Opinion ID: 2332761
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Other Elements of Quality Preschools

Text: Plaintiffs, joined by the New Jersey Education Association and the Association for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ), also contend that the teacher certification standards set out at N.J.A.C. 6:19A-3.3 will not guarantee high-quality preschool. The ACNJ points to N.J.A.C. 6:19A-3.3(b)(4)(ii), under which DHS-licensed daycare providers can hire new teachers holding only a two year associate's degree [5] and not a bachelor's degree. They explain that the Commissioner promised certified teachers, but that the new regulations permit the hiring of non-qualified staff. Likewise, the ACNJ has expressed its concern that even the associate's degree may be waived under section 3.3(c) of the DOE regulations, a provision that the ACNJ claims is so vague it will undermine the certification requirements entirely. In the Abbott IV remand proceedings the State proposed one teacher and one aide for each half-day preschool class. Abbott V, App. I, supra, 153 N.J. at 559, 710 A. 2d 450. The estimated budget at $51,000 per teacher, ibid., suggests that certified teachers were contemplated. Judge King observed that the State's specific recommendations and budgets for preschool ... were consistent with ... legislative requirements, that anticipated certified teachers. Abbott V, App. I, supra, 153 N.J. at 560, 710 A. 2d 450. There was also, during the remand, some discussion of specialized credentials for preschool teachers. Dr. Barnett, testifying for the plaintiffs, supported the establishment of new teacher credentials geared toward the education of children under six. At no point was it suggested that the then-existing regulations requiring a certificate, N.J.A.C. 6:11-31(a), with an elementary endorsement, N.J.A.C. 6:11-6.2(a)(6) (described as authoriz[ing] the holder to serve as elementary school teacher in grades nursery through eight in all public schools), would not pertain to all preschool programs in the SNDs. In short, the testimony contemplated, and the Court understood, that the Abbott preschool programs would be staffed by certified teachers. Teacher certification is unquestionably an important component of any preschool education program. See, e.g., Abbott V, App. II, supra, 153 N.J. at 651, 710 A. 2d 450 (explaining that teachers, not instructional aides, are catalysts for improved student performance). Abbott V assumed teachers capable of providing high-quality programs to at-risk children, i.e., certified teachers as then required by DOE regulations. Indeed, the DOE has recognized the link between quality preschool and qualified staff. The Department has proposed a new preschool-3 certificate, referenced at N.J.A.C. 6:19A-3.3(b). Under this regulation, existing teachers employed by DHS-licensed providers are given time to obtain both a bachelors' degree and the new certification, even though N.J.A.C. 6:11-3.11 states that all teachers, with the exception of vocational teachers, are required to hold a baccalaureate degree. DOE permits those teachers to: i. Work toward a bachelor's degree in six years and the proposed preschool-3 certificate, if the teacher already has Child Development Associate (CDA) or Certified Childcare Professional (CCP) credentials; [6] or ii. Enroll in a CDA/CCP program, attain CDA/CCP credentials within two years and work toward an associate's degree in early childhood and a bachelor's degree within six years and the proposed preschool-3 certification, if the teacher does not have a CDA/CCP or any degree ....