KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Since the COVID-19 pandemic, substitute teachers are still in demand to fill absences short and long-term in school districts.
For Kansas, standard substitute teachers are required to hold a degree, complete a teacher preparation program and clear a background check. You can learn how to apply here.
For Missouri, there are two routes.
Substitutes must have a minimum of 36 credit hours or complete a state-approved substitute teacher course. Those requirements changed in June 2022.
The 20-hour online course is only offered through Frontline Education, Kelly Education and approved Missouri higher-education institutions.
Keith Elliott works for Kelly Services, which helps recruit and place subs in both states. He said the change to Missouri’s requirements will hopefully increase the applicant pool.
![Keith Elliott - Kelly Services](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/762d679/2147483647/strip/true/crop/998x675+0+0/resize/998x675!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc2%2F62%2F4144d29149fcbf5c2755fdcb1f9b%2Fkeith-elliott.png)
“So what the state of Missouri has done is said, 'Hey, we now have a 20-hour training course that teaches you things like classroom management, conflict de-escalation, things that substitutes really need to be successful in a classroom,'” Elliott said. “Kelly's taken that a step further and developed our own training that we have shared with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Missouri."
Elliott said Kelly Services hasn’t seen a noticeable increase in substitute applications. He said they saw a 10-15% increase in demand from schools post-pandemic, which continues to be true ahead of the new school year.
—