Connecticut Substitute Teacher Requirements — Daily and Long-Term Rules

Daily Substitutes: The Basics

Connecticut does not require daily substitute teachers to hold a state teaching certificate. The minimum qualification is a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. There is no subject-matter coursework requirement, no state testing mandate, and no specific endorsement needed.

Individual school districts set their own additional hiring standards — some require a background check before your first assignment, while others handle it during onboarding. But from the state's perspective, a bachelor's degree is the sole prerequisite for day-to-day substitute work.

Daily substitutes are employed and paid directly by local school districts. Rates vary significantly by district and are not set by the state. Districts typically maintain a substitute pool and assign coverage on a per-day basis.

The 60-Day Long-Term Threshold

Here's where the rules change. If a single substitute assignment in one classroom exceeds 60 school days in a single school year, the state reclassifies the position as a long-term substitute. At that point, a bachelor's degree alone is no longer sufficient.

Long-term substitutes must hold:

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution
• At least 12 semester hours of college credit in the specific subject area being taught

The employing district must then formally apply to the CSDE by submitting Form ED 175. This application must include official transcripts verifying the subject-area credits and documented evidence that the district made genuine efforts to recruit a fully certified teacher before resorting to a long-term substitute.

Long-term substitute authorizations are valid for one school year and expire on June 30, regardless of when they were issued. If the position carries over into the next school year, the district must submit a new ED 175.

How This Differs From a DSAP

The long-term substitute authorization and the Durational Shortage Area Permit (DSAP) look similar on paper — both let someone without a full teaching certificate lead a classroom. But they serve different purposes and follow different rules.

A DSAP is a temporary teaching permit for positions in state-designated shortage areas (such as special education, mathematics, bilingual education, and science). The candidate must be enrolled in an approved educator preparation program and make progress toward full certification. A long-term substitute authorization, by contrast, addresses a temporary staffing need outside a permanent vacancy. It follows the ED 175 process described above rather than the DSAP's shortage-area and program-enrollment rules.

The practical distinction: a DSAP can lead to a full teaching career in Connecticut. A long-term substitute authorization is a temporary holding pattern with no built-in path to permanent certification.

Using Substitute Teaching as a Career Entry Point

If you're considering Connecticut teaching as a career and don't yet have certification, substitute teaching can give you classroom exposure and district connections. Some districts preferentially hire from their substitute pools when permanent positions open.

Time spent as a daily or long-term substitute is not the same as service under an Initial Educator Certificate. Do not assume substitute service counts toward the 50 school-month Professional Certificate requirement; confirm any prior-service credit with the CSDE.

For a full breakdown of the certification routes available to you — including the ARC program for career changers and the DSAP pathway — the Connecticut Teacher Certification Guide maps out each option step by step.

See more Connecticut guides →