The Career Ladder is based on what national research shows about the importance of specialized training in ECE and the correlation between formal education and quality environments for children. The ladder views the field of Early Childhood Education as a distinct and separate body of knowledge and area of specialization.
Career Ladder Level Determination
The ladder consists of seven levels that are a measure of formal education gained by completing courses at regionally accredited community colleges and/or universities and are awarded by The Nevada Registry based on either accumulated credits or degrees earned.
Career Ladder levels are determined by looking at an individual’s entire educational career in the field of Early Care and Education. Members are placed at the highest level for which they have documented verification validating that all the criteria have been met. Career Ladder levels are reassessed each year upon a member’s annual renewal date.
Career Ladder Level Increases
Individuals do not have to qualify at each level of the Career Ladder to advance to the next. For example, if an individual is initially placed at Level 1.3 (15 hours of Registry-approved training or one ECE college credit) but then completes an additional 11 ECE credits prior to their annual renewal with the Registry, they would bypass Level 2.1 and be placed at Level 2.2*. If an individual possesses a CDA (Level 2.1) but then completes 30 college credits with 24 in ECE prior to their annual renewal with the Registry, they will bypass Level 2.2 and 3.1 and jump to Level 3.2. If an individual does not have hours of experience in the field working directly with children, but has an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or Ph.D. degree in ECE, they would bypass Levels 1 – 3 and be placed at Level 4.1, and so on.
In general, an individual’s Career Ladder level will not automatically change/increase upon their annual renewal because of continued employment in the field and/or participation with the Registry (i.e., one more year of experience/one more year of membership with the Registry). Career Ladder levels do not change based on longevity; they increase because of the completion of additional professional development and/or college coursework. For instance, a member at Level 1.1 will move up to Level 1.2 only when they submit verification of a high school diploma or proof of having completed 20 regionally accredited, semester college credits. A member at Level 1.2 will move up to Level 1.3 only if they submit copies of training certificates showing completion of 15 Registry-approved training hours or by completing a one-credit ECE college course. A member at Level 1.3 will move up to Level 2.1 by completing a CDA, eight ECE college credits or 120 hours of Registry- approved training, and so on.
The ladder is designed so that an individual’s level has the potential to increase over time as additional training and education is completed. For this reason, an individual’s level on the ladder should never drop below their previously assigned level* upon renewal; once The Nevada Registry has verified that an individual has obtained a specific level of formal education, they will remain at that level until higher levels of formal education are achieved.
*A drop in level could occur in the event of a data entry error, data cleanup project, change in ladder/level structure and/or change in verification policies. If a member’s level dropped due to a data cleanup project, an email is sent to the member notifying them of the change and they are granted a window to provide additional documentation to maintain their level.
In all instances, level changes are granted only when documentation is submitted to verify completion of additional training and/or formal education. Levels may also change based on the accrual of direct service hours (up to 4000 hours).
Career Ladder Level Re-Evaluation
Members may submit a Request for Career Ladder Re-Evaluation at any time if they believe they have met the requirements to qualify at a higher level on the Career Ladder prior to their renewal date. If the re-evaluation results in a level change, their level will be updated and will be available to view, download or print from within the individual’s Online Portal.
Career Ladder re-evaluations occurring in conjunction with a member’s scheduled annual renewal are completed at no cost. The cost to re-evaluate Career Ladder levels mid-year for any other reason than the recent completion of college courses and/or an ECE degree that will result in a Career Ladder level increase (i.e., to factor in documentation that was not originally submitted with an initial application or most recent renewal, etc.) is $20.