams to Become a Preschool Teacher in Missouri
Take the Missouri Pre-Service Teacher Assessment or MoPTA
You will be tested regarding your current teaching environment and workplace plans to determine how prepared you are to teach.
Take the Missouri Content Assessments
You must take the online Missouri Content Assessment tests. It replaced the Praxis II series as the standard for Missouri educators years ago. The test contains 100 multiple-choice questions, and you must pass with a score of at least 220. It can be taken by appointment year-round.
Step 3. Obtain a Missouri Early Childhood Educator Initial Professional Certificate
You cannot apply for an ECE initial professional certificate in Missouri without completing Steps 1 and Steps 2. If you have completed these steps, you are eligible to receive your initial professional certificate to be licensed to teach in an ECE program in Missouri. The initial professional certificate is good for four years.
An online application must be completed and submitted to your college or university. Your college or university will then forward it onto the state of Missouri for processing.
Your background must be cleared by the state of Missouri before you can teach. This includes a criminal background check as well as fingerprints. To obtain this background check you are required to pre-register online at the State Highway Patrol’s Missouri Automated Criminal History Site or MACHS.
Step 4. Potential Credentials, Requirements and Certifications Needed in Missouri
When your four-year initial professional certificate is complete, you can apply for a Continuous Career Education Certificate or CCEC. This certificate is valid for 99 years. You must satisfy the following to qualify for the CCEC.
You must have completed four years of a teaching experience approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or DESE. Your teaching experience must include at least half-time teaching at one of the Missouri public school systems or in a Missouri accredited private school. If you substitute teach or work as a teacher’s assistant or aide, that does not qualify.
You must have a mentor who is a teacher, assigned by your school district, and that teacher must mentor you for at least two years.
You must have at least 30 contact hours of professional development. College credits may be included.
Successfully complete a beginning teacher assistance program. The program needs to be offered by a professional teacher organization, Missouri college, or the Regional Professional Development Center or RPDC.
Successfully complete in the annual Performance Based Teacher Evaluation conducted by the school that employs you.
Create and put into action a professional development plan. This plan must be on file with the school district.
Popular Career Choices
Preschool Teacher
Kindergarten Teacher
Elementary School Teacher
Special Education Teacher
Accredited Alaska Programs
Physical Education -
A certification is required through the DESE of Missouri.
Special Education -
Your undergraduate degree should be Bachelor of Science in Special Education with a focus on early childhood education. You must pass the Missouri Content exams and gain certification.
English as a Second Language -
You must obtain advanced education past the undergraduate level. Information can be found at TESOL International Association. You must pass the Missouri Content exams and gain certification.
School Administrator -
Three kinds of certifications are granted to qualified applicants including: Initial Administrator, good for four years; Transition Administrator, granted after the four years and when you are enrolled in the required doctoral program; and Career Continuous Administrator, granted after you have completed your doctoral program and ten or more years of employment. To be an Elementary Principal you must complete an approved master’s degree program in educational leadership, pass the necessary examinations, and have at least two years of classroom teaching experience.
Teach for America -
This is a low-income focus/specialization. You must satisfy all of the requirements needed by the Teach for America program.
Troops to Teachers or TTT -
This is a program for military personnel who are retiring and who want a second career as a public-school teacher. You must satisfy all of the requirements designated by TTT.
Accredited Early Childhood Educator Teacher Preparation Programs
To be a preschool teacher in Missouri you must complete an early childhood education program at an approved college or university. You will find approximately 20 early childhood education colleges or universities in Missouri. Here are some of them:
The College of Education at the University of Missouri – Columbia Missouri
Launched in 1867, the University of Missouri’s College of Education prides itself on creating innovative approaches to education for Missouri residents and others across the nation including “study ready” approaches, outreach solutions that benefit children and families, approaches to strengthen schools and organizations, and more.
Degrees Offered:
School Counseling and Guidance Services; Masters, Dr., and Post-grad Certificate
Early Childhood Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Elementary Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Multicultural Education; Post-grad Certificate
Special Education and Teaching; Bachelors, Masters, & Dr.
Accreditation By:
The Higher Learning Commission
Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation
Teacher Education Program
Educational Leadership Program
Evangel University – Springfield, Missouri
Launched in 1955 and renamed Evangel University in 1998, the university has a focus on developing teachers with a Christian focus and who will teach with the Christian faith in mind. There is also a focus on serving the needs of the communities in Missouri and across the globe. The early childhood education programs are comprehensive.
Degrees Offered:
School Counseling and Guidance Services; Masters
Early Childhood Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Elementary Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Reading Teacher Education; Masters
Accreditation By:
The Higher Learning Commission
Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation
Missouri State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Fontbonne University – St. Louis, Missouri
The Catholic and private Fontbonne University was founded in 1923 and bases its traditions and values on the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph or CSJ. These include things like faith, respect, diversity, service, service, and more. Fontbonne’s early childhood education program includes both coursework and practical experience.
Degrees Offered:
Early Childhood Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism; Post-grad Certificate
Education/Teaching of Individuals with Hearing Impairments Including Deafness; Bachelors & Masters
Elementary Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Special Education and Teaching; Bachelors & Masters
Accreditation By:
The Higher Learning Commission
Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation
Missouri State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Lindenwood University – St. Charles, Missouri
Founded in 1827, Lindenwood’s School of Education has a goal to prepare its students, while meeting the standards of the accrediting organizations, to be not only exceptional teachers who are highly regarded but also globally minded. Educators are taught to demonstrate best practices while being caring and skilled. They are also taught to be lifelong learners with an interest in developing and adapting to changes in education.
Degrees Offered:
School Counseling and Guidance Services; Masters
Early Childhood Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs; Bachelors
Education/Teaching of the Gifted and Talented; Masters
Elementary Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Special Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Superintendency and Educational System Administration; Masters & Post-grad Certificate
ESL/ Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language; Masters
Accreditation By:
The Higher Learning Commission
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
University of Missouri – Kansas City, Missouri
The University of Missouri was founded in 1839 and the Kansas City campus is one of four campuses that make up the university and its launch was promoted by Thomas Jefferson. The Board of Curators, appointed by Missouri’s governor, are in charge of the university. Of its many departments, the university has an Early Childhood Education program, launched in 1954. Its mission is to prepare quality teachers with a lifelong commitment to teaching children and to enhancing the community through academic excellence, diversity, social justice, problem-solving, leadership, etc.
Degrees Offered:
School Counseling and Guidance Services; Masters & Post-grad Certificate
Early Childhood Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Elementary Education and Teaching; Bachelors
Reading Teacher Education; Masters & Post-grad Certificate
Special Education and Teaching; Masters
Accreditation By:
The Higher Learning Commission
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
If an area of qualification is not comparable, a teacher might be assessed based upon Missouri's current demands for the most very carefully aligned qualification. Complete the internet Non-Missouri Graduate application.
If you have out-of-state mentor experience, you will certainly need to finish the Confirmation of Training Experience kind. As noted within the checklist, if your out-of-state specialist certifications have actually gone out, or if you never ever before held an out-of-state certificate, you have to provide an institutional suggestion from the qualification policeman at the college or college where you completed your initial instructor education as well as finding out about the program.
The type has to be sent by mail back to you to be included in your package. Teacher Qualification will absolutely assess your records based on existing Missouri requirements as well as does not ensure timely issuance of a Missouri certificate. All evaluations will definitely be published at the Certification Status web link positioned on your Account Page in the Educator Accreditation System.
A minimum of a baccalaureate degree from a university or university having a trainer education and learning program accepted by the Missouri Department of Elementary as well as Additional Education and learning is needed. The candidate needs to have a referral for accreditation from the designated authorities for teacher education at the university or college where the program was finished.
Plan of Study-to be completed online or sent by mail by the instructor prep work facility. If you have ended up all of the requirements supplied on your scholastic contract in addition to your college/university will be encouraging you for an initial certificate, finish the on the internet First Expert application We are incapable to evaluate international certifications in this work environment.
The credentialing document will certainly be accepted in lieu of the institutional recommendation. Upon invoice of all application products, our workplace will complete a training course assessment to identify your eligibility for Missouri accreditation. All assessments will definitely be published at the Accreditation Standing internet link located on your Account Websites in the Instructor Certification System.
Send remaining to be things on the Non-Missouri Graduate Instructor Accreditation, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102. We do decrease faxed or emailed application materials. Short-term permission path to credentials: A specific with a bachelor's level in a material area (such as maths or English) takes a proposed listing of coursework, informs for a minimum of 2 years, is mentored by the utilizing university area, and additionally passes at the minimum 2 leave assessments.
Public institutions are entirely cost-free education and discovery in Missouri under the Missouri Division of Elementary along with Secondary Education and learning. At least 1,000 children get on the waiting checklist for the general public pre-K program in Missouri as well as additionally the program is underfunded. Childcare in Missouri for preschool aged youngsters have demands regulated by The Missouri Division of Social Solutions that companies need to comply with.
Many parents consider sending their children to preschool when they have the financial means, and they hope for the best. But what does it take to become a preschool teacher in Missouri?
There are many different career paths that you can choose to follow after college or university, including teaching. If you want to teach in a preschool then you will need to find out how much money you need to pay your living costs for at least two years. In most cases, preschools are on the lower side with regards to salaries, but the salary is only part of the equation.
A career path in preschool may include becoming an administrator, or you may be given more time on the front office. You may even be hired as an interim director, but you will still have to work as a classroom teacher. The main thing to remember is that you will have to teach a lot of different subjects in a classroom, so you should be prepared to do that for two years at least.
How much you need to begin working at a preschool in Missouri will depend upon whether or not you want to stay there in the future, or if you want to move on to some other type of educational facility. This is because preschools are required to pay a lot of taxes and make contributions to the state. Those who work there as teachers are responsible for a large portion of those taxes, so it makes sense to make sure you can pay these into the system.
When you are looking into getting hired, it is important to read all of the state's requirements when it comes to certification as a teacher in the state. These requirements are a great way to see just what level of education you will need in order to become a preschool teacher in Missouri.
All preschools need a classroom, and that means that you will have to teach in an actual classroom, and you will also have to work in the classroom in order to keep them healthy. In addition to teaching, you will also have to be prepared to deal with a number of different kids that come into the preschool at various times of day. If you want to become a teacher in a preschool, you will have to know what it takes to cope with students of all ages and sizes.
So, now you know what it takes to become a preschool teacher in Missouri, but how do you get there? Many people have made a name for themselves in this field and continue to pursue the same dream. But you have to be willing to learn about how to help others by learning how to teach, and also by learning the necessary knowledge to do so.
Once you decide to go to a preschool, you will also need to take some classes, and study the state's requirements, but it is important that you start to plan out exactly what you will be doing once you enter this exciting world in Missouri. By then, you should know what you want to do as soon as possible.
You might think that being a teacher is all about educating kids, but that could not be further from the truth. If you are the kind of person that wants to learn the ropes before going out and teaching other people, then becoming a teacher in a preschool might be the right choice for you.
You can work with a group, or you can teach one child at a time in your own classroom. Either way, this is the most important step, and will be the first thing you learn about how to do in order to become a teacher in a preschool.
It will be a big step on your journey in becoming a teacher in a preschool in Missouri, but it is certainly not as difficult as some of the other positions you might have seen advertised. If you follow the requirements for what it takes to become a teacher in this state, you will not have any problems, and you will have a wonderful career to look forward to.
Career Options and Salary Info for Teachers
Public Schools –
Public school is free education in Missouri under the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. At least 1,000 children are on the waiting list for the public pre-K program in Missouri and the program is underfunded.
Private Childcare –
Childcare in Missouri for preschool aged children have standards regulated by The Missouri Department of Social Services that providers must follow.
Private Schools –
There are over 427 Missouri private schools for preschool aged children. These schools serve over 75,000 children. Private schools range from faith-based to non-religious but most private schools charge a tuition fee.
Head Start Programs –
The Missouri Head Start Association runs Missouri’s Head Start program. It is an educational program for low-income children, birth to five.
Community Based Programs –
Individuals and organizations at a local level are the foundation of community-based programs. An example of a community-based program that serves children is the Heart of Missouri United Way’s educational offerings.
Faith Based Programs –
These are programs in Missouri that have a religious focus for preschool aged children. The majority of these programs are Christian-based. Some require tuition, while others do not.
Military Programs –
Military programs are offered nationally to active members of the military from Missouri and across the nation, these include childcare, education, etc.