{"data":{"id":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-10-550g","jurisdiction":"us-ct","citation":"Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-550g","heading":"Designated staff member and designated qualified staff member requirements.","body":"(a) As used in this section:\n(1) “Office of Early Childhood funded early care and education program” means an early care and education program that accepts state funds directly from the office or indirectly through office subcontractors, for any combination of infant, toddler and preschool, and any before and after school program for infant, toddler and preschool-age children, but does not include the child care subsidy program established pursuant to section 17b-749.\n(2) “Designated staff member” means the person assigned the primary responsibility for a classroom of children in an Office of Early Childhood funded early care and education program.\n(3) “Designated qualified staff member” means a designated staff member who possesses at least one of the following:\n(A) A bachelor's degree or higher with a concentration in early childhood education from an institution of higher education that is (i) regionally accredited and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, (ii) regionally accredited and working toward achieving accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, or (iii) regionally accredited;\n(B) A certificate issued pursuant to section 10-145b with an endorsement in early childhood education or early childhood special education;\n(C) Deemed to meet the bachelor's degree requirements by the office without a concentration in early childhood education, but with at least twelve early childhood credits from an institution of higher education that is regionally accredited;\n(D) A bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education that is regionally accredited, without a concentration in early childhood education, but with at least twelve applicable early childhood credits as determined by the office;\n(E) Permission from the office if such designated staff member is enrolled in an institution of higher education and engaged in and making progress in an early childhood planned program of study leading to an early childhood bachelor's degree and under supervision in accordance with the provisions of subsections (b) to (d), inclusive, of this section.\n(b) When a bachelor's degree designated qualified staff member is not assigned, a person may be deemed a designated qualified staff member if such person possesses at least one of the qualifications included in subsection (d) of this section and is under the supervision of an on-site staff member who is in a teacher or administrator role and meets the bachelor's degree or higher with a concentration in early childhood education requirement.\n(c) In the case of a family child care home that is an Office of Early Childhood funded early care and education program, if the designated qualified staff member is working toward an early childhood associate degree or higher, such designated qualified staff member may be supervised by an individual from an off-site location who meets the bachelor's degree requirements for a designated qualified staff member and who provides coaching at the family child care home.\n(d) The associate degree designated qualified staff member, under the supervision of a bachelor's degree qualified staff member, shall possess at least one of the following:\n(1) An associate degree or higher with a concentration in early childhood education from an institution of higher education that is (A) regionally accredited and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, (B) regionally accredited and working toward achieving accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, or (C) regionally accredited;\n(2) Deemed to meet the associate degree requirements by the office without a concentration in early childhood education, but with at least twelve early childhood credits from an institution of higher education that is regionally accredited;\n(3) An associate degree from an institution of higher education that is regionally accredited, without a concentration in early childhood education, but with at least twelve applicable early childhood credits as determined by the office;\n(4) Permission from the office if such associate degree designated qualified staff member is enrolled in an institution of higher education and engaged in an early childhood planned program of study leading to an early childhood associate degree.\n(e) (1) From July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2027, inclusive, twenty-five per cent of the designated staff members at each Office of Early Childhood funded early childhood education program shall be designated qualified staff members meeting one of the criteria at the bachelor's degree level. If the Office of Early Childhood funded early care and education program is a family child care home, the designated qualified staff member for such family child care home shall have achieved or be working toward an early childhood associate degree or higher.\n(2) From July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2030, inclusive, fifty per cent of the designated qualified members at each Office of Early Childhood funded early childhood education program shall be designated qualified staff members meeting one of the criteria at the bachelor's degree level. If the Office of Early Childhood funded early care and education program is a family child care home, the designated qualified staff member for such family child care home shall have achieved or be working toward an early childhood associate degree or higher.\n(3) On and after July 1, 2030, sixty per cent of the designated qualified staff members at each Office of Early Childhood funded child care program shall be designated qualified staff members meeting one of the criteria at the bachelor's degree level. If the Office of Early Childhood funded early care and education program is a family child care home, the designated qualified staff member for such family child care home shall have achieved or be working toward an early childhood associate degree or higher, except on and after July 1, 2035, the designated qualified staff member for such family child care home shall hold an early childhood associate degree or higher.","path":["TITLE 10. EDUCATION AND CULTURE","CHAPTER 184c. OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD"],"source_url":"https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_184c.htm#sec_10-550g","current_through":"Revised to January 1, 2026 (2026 Supplement to the General Statutes of Connecticut, applied over the base revision of January 1, 2025)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T19:07:21Z","sha256":"9a4fb8e7e760abd0a7b7622ba66bbf1af32f196ed47104003425cd68a78cec62","source_id":"us-ct","stale":false,"prev":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-10-550f","next":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-10-550h"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}