online course for CDA/hours required to teach preschool?

[wildernesslodgelover]

My daughter attends a small, private elementary school. She is in 5th grade now, but has been there since PreK3. I recently applied at the preschool on campus, and I understand that if you get hired, you have a year to complete your hours to be qualified. I know they have no openings now, but I wanted to go ahead and get started on getting the hours I need (I am applying to be an aide, not a teacher.) The director told me I can do it online, and rattled off a website but I did not jot it down and I don't want to call her back and say, "What did you say? I wasn't paying attention!"

I am in FL and I think the site she mentioned had Florida in the title. I have not been able to locate it thru Google.

I volunteer at the school TONS and realize I really want to work around little kids. I am looking for something part time, and also if I get hired at her (DD's) school I will receive 50% off tuition, in addition to making a decent hourly wage.

Thanks!

 

[crazelion]

Here in TN you can get hire for a pre-school teacher without your CDA. I know when I first got hired at daycare I did not have mind at all. As matter of fact I did have any childcare experience.

Here in TN you must go to training class to keep your job at daycare and pre-school and they is free. Also we have something call TECTA that send you to school for free for college level course to CDA and a degree for early childhood education for free.

I had go back to school to the early childhood degree on top IT degree that I already had. I can say least both these degrees was free.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Thank you! Yes, here you can get hired without your CDA, but I wanted to show I am truly interested in the job and go ahead and get started. Nowadays, it is so tough to find a job, and I specifically want a job at this particular place...so i want to show my interest by getting started on the hours.

 

[dopeysgirl01]

Hi Florida neighbor! I'm in Margate, next to Coral Springs. I'm a former preschool director here in FL. The school director was talking about the 45 hours of childcare training classes you are required to take if working in preschool. You can register online now for those classes. To be an aide you do not need a CDA. Feel free to PM me if you need more info or the website for the training.

 

[barkley]

do a google search for lic. childcare/preschool requirements in your state. it can greatly differ from state to state. you might also want to find out what the norm is for the qualifications of a newly hired at the private school your child is attending. some places want you to have so many units already done before they will hire-others will hire with zero units but the employee has to enroll in a program and start whacking those units out.

btw-be cautious when it comes to places that offer staff discounts in tuition. it can sound great in theory, but in practice it might not be. the place my kids attended (as well as a separate place i taught in the ece dept. for before having kids) touted this as an enticement to new hires. in reality the only way you qualified was if you were both hired full time AND they had you working full time-and both places were notorious for keeping ece and office staff just below full time to disqualify them for the discount. the other issue, which my ds's WONDERFUL ece teacher found out first hand was some private schools that offer pre-school thru elementary (and or jr/sr high) will appear to be all one school (like "happy valley private school") but in reality the ece department and the upper grades opperate as separate entities. so in my son's teachers situation she got the discount for her dd when she was in the ece dept. but found that when she moved into first grade the discount did'nt apply so to keep her dd in what she felt was a great school her only option was to find a position within the upper grade school. her ece certification was'nt transferrable to much there so she ended up working in the cafeteria.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

ahhh, thank you dopeygirl! I was confused...I *do need hours, but *not* a CDA, correct? I am going to PM you in a second. I am sure you will have all the info I need!

barkley-I have nbeen googling and getting so confused! Although I think dopey girl has me on the right track now. As far as the discount, I have 4 friends (moms of my DD's friends) that work there. There is absolutely no issue with the discount. The preschool has 2 dy, 3 day and 5 day programs. If you work 2 days, you get 25% off tuition. If it is 3 or 5 day, you get 50% off. It applies to the preschool and to the elementary and middle schools as well. Trust me, they are not looking to screw anyone over. If you get hired for 3 days a week, you get 50% off, end of story. It has nothing to do with hours or anything.