About the Registry
The Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry is a web-based system that enables early childhood professionals and those interested in an early education career to find and register for professional development opportunities, as well as keep a record of their experience, education, professional development, and credentials in a central location. The Registry is also used to manage application and enrollment in First Things First College Scholarships for Early Childhood Professionals.
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Statewide registries have been developed throughout the country to increase the number of high quality early care and education programs by helping to develop and track a knowledgeable and skilled early childhood workforce, they are based upon an individuals’ verified professional achievements. Registries provide important data about the early childhood workforce to help raise the status and compensation for early care and education as a viable and unique profession in our society.
We invite you to apply to the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry to gain the recognition you deserve for your experience, education and training in early care and education through your work with young children and families.
Early childhood practitioners are encouraged to apply for the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry. This includes caregivers, teachers, educators, administrators, and other advocates for young children. The Registry is designed for anyone who works with children birth to age eight (providing direct or indirect service) in a variety of settings:
- Family and group child care homes
- Child care centers
- Head Start and Early Head Start programs
- Preschools
- Public and private schools–pre-kindergarten-3rd grade
- Higher education, including community and tribal colleges and universities
- Child Care Resource and Referral agencies
- Community agencies serving children and families
- Private organizations and government agencies who impact early care and education at local, state, and regional levels
Participation in the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry will help you:
- Count yourself as a professional in early childhood services in Arizona
- Inform parents about your level of professional development as you make decisions about your fees for early care and education services
- Apply for new employment positions in early childhood programs or negotiate for a salary increase with your employer
- Validate and document the learning and training experiences in which you have participated
- Plan your future education and career goals
Become eligible for incentives, awards, scholarships, and grants
First you will create an ID and password by clicking on Log In. Once you have signed in you will then start the application process by clicking “Apply.” This will take you through a step-by-step process of entering your personal information, education, employment, training, and professional information. Submit your application and you will receive an email requesting additional documentation so that we may verify your information.
Career Lattice
Once you have completed your Practitioner Registry application, you will be placed at a level on the Career Lattice. The Career Lattice is intended to promote professional development for early care and education practitioners by providing a framework for recording and recognizing experience, training and educational accomplishments.
The Career Lattice covers five levels of career development based on training, education and experience in the field. Any individual developing a plan for professional growth in early care and education can chart a course on the Career Lattice. Additional information may be found under the Career Lattice under the Career Opportunities tab.
You will remain active on the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry for one year from the date on your certificate. Each year, First Things First will mail/e-mail you a renewal packet two months prior to your renewal date.
Required renewal hours each year:
- TBD
- Become eligible for incentives, awards, scholarships, and grants
For levels 3 – 5, early childhood/child development college credits or degrees are required. To count for the Arizona Early Childhood Career and Professional Development Network Registry, all credits and degrees must be from regionally accredited colleges and universities and carry a letter grade of C or better. Pass/Fail classes will not count for the 20 required credits.
First Things First reviews transcripts to ensure that college credits fall within six of the areas below with four required areas noted with an *(asterisk):
- Child Growth and Development*
- Environmental Design
- Diversity
- Health and Well-being
- Family and Community Partnerships*
- Curriculum*
- Child Guidance*
- Observation, Documentation & Assessment
- Program Management
- Professionalism
In order to count towards a level on the Career Path, college credits and degrees must be from a regionally accredited colleges or universities. The US Department of Education manages a database for institutional accreditation, which can be found at http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation.
For more information on higher education accreditation, please contact First Things First.
You may appeal to the Arizona Early Childhood Network Registry Review Committee if you feel the level that you were placed at is incorrect. If you wish to appeal, you must provide the committee with the following items:
- A cover letter describing why you wish to appeal
- Additional documentation about your course content, projects, independent study credits, and other items you feel will help your case
Evidence of informal (non-credit) training hours that you have completed in Knowledge Base content areas and the areas identified for the 20 credit requirement listed above
To refine your search when adding your employer, enter one keyword from the name of the program, or the street address (numbers only). If you are still unable to locate your employer, click on the add my employer option and fill in the required information regarding your current employer. For more information, follow this helpful guide for adding your employer.
Ensure that you have followed the process correctly for submitting documentation, see the submit documentation page for more information. For more information about changes to your lattice level please see Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Career Lattice.
In order to receive professional development credit you must enroll in the course through the Registry. Allow 30 days for the professional development to be reflected on your PD report. After 30 days contact the sponsoring agency to have your hours added.
*The Registry is not able to confirm your attendance for training events.
Registry How-To Guides
The Registry How-To Guides seamlessly walk administrators and professionals through setting up Registry accounts, submitting documentation, requesting administrative access, applying for scholarships, registering for professional development training, and more!
Benefits of the Registry
Teachers and Assistant Teachers who work with children 0-5, not yet in kindergarten
Do you work in early care and education, at a child care center, preschool or home-based setting in Arizona? Are you interested in a career working with children birth to age 5? The more experience and training you have, the further you can go! So sign up for the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry to help grow your skills and advance your career.
By joining the Arizona Registry, you can:
- Find and register for training and professional development opportunities near you; many are available online
- Meet the annual requirements for licensing
- Search by topic, instructor, and location
- Manage your career profile
- Keep a record of your training and credentials in one place
- Identify your strengths and the areas where you need more training
- Make updates as you complete classes/training
- Access First Things First College Scholarships to take college classes toward a degree or credential in early childhood (only available through the Registry)
- Share your qualifications with employers
- Have your education credentials verified for employers and licensing agencies
*Joining the Arizona Registry is required for all teachers employed by programs enrolled in Quality First.
Administrators, Directors, and Owners
As an early care and education provider, you understand that the knowledge, skills, and abilities of those working with children birth to age 5 is crucial. The quality of interactions with their adult caregivers and teachers is a primary factor in preparing young children for success in school and in life.
To encourage professional development in the early childhood workforce and make it easier to access training opportunities, we are launching the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry. The Arizona Registry will enable early childhood professionals and those interested in a career in early education to find and register for professional development opportunities in their area or online, and also to keep a record of their experience, education, professional development and credentials in a central location.
To help you and your staff easily access professional development opportunities, we invite you to join the Arizona Registry. Once registered, you will be able to:
- Find and register for classes and trainings, by topic area, to fulfill annual licensing requirements
- Conveniently track and store staff qualifications information: professional development, work experience, and employment history
- Access First Things First College Scholarships (only available through the Registry)
- Assess job applications more efficiently
Your staff’s ability to participate in the Registry depends on you, so please register!
*Joining the Arizona Registry is required of all Quality First participants. In addition to the other benefits listed above, it will also make tracking and reporting the staff qualifications component of your Quality First Points Scale much easier.
As a provider of education, training, and technical assistance for early childhood educators in Arizona, you understand that the knowledge, skills, and abilities of those working with children birth to age 5 is crucial. The quality of interactions with their adult caregivers and teachers is a primary factor in preparing young children for success in school and in life.
To encourage professional development in the early childhood workforce and make it easier to access training opportunities, we are launching the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry. The Arizona Registry will enable early childhood professionals and those interested in a career in early education to find and register for professional development opportunities in their area or online, and also to keep a record of their experience, education, professional development, and credentials in a central location.
To help you serve more early childhood educators with the classes and training opportunities you offer, we invite you to join the Arizona Registry as a registered professional development instructor in Arizona. Doing so will enable you to:
- Market your classes to a large, interested audience
- Include your bio/professional profile
- Search by instructor, topic, and location
- Take advantage of online registration and event management tools
- See a roster of those registered for your class
- Push notifications to registered participants
- Track attendance, making reporting easier
- Meet contract requirements of First Things First and/or DES
As a provider of education, training, and technical assistance for early childhood educators in Arizona, you understand that the knowledge, skills, and abilities of those working with children birth to age 5 is crucial. The quality of interactions with their adult caregivers and teachers is a primary factor in preparing young children for success in school and in life.
To encourage professional development in the early childhood workforce and make it easier to access training opportunities, we are launching the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry. The Arizona Registry will enable early childhood professionals and those interested in a career in early education to find and register for professional development opportunities in their area or online, and also to keep a record of their experience, education, professional development, and credentials in a central location.
To help you serve more early childhood educators with the classes and professional development opportunities you offer, we invite you to join the Arizona Registry as a registered sponsoring organization in Arizona. Doing so will enable you to:
- Reach a large, interested audience with your professional development opportunities
- Take advantage of online registration
- Verify staff qualifications
- Streamline the verification process
- Connect with registered trainers
- Fulfill contract requirements with First Things First and/or DES
Registry Resources
Professional Development
Keep track of your early education trainings and professional history in one place! Review your Registry information, identify areas for growth, and customize your own professional development plan.
Educational & Professional Development Reports
Easily pull a verified report listing your annual trainings, college degrees, and certificates.
Trainings
Set up trainings for your staff as well as easily track registrations and completions. Instructors can also use the Registry to manage rosters, track attendees, and market trainings.
Achieving Quality Care
Differentiate yourself by knowing evidence-based practices to better care for and educate young children. You can use the Workforce Knowledge and Competencies to guide you in achieving your best.
Scholarships
Receive available scholarships to pay for your college degree to support your work with children birth to age 5 and their families.
Early Childhood Community
When you join the Registry, you will join an early childhood community through our monthly e-newsletter that gives your access to jobs, resources, and events that can help advance your career.
Managing Staff
Look up your staff’s early education trainings to see dates of completion and credits. You can use the Workforce Knowledge and Competencies as a checklist to fill gaps in their education and customize a professional development plan.
Employment Records
Use the Registry to track past and current employers, certifications, degrees, professional credentials, and more. For prospective staff, verify employment and view past salary and titles.
Marketing
Using the Workforce Knowledge and Competencies, pull statistics on how your center meets higher quality care and market that information to parents. For example: 85% of our staff are trained in the use of play in teaching math concepts.
Did you know we have a whole library of Registry tutorial videos on YouTube in both English and Spanish?
Registry Outreach And Retention Roundtable (ROARR)
ROARR is comprised of a network of early childhood professionals in Arizona who share their knowledge of the system and provide feedback on the Arizona Early Childhood Workforce Registry.