Supporting Staff Credentials
As a program director or administrator, one of the most impactful investments you can make is supporting your staff in earning their professional credentials. A credentialed workforce strengthens the quality of care your program delivers, contributes to a higher Rising Stars rating, and gives your staff a concrete and meaningful reason to stay and grow within your program.MRTQ PDN is here to help you understand how the credential system works and how to support your staff through it.
Why Staff Credentials Matter for Your Program
Your program's workforce becomes more credentialed — which is one of the strongest contributors to a higher Rising Stars rating. A higher Rising Stars rating means a higher Child Care Affordability Program reimbursement rate for your program.The quality of care your program delivers improves — because credentialed staff bring deeper, more formalized knowledge to their work with children and families. Staff retention, program quality, and financial sustainability are all connected.
Understanding the Credential System
Maine offers two categories of credentials — Direct Care Credentials and Leadership and Specialist Credentials. As a program director, both are relevant to you.
Direct Care Credentials
Direct Care Credentials are for staff working directly with children. There are four — the Infant Toddler Credential, the Preschool Credential, the Youth Development Credential, and the Family Child Care Credential. Each one is specific to an age group or setting. Staff pursue the credential that matches the children they work with.
Leadership and Specialist Credentials
Leadership and Specialist Credentials recognize advanced expertise in program leadership, technical assistance, inclusive practice, and family child care. These are relevant to lead staff, assistant directors, and staff who are ready to take on expanded roles within your program.
How to Support Your Staff Through the Credential Process
Know where your staff are on the pathway
Use DoRA — Director of Record Access — to view your staff's Registry levels, training hours, and credential status. DoRA is available through your Registry account under the My Employment dropdown. It must be renewed annually.
Support training hour completion
Core Knowledge training is the foundation of every credential. Staff need a minimum number of training hours — in specific areas — before they can apply for a credential. On-demand options are free and available anytime. Facilitated trainings go deeper and are available on a set schedule.Understanding what trainings your staff need and helping them find time and access to complete them is one of the most practical things you can do to move them toward a credential.
Connect staff with credential cohorts
Credential cohorts are facilitated groups that support providers through the portfolio process together. For staff who feel intimidated by the credential process or do not know where to start, a cohort provides structure, peer support, and a dedicated facilitator. MRTQ PDN can help you connect your staff with the right cohort for their credential and their schedule.
Request Program Support
Your regional Program Quality Specialist can work directly with your program to help you understand your staff's credential status, identify what your team needs to move forward, and develop a plan for supporting staff development across your program. This support is available at no cost.
The TEACH Scholarship
If cost is a barrier for staff considering a degree alongside or instead of a credential, the TEACH Early Childhood Maine Scholarship Program may be able to help. Funded in part by MRTQ PDN and the Maine Office of Child and Family Services, TEACH offers scholarships for educators working in licensed child care centers or family child care programs who are enrolled in an ECE associate's degree program.
What to Expect From the Process
Supporting staff through a credential takes time — the process involves training hour completion, portfolio development, an application, and either an on-site observation or an interview depending on the credential. It is not something that happens overnight. But it is something that MRTQ PDN is designed to support, and programs that invest in the process consistently see the results in staff retention and program quality.The best time to start is now. Contact your regional Program Quality Specialist or our credentialing team to get a clear picture of where your staff are and what it will take to move them forward.