Every year many are confused and some are taken advantage of by companies that offer the “quick ‘n easy” path to academic success. With the increased popularity of options for distance learning both legitimate and bogus, even more careful examination of distance learning opportunities is required.

Diploma mills advertise they can provide a diploma or credential in almost every field imaginable, including early education and childcare. These companies or organizations claim that with a degree from their program, the recipient can quickly qualify for advanced positions. Once the individual receives the degree they can qualify for positions that require an AA, BS, Master’s or even a doctoral degree.

Do you find this difficult to believe? Well, you should. You should doubt the “too good to be true” nature of the claim. On closer look, you will find such companies or organizations are rarely accredited by legitimate certifying bodies. Even in the area of early education there are organizations that use fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace. It is best practice to always check further when offers for quick satisfaction of degree requirements seem too good to be true.

Check to see if the school is accredited by a nationally recognized agency. Colleges and universities accredited by legitimate agencies generally undergo a rigorous review of the quality of their educational programs. If a nationally recognized accrediting body has accredited a school, it’s probably legitimate. Many diploma mills claim to be “accredited,” but the accreditation is from an official-sounding, but bogus agency. The Department of Education publishes a list of accredited schools at www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation.

Bogus degrees or credentials can compromise the credibility of both the individual and the organization that employs the individual. Claims of legitimacy by diploma mills actually hurt the credibility of the entire education and early childhood development field, including Head Start. Their “graduates” are hired without the necessary skills and requirements to successfully perform their jobs. This puts the organization that trusts such individuals in serious jeopardy when something goes wrong, and the responsible individual isn’t really “certified” to perform in the position for which he or she has been hired.

If you are the Head Start Director or manager of Human Resources, it isn’t always easy to determine if the degree or credential a prospective employee presents is authentic; however, there are several things to look for in a resume or application. These include:

• Out of sequence degrees—look for deviation from the traditional progression of degrees
• Quickie degrees—look for a degree that appears to be earned in a short amount of time
• Degrees from schools in locations different from the applicant’s job or home—this becomes more difficult to use as a criterion for determining legitimacy as distance learning offerings from legitimate institutions compete with the offerings from diploma mills; but it can still be useful as a beginning point for reviewing legitimacy.
• Sound-alike names—at times diploma mills use names that sound close to those of well-known colleges and universities. Check these institutions carefully before accepting degrees or credentials issued from them.

Even if the institution, college, or school is well known, it is important to check the academic credentials of the applicant. Here are some suggested strategies for this check:

• Contact the school—the registrar’s office is the place to begin. They will often verify dates of attendance and degrees granted.
• Search the Internet—to find out whether the institution is accredited by a legitimate organization access the U.S. Department of Education database of accredited academic institutions at www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation
• Ask the applicant for proof of the degree and the school’s accreditation—when you don’t get satisfaction from the sources listed above, ask the applicant for a certified transcript of grades and degree granted. This document shows the dates of attendance in addition to the grades and credits earned, and the degree granted.

See also:
      Avoid Fake-Degree Burns by Researching Academic Credentials