ME · Quality for ME (in transition)
Maine — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials
Maine's Roads to Quality Career Lattice recognizes CDA; Maine Public Pre-K requires Maine DOE Early Childhood (B-5) certification.
Data current as of April 2026.
CDA acceptance & requirements
- Lead teacher requirements: Maine DHHS Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) licensing accepts CDA among lead-teacher qualifications. CDA is recognized at a defined Lattice level (specific level varies — verify with Maine Roads to Quality Registry).
- Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus required orientation and ongoing PD.
- Director requirements: Higher Lattice placement + administrative coursework + experience.
- State-funded pre-K (Maine Public Pre-K): Operates through public schools; lead teachers require Maine DOE Early Childhood (B-5) certification — BA + state EPP. CDA does not satisfy.
- QRIS: Maine has been redesigning its QRIS (formerly Quality for ME); the framework is in transition as of 2026.
- T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Maine is administered through Maine AEYC.
State-specific ECE workforce credentials
- Maine Roads to Quality Career Lattice — Administered by Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network at the University of Southern Maine Edmund S. Muskie School. Multi-tier framework recognizing training, CDA, AA, BA, and state teacher cert.
- Maine Department of Education — Early Childhood (B-5) certification for public-school pre-K; BA + state-approved EPP.
Notable state context
Maine's QRIS is in transition; specific workforce-tier scoring is in flux. The Maine Roads to Quality framework continues to provide the underlying registry and Career Lattice infrastructure regardless of QRIS shape.