Do I need to be DEEC certified if I have a B.A. to teach in Massachusetts?

A certification from the Department of Early Education and Care is necessary even for those educators who have a college degree. The DEEC licenses programs, and to maintain the license, those programs must have qualified workers.

The qualifications for workers include nine months of experience. If a worker has a degree in a related field, that degree is a substitute for six months of experience. When the degree is in an unrelated field, the worker gets credit for three months of experience. The Department of Early Education and Care is responsible for children who have not yet entered elementary school.