Paraeducator Area of Concentration Course Schedule
Heartland AEA offers Paraeducator Area of Concentration courses. A prerequisite for these courses is having completed and received the Paraeducator Generalist (Level I) certification. Each of these courses can be used as the 3 credits needed to renew a paraeducator certificate and can also be used to add an area of concentration to a paraeducator certificate.
The cost to register for each course is $180. The fee to add an area of concentration to your paraeducator certificate through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners is $25 (subject to change) once you complete the course.
Courses
Paraeducator Area of Concentration: Early Childhood Course
This is the required course to receive the Paraeducator Certification Generalist II with the Area of Concentration: Early Childhood.
Successful completion of the Paraeducator Generalist Certification course(s) is a prerequisite to receive a Level II certification (Area of Concentration).
Reminder: You must have been issued your Paraeducator Generalist Certificate by the Board of Educational Examiners (BOEE) prior to completing this course in order to use the credit from this course to renew your Paraeducator Generalist Certificate.
Participants will gain knowledge, skills and strategies to assist, support and maintain the positive social, emotional and behavioral development of early childhood students and special needs early childhood students. The focus of this course will be on early childhood birth to grade 3 with an emphasis on ages 3-5. There will be coursework that will need to be done online. All participants must have access to a working email address as well as a computer or tablet device with Internet access to complete assignments.
This class may also be part of a staff development plan for teaching assistants with an associates degree or two years of college in fields other than early childhood addressing how early childhood expertise is being provided to guide the curriculum.
Session #: 55469
Feb. 9, 23, March 9, 23, April 6 & 2, 2026
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Zoom + online coursework due by April 24, 2026
Login
When you arrive at the website, check to see if your name is listed under the Quick Links heading in the left column. If it is, you are already logged in. If not, click on the yellow Sign In button. Your AEA Login is the same email and password you use to log into the AEA Learning System (e.g. Mandatory Reporter, Bloodborne Pathogens). If you don’t have an account in the Learning System, you will need to click on “Need a profile? Sign Up” at the bottom of the login screen.
Registration
Once you have logged in and are on the Home screen, in the text box under Ready to Learn? You may search by topic, subject area, presenter name, etc., type the Session #55469 and click Search. Scroll to the bottom and select the credit type. At the top of the page, click the Register button. This will add the course to your Registration Cart.
Once you have the course in your Registration Cart, click Checkout at the bottom. Review the Cancellation and Refund Policy and select your payment method (credit card or purchase order issued by an Iowa school district). Complete the necessary payment information and select Complete Checkout.
You will receive a confirmation email after you register.
Questions?
Contact Professional Learning at (515) 473-6780 or profdev@heartlandaea.org