North Carolina — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials

CDA acceptance & requirements

• Lead teacher requirements: North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE) child care licensing accepts CDA among lead-teacher qualifications. NC Early Childhood Credential (NCECC) — earned via community-college course EDU 119 — is the entry-level credential required for child care assistants.
• Assistant teacher requirements: NCECC (EDU 119, 3 credits) required for assistants in licensed NC centers.
• Director requirements: NC Early Childhood Administration Credential (NCECAC) required for licensed-center directors.
• State-funded pre-K (NC Pre-K): Bachelor's + state teacher cert with EC endorsement (Birth-K licensure) required. CDA does not satisfy.
• QRIS: NC Star Rated License — North Carolina's QRIS integrated into licensing (1–5 stars). CDA contributes to staff-education points; higher star ratings (5) require AA/BA + administration credential mix.
• T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood — North Carolina is the founding state program (launched 1990), administered by Child Care Services Association (CCSA). WAGE$ (companion wage-supplement program) also originated here.

State-specific ECE workforce credentials

• NC Early Childhood Credential (NCECC) — Issuing agency: NC DCDEE. Earned through NC community college course EDU 119 (3 credits). Required for assistants in licensed NC centers.
• NC Early Childhood Administration Credential (NCECAC) for administrators.
• NC Department of Public Instruction — Birth-Kindergarten (B-K) license for public-school and NC Pre-K teachers; BA + state EPP.

Notable state context

North Carolina is the birthplace of T.E.A.C.H. and one of the most-studied state ECE workforce systems in the country. The integration of NC Star Rated License into licensing itself (rather than as a parallel QRIS) is unusual and gives CDA a direct contribution to provider star ratings. The bifurcation between licensed care (CDA + NCECC) and NC Pre-K (B-K cert) is sharp.