Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Special Education Generalist are now open to candidates as schools work to fill critical roles.
What’s New
- CO-ALAS and Teachers of Tomorrow are expanding their Colorado alternative teacher preparation program to include Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Special Education Generalist.
- All three new areas appear on the Colorado Department of Education’s 2026–27 statewide shortage list and meet its threshold for the most severe shortages by number of positions filled through shortage mechanisms.
- Candidates can teach, earn a full salary and complete flexible online preparation while working toward full licensure.
- The new pathways open to candidates today, November 5, 2026.
We’re excited to announce that Teachers of Tomorrow, in partnership with the Colorado Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (CO-ALAS), is adding three new certification areas to our state-approved alternative teacher preparation program in Colorado: Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Special Education Generalist. The expansion helps more aspiring educators step into high-need classrooms and strengthens the teacher pipeline for districts across the state.
These new areas build on our August Colorado launch, which created an alternative route for candidates pursuing K–12, middle school and secondary endorsements. With a bachelor’s degree, candidates can secure an eligible teaching position, earn a full teaching salary and complete online coursework and classroom-based preparation while working toward a Colorado Initial Teacher License.
Why these areas? They’re where Colorado’s workforce needs remain most acute. The Colorado Department of Education’s 2026–27 shortage list identifies Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Special Education among the state’s most severe teacher shortage areas, meaning more than 50 positions statewide in each area were filled using shortage mechanisms rather than traditional hiring practices.
Statewide, Colorado schools reported 6,447 open teaching positions in 2025–26. Districts filled 27.8% of those openings using shortage mechanisms, and rural districts used such mechanisms for more than half of their open teaching positions. Another 271.5 teaching positions remained unfilled.
Who is this for? Career changers, recent graduates, paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, military veterans and other aspiring educators looking for a supported route into the profession. Candidates get help navigating eligibility and licensure requirements, flexible online coursework, coaching and field supervision while gaining paid experience as a teacher of record.
Interest in work-based routes into teaching is growing. Participation in Colorado alternative pathways has risen in five of the past six years, even as enrollment in traditional four-year teacher preparation programs has declined, and alternative candidates remain the state’s most frequently used type of shortage hire.
Candidates pursuing the new areas must meet Colorado-specific content-knowledge requirements through the applicable state-approved examination or an approved multiple-measures submission. They must also secure a teaching position aligned with their endorsement and enroll with an approved alternative preparation program.
Ready to get started? The Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and Special Education Generalist pathways are open to candidates beginning November 5, 2026. Prospective educators and school districts can learn more at teachersoftomorrow.org/colorado.
