Become a Substitute / Guest Teacher!

Make Up to $200 per Day!

While compensation varies from district to district, you can make between $100 and $200 a day as a substitute teacher. Colorado issues three types of substitute authorizations -- 1-year, 3-year and 5-year -- based on your educational background and experience, which allow you to work as a substitute teacher in a Colorado public school district, BOCES, charter school or CDE-approved facility school. Issued without a specific content or endorsement area, all substitute authorizations are valid for serving in K-12 classrooms.

Want to work with our youngest students? Substitute in a preschool classroom! Depending on its level, your CDE-issued substitute authorization may allow school districts to hire you as a substitute for early childhood director and teacher vacancies. Apply and start working with Colorado's youngest school-aged children today!

Colorado students need you! Visit the Step Into Substitute Teaching webpage for additional information about how you can earn money, influence lives and make a difference!

Colorado Substitute Authorizations

5-Year Substitute Authorization

To qualify for a 5-year substitute authorization requires, you must hold or have held a Colorado or other state-issued teacher license and have a current fingerprint-based criminal history report/background check on file with CDE. During the application process, those with out-of-state teacher licenses will be required to upload a copy of the certificate. Alternative or provisional teacher, special services provider, principal and administrator licenses and CTE, temporary, adjunct, substitute emergency and other authorizations do not qualify; it must be a full teacher license.

Once issued, the authorization is valid in all Colorado school districts, BOCES, charter schools and approved facility schools.

Frequently Asked Questions
Learn about the Fingerprint-based Background
Click to Apply

3-Year Substitute Authorization

To qualify for a 3-year substitute authorization, you must hold an earned bachelor's or higher degree in any content area from a regionally accredited college or university and have a current fingerprint-based criminal history report/background check on file with CDE. During the application process, you will be required to upload a copy of the official, degree-conferred transcript(s) into your application.

Once issued, the authorization is valid in all Colorado school districts, BOCES, charter and approved facility schools.

Frequently Asked Questions
Learn about the Fingerprint-based Background
Click to Apply

1-Year Substitute Authorization

To qualify for a 1-year substitute authorization, you must hold high school diploma or its equivalent, have a current fingerprint-based criminal history report/background check on file with CDE and attest to having successful experience working with children. Ideal for anyone recent college graduates, career-changers and anyone interested in serving their communities and its students!

Frequently Asked Questions
Learn about the Fingerprint-based Background
Click to Apply

Once issued, the authorization is valid in any accepting Colorado school district, BOCES, charter and approved facility school.

As featured on "Denver 7 Morning News"

Como fue televisado en "Univisión"

Interested?

Get started on your path to substitute teaching! It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. If you've not already done so, submit your fingerprints to CBI for CDE licensure purposes.

2. Select "click to apply" beneath the authorization type for which you qualify (above), then follow the steps on the checklist and submit an application.

3. Visit our school districts web page to identify the districts in which you would like to serve and give them a call!

Questions?

Email Educator Licensing.

Sign up for Substitute Boot Camp

You can make a difference in the lives of children by serving as a substitute teacher! The Substitute Boot Camp is a FREE virtual course that will prepare you to be successful throughout your substitute career, from day one on the job. This course is an excellent resource for current and future substitutes who will learn about their roles and responsibilities, including:

Understanding and executing academic lesson plans
Preparing lesson plans when lesson plans aren't available
Building student relationships and developing classroom management skills
Following school procedures and responding to emergencies

Substitute Boot Camps are facilitated in the online course system Moodle. Once you register using the form below, you will receive an email from Moodle within 5 business days on how to finish setting up your account and how to access your course. After that, you can complete the course at any time. It should take about two hours to complete.

Access the course outline to learn more about the Sub Boot Camp Moodle course.

Registration

Click here to register for the new Moodle course.

Questions?

Please contact Educator Recruitment at educator_recruitment@cde.state.co.us.

Colorado New Substitute Stipend

The Colorado Department of Education, in partnership with the Colorado Center for Rural Education at the University of Northern Colorado, are pleased to announce the availability of a $300 stipend for new, first-time substitutes with a valid Colorado State Board of Education Educator Certification (Substitute Authorization or Colorado Teacher License) on or after 1/1/2020 OR are a retired teacher with a current license, no contract and are a new substitute after 3/1/2020.

For information on eligibility requirements and application information, view the Colorado Substitute Stipend webpage. Stipends are issued through the University of Northern Colorado, are limited, and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Questions?

For eligibility questions email educator_recruitment@cde.state.co.us.

For questions related to stipend payments email substitutestipend@unco.edu.

Tools for Districts

CDE's Communications Office has created a toolkit that districts can use in their efforts to recruit substitutes. Materials include social media images, sample posts and a printable flyer.

If you have ideas for additional resources that would be helpful to include in the toolkit, reach out and let us know by emailing CDE_Communications_Office@cde.state.co.us.

View the toolkit here.