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The CDA credentialing program is administered by the CDA Council at the Council for Professional Recognition, a non-profit organization whose mission is to “promote improved performance and recognition of professionals in the early childhood education of children ages birth to 5 years old.”
The CDA Credential is acknowledged and accepted Nationwide and serves as proof that the person holding the CDA is an educated, qualified, early childhood professional.
The CDA Credential is acknowledged and accepted Nationwide and serves as proof that the person holding the CDA is an educated, qualified, early childhood professional.
120 Hours of CDA Training
Refer to pages 8-9 in the CDA Competency Standards Book.
Good news! If you have completed all 8 Units, then you have finished the 120 hours of required CDA training!
CDA applicants must complete a full 120 hours of training for professional early childhood education. Training must include at least 10 hours in each the CDA’s eight subject areas:
CDA applicants must complete a full 120 hours of training for professional early childhood education. Training must include at least 10 hours in each the CDA’s eight subject areas:
- Planning a safe and healthy learning environment
- Advancing children's physical and intellectual development
- Supporting children's social and emotional development
- Building productive relationships with families
- Managing an effective program operation
- Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
- Observing and recording children's behavior
- Understanding principles of child development and learning (you just finished this Unit)
If you just finished the 120 hours of CDA training, and are not ready to apply for the CDA Credential, that's okay. The CDA Training doesn't expire. You can apply for the CDA Credential at any time. Here is what you need to do if you do not want to apply for the Credential now:
- Be sure to hold on to your certificates!
- Be sure to create a current Professional Portfolio at the time that you are ready to apply for the Credential.
Work Experience
Refer to page 10 in the CDA Competency Standards Book.
Up to 3 years prior to applying, you’d need to achieve at least 480 hours of professional experience working with young children. The experience must be with the age group that matches the setting for which you are applying, i.e., infant/toddler or preschool.
Professional Portfolio
Refer to the CDA Competency Standards Book starting on page 10.
Complete your Professional Portfolio and Collect Family Questionnaires
The Professional Portfolio is compiled independently by each Candidate as part of the CDA credentialing process. The compiled resources and documents are reviewed by the CDA PD Specialist during the CDA Verification Visit.
Professional Portfolio is composed of:
The Professional Portfolio is compiled independently by each Candidate as part of the CDA credentialing process. The compiled resources and documents are reviewed by the CDA PD Specialist during the CDA Verification Visit.
Professional Portfolio is composed of:
- Education Documentation
- Family Questionnaires
- Six (6) Reflective Statements of Competence
- Ten (10) Resources
- A Professional Philosophy Statement
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Your Professional Portfolio MUST be prepared within 6 months of submitting the application to the CDA Council of Professional Recognition.
You should have been working on the components of the Professional Portfolio while completing the CDA training. If you have been working on the training for more than 6 months, be sure to go back and update the Professional Portfolio components that you completed to reflect current information.
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What are Family Questionnaires?
Family Questionnaires are a required component of the CDA Professional Portfolio. Candidates are required to distribute the questionnaires to the families they serve and include them in their CDA Professional Portfolio. The Family Questionnaires allow the Candidate to review and address feedback from the families they serve to aid in their professional development.
Family Questionnaires are a required component of the CDA Professional Portfolio. Candidates are required to distribute the questionnaires to the families they serve and include them in their CDA Professional Portfolio. The Family Questionnaires allow the Candidate to review and address feedback from the families they serve to aid in their professional development.
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Apply for the CredentialRefer to pages 19-22 in the CDA Competency Standards Book.
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Verification Visit
Refer to the CDA Competency Standards Book starting on page 22/23.
Once you receive your Ready to Schedule notification from the Council, you are ready to schedule your CDA Verification Visit and CDA Exam.
Next, you’ll need to find a CDA Professional Development Specialist to do your Verification Visit. Use the Council’s directory to find one near you, who meets your parameters for classroom setting and language. When your PD Specialist arrives at your workplace for the Visit, he or she will complete the following steps:
Next, you’ll need to find a CDA Professional Development Specialist to do your Verification Visit. Use the Council’s directory to find one near you, who meets your parameters for classroom setting and language. When your PD Specialist arrives at your workplace for the Visit, he or she will complete the following steps:
- Review your Professional Portfolio, transcripts and/or certificates from your Professional Education coursework, and Family Questionnaires.
- Observe you working with children and record applicable evidence or information.
- Reflect with you about your strengths or opportunities for growth as noted from items #1 and 2.
- Don’t forget to get your director’s signature before the visit, and afterward, obtain your PD Specialist’s ID number — you’ll need it later
CDA Exam
Refer to pages 26-29 in the CDA Competency Standards Book.
The test includes 65 multiple-choice questions, which includes five scenario questions where a short narrative is required, and candidates have up to an hour and 45 minutes to complete it. You can take the exam at a testing center near you. CDA Exams are provided through the Council’s partner, Pearson VUE.
After you have completed all the required steps, you should receive your credentialing decision from the Council within a week if there are no errors or missing information. Exam Envelope with Congratulations inside and Verification Visit scores are generally transmitted within 24-48 hours of completion, and the decision takes 1-3 business days from that point.
However, if information is missing or there are errors, it could take 4-6 weeks to receive your credentialing decision as errors are corrected and/or missing information is retrieved. You will receive a notice by mail about your credentialing decision.
After you have completed all the required steps, you should receive your credentialing decision from the Council within a week if there are no errors or missing information. Exam Envelope with Congratulations inside and Verification Visit scores are generally transmitted within 24-48 hours of completion, and the decision takes 1-3 business days from that point.
However, if information is missing or there are errors, it could take 4-6 weeks to receive your credentialing decision as errors are corrected and/or missing information is retrieved. You will receive a notice by mail about your credentialing decision.
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(Unit 8) Understanding Principles of Child Development and Learning (15 hours)
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