HEV0873 – Teacher (Preschool) is a 150-hour Postsecondary Adult Vocational (PSAV) course carrying zero credit hours. It is Occupational Completion Point D — the final component — of Florida's 600-hour Early Childhood Education program, and it is the point at which a student is prepared to take responsibility for a classroom.
The distinction from the previous OCP is authorship. A teacher aide implements a program; a preschool teacher designs one: setting goals aligned to standards, planning curriculum across a year rather than a week, assessing systematically, adjusting instruction based on evidence, managing an environment and a schedule, supervising other adults, and communicating with families as the responsible professional.
Content covers curriculum design aligned to the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards; long-range and short-range planning; systematic assessment including screening, formative assessment, and portfolio-based documentation; individualization and planning for children across a wide developmental range; classroom management as a designed system rather than a set of responses; and supervision of assistants and volunteers.
Program administration features: licensing compliance, record keeping, health and safety systems, and understanding the regulatory environment a classroom operates in. Family partnership deepens into conferences, difficult conversations, and connecting families to resources.
Completing this OCP, along with the program's other requirements including the 480-hour work experience, qualifies a student for the Early Childhood Professional Certificate and a DCF Staff Credential — the credential that permits serving as a preschool teacher in a licensed Florida facility.
The course is offered at approximately 17 Florida institutions, predominantly district technical colleges and career centers: Charlotte Technical College, Daytona State, Fort Myers Technical College, Immokalee Technical College, Lake Technical College, Lorenzo Walker Technical College, North Florida College, Orange Technical College, Pinellas Technical College, Radford M. Locklin Technical College, Sarasota County Technical Institute, Suwannee-Hamilton Technical Center, Sheridan Technical College, Southwest Technical College, Traviss Technical College, and Withlacoochee Technical College.
Florida's VPK program and School Readiness funding sustain demand statewide. Compensation in private child care is modest relative to responsibility, and turnover in the field is high for that reason; students planning a long career should look at the credential ladder toward director roles, public school employment, or a degree, all of which improve compensation substantially.
Florida's Early Childhood Education program (FLDOE program number E300100, CIP 0419070913) is 600 clock hours across four Occupational Completion Points, each 150 hours and each separately employable, so a student can work while continuing:
Every component carries zero credit hours and is measured in clock hours. The FLDOE framework sets basic skills levels of Mathematics 9 and Communications 9, normally demonstrated by TABE, and the career and technical student organization is SkillsUSA.
Completing all courses in the program and meeting additional requirements — including a 480-hour direct work experience requirement with children five years old or younger while enrolled — qualifies a student for the FLDOE Early Childhood Professional Certificate (ECPC) and eligibility for a DCF Staff Credential. The work experience requirement runs concurrently with coursework and needs planning; classroom hours do not satisfy it.
The program is approved by the Florida Department of Children and Families as meeting the training requirements for child care personnel and preschool teachers under Rule 65C-22.001(6), F.A.C. Students should confirm their institution's program holds current DCF approval — the coursework serves its purpose only if it does.
Because students work with children, programs require Level 2 background screening under Chapter 435, F.S. before placement, and a disqualifying record prevents participation. Prospective students with any history should raise it with the program before enrolling rather than after.
Florida law requires any person who knows or suspects child abuse, abandonment, or neglect to report it to the Florida Abuse Hotline (1-800-96-ABUSE). The duty attaches to the individual, not the employer, and cannot be discharged by telling a supervisor. Failure to report carries criminal penalty.
This is clock-hour CTE and does not carry college credit or transfer as general education. Florida does maintain a statewide articulation agreement for Early Childhood Education awarding college credit toward an A.S. in Early Childhood Education for specified credentials — a meaningful pathway for students who later pursue a degree. Confirm current terms with the receiving institution, since articulated credit depends on the credential earned.
Completing OCP D finishes the coursework, but the ECPC also requires the 480-hour direct work experience with children five and under, accumulated while enrolled. Students who complete all four courses without tracking work experience find themselves credential-eligible on paper but not in fact. Students should confirm with their program how experience is documented and verified, and begin accumulating it early rather than at the end.
Florida's Voluntary Prekindergarten program sets its own instructor credential requirements, which have been revised periodically by the Legislature and the Department of Education. A student intending to teach VPK should verify current requirements directly rather than relying on program materials, since the standards have moved.
For students who want to continue: the Florida Director Credential opens administrative roles; the statewide articulation agreement awards college credit toward an A.S. in Early Childhood Education for specified credentials; and an A.S. can articulate onward toward a bachelor's degree and, with additional requirements, Florida teacher certification. The PSAV credential is a genuine entry point rather than a terminal one, and students should understand the map before deciding where to stop.
Generated August 31, 2026 · Updated August 31, 2026