What is a CDA?
The CDA (Child Development Credential) is a competency-based, nationally-recognized credential awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, DC. The Council was originally formed as a separate entity of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), but responsibility was taken over completely by the Council in 1985.
The CDA is an entry-level credential which is required in most states for family child care licensing and to be a lead teacher or a director in center-based programs.
The CDA process requires 120 clock hours of training, a collection of documentation. observation at the workplace by a CDA Advisor, and participation in a Verification Visit with a Council Representative.
Since 1975, well over 200,000 care providers have earned a CDA credential, with more than 15,000 applying each year.
The CDA Competency Standards according to The Council For Professional Recognition
The CDA Competency Standards are the national standards used to evaluate a caregiver's performance with children and families during the CDA assessment process. The Competency Standards are divided into six Competency Goals, which are statements of a general purpose or goal for caregiver behavior. The Competency Goals apply to all child care settings.
The six goals are defined in more detail in the 13 Functional Areas, which describe the major tasks or functions that a caregiver must complete in order to carry out the Competency Goal. A Developmental Context, a brief overview of relevant child development principles, explains each Functional Area.
Although the six Competency Goals are the same for all settings (center-based, family child care, home visitor), the Functional Area definitions and sample behaviors differ for each setting and age group.
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 Child
Development Associate (CDA) Training Program
Advance your career. Capitalize on how much you already know. Earn a recognized professional credential.
What is a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential?
The CDA credential is recognized nationally as the quality standard for
training of professional early childhood caregivers. The CDA training helps
caregivers work effectively with infants, toddlers, preschool children, and
their families within an early childhood program environment.
Why choose the YVR CDA Child
Development Associate Preparation Program from Educational Institute?
Educational Institute provides a range of programs designed to educate and
train early childhood practitioners.
Training takes place either online, through online-guided field experiences
with children, or in our Clifton School or Hudson County sites, creating a
learning environment grounded in experience as well as theory. CDA training
focuses on eight essential content areas:
- Planning a safe and
healthy learning environment
- Advancing children's
physical and intellectual development
- Supporting children's
social and emotional development
- Establishing positive
relationships with families
- Effectively managing a
child development program
- Maintaining a commitment
to professionalism
- Observing and recording
children's behavior
- Applying principles of
child growth and development The institute's online-home study program
offers the following additional benefits:
- The program enables
students to work at their own time and pace
- Instructors work
with small groups of students
- Students can contact
their instructor via email at all times
- Students select their own
advisers to provide on-site consultations at the student's work site
- Students may select any of the
specializations for the national CDA credential: center based
infant/toddler, center based preschool, or family child care
- Students compile a professional
resource file of useful information, references and resources
- Assistance is provided for
application for the national CDA credential
How is a class taught online?
- Learning is at the time and
pace of the individual student. Students connect with the institute's CDA
online website, which features:
- Profiles and photos of
the instructor and "classmates"
- Information and assignments for
the CDA course
- Bulletin board activities
providing opportunities for classmate interaction
- Individual pretests and post
tests with feedback features
- Links to internet sites useful
for completion of assignments what resources are available to our
students?
- CDA information packet and
course study guide
- The textbook Essentials, and
trainee's manual, are utilized for instruction, covering the 13 functional
areas of CDA and providing guided assignments
- Course manual with suggestions
from our experts in each of the functional areas, multimedia assignments
via still photos, and suggested children's literature
What are the computer requirements to take the online course?
- Students need regular access to
a computer with Windows 95 operating system or higher, or Macintosh 7.1
operating system or higher, disk and CD-ROM drives, a printer, modem or
DSL connection, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Will I receive academic credit?
No. Students complete 120 course hours and 12 CEU’s- however upon completion of
your 120 course hours, working hours and successfully passed the Council for
Professional Recognition credentialing test you will be granted your CDA. At
this point you may want to apply for further College education. Many colleges
credit the CDA credential and provide nine undergraduate credits in early
childhood education. These courses may be accepted at many colleges for credit
toward early childhood degree programs.
What educational requirements do I need before applying to the program?
• Applicants must be at least 18 years of age • Hold a high school diploma or
GED • Work or volunteer regularly in an early childhood program completion requires 480 hours of experience
working with young children in a child care setting.
When does the program meet?
The program consists of four levels that may be completed in three months or at
your own pace. Our courses start in January, March, June, and September.
Students may enter the program at the start of any session. Information
regarding specific dates of upcoming classes is available by request.
Is there financial aid available?
Students may be eligible for scholarships through state programs such as
TEACH-Teacher Education and Compensation Helps, or may request tuition
assistance from their employer. Contact Child Care services in your state for
more information regarding TEACH, or for TEACH nationwide, call (919) 967-3272.
Some unemployment programs offer assistance. Check with your State Unemployment
Department.
YVR online CDA training program:
• Course Descriptions through CDA Online courses, students can prepare to
become a Child Development Associate (CDA). Offers four online courses covering
the six CDA Goals and 13 Functional Areas. Students learn about the
developmental needs of children from birth to age five, and learn effective
ways of providing for their early care and education. Upon completion of the
four courses, students will have the 120 clock hours of formal education, the
required Professional Resource File, and the information needed to apply for
the national CDA credential in one of the CDA specializations: center-based
infant-toddler, preschool, or family child care.
CDA Online I –CDA-SHL 30 HRS. This course covers the functional areas
Safe, Health, and Learning Environments. It prepares you to maintain a safe and
healthy environment, and to establish age-appropriate learning environments for
children from birth to age five. Some after school programs and school age
children program strategies are also discussed.
CDA Online II –CDA-PCC 30 HRS. This course covers the functional
areas Physical, Cognitive, and Creative. It enhances your ability to support
physical and intellectual development and creative expression of children from
birth to age five.
CDA Online III – CDA-SSGF 30 HRS. This course covers the functional
areas Self, Social, Guidance, and Families, It enhances your ability to support
the development of positive self-concept, guide the socialization, provide
positive guidance to children from birth to five, and to work effectively with
families.
CDA Online IV – CDA-PMCP 30 HRS. This course provides you with the
opportunity to understand your commitment to Program Management, Communication
and Professionalism. Encourage the development of communication skills with
children, parents and as a professional. This course offers you with hands on
activities to engage in ongoing professional development. It provides you with
options to enhance your management skills and identify yourself as an early childhood
leader.
• Cost of the Program Tuition: $100 per level + $75 Student Services Fee +
$25 registration fee - $400; total of $400 for CDA 4-course online-home study
series. Registration Students register and pay for full course at a time.
No Payment plan available for online-home study course. Cost for each course:
$400 Online students: A Student Transaction Form will be sent after your
Admissions application is processed; complete the form and mail it in with your
payment. Additional expenses: Textbook: $50.00- $325 National CDA
Credentialing (Call 1-800-424-4310)
Work Calendar Instructional Team
The instructional team is comprised of a course instructor, and On-site
Mentor/Advisor (chosen by you) and an academic counselor.
• Course Instructor - Your course instructor oversees your progress and that of
your 10-15 web mates that constitute a web-class. You and your instructor will
maintain contact through e-mail, fax, and/or regular mail.
• On-site Mentor/Advisor - You will need to select an on-site mentor/advisor,
in accordance with the guidelines described in the CDA competency standards
booklet. The mentor/advisor assumes the responsibility of making at least four
site visits to your work setting, providing feedback, and for completing the
CDA Observation Instrument required for national credentialing.
• Academic Counselor - Your counselor is a member of the team who responds to
queries from students and Mentor/Advisors.
Time Frame On-line courses are asynchronous. That means you can participate at
your convenience. however, you can complete assignments within our suggested
time frame.
The course calendar gives the suggested specific dates by which assignments
need to be completed. Format of CDA Online Courses Each course includes 3 or 4
of the CDA functional areas.
Within each functional area the candidate is responsible for completing a
series of activities, which include:
• Readings from the textbook and the Trainee's Manual, and articles that can be
accessed through the web.
• Writing a personal goal statement based on a pretest downloaded from
the home page, and a self-assessment included in the CDA Trainee's Manual. •
Completing several activities demonstrating competence in the functional areas.
• Completing a field observation.
• Completing an assignment provided with the study materials.
• Posting a Bulletin Board assignment on the web to be shared with fellow
students.
• Building the Professional Resource File described by the national CDA
Council. • Communicating with his or her instructor through email, fax and/or
regular mail, and/or online chat conferences
• frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
• Do I have to complete the national CDA credentialing assessment? Yes. The YVR
online CDA course series provides you with 120 hours of training and the
preparation needed for the national CDA credential. CDA toll free
1-800-424-4310.
• How does the CDA Online course differ from an on-site course? The content of
the CDA online program is identical with the content of the on-site course. The
difference between the two programs is the delivery system.
• How often can I contact my instructor? There is no limit to the number of
emails you can send to your instructor.
• How much time should I plan to devote to each course? Each course is divided
into three or four functional areas. Plan to spend approximately 12-15 hours
completing each of the several functional areas during the nine-week course
period.
• What interaction can I expect to have with my web-mates? You will remain in
contact with the other members of your web-class through the Discussion Board
assignments, email, and the Online Conferences. Student email addresses will be
listed in the class roster on the home page for your web-class.
• What institutions will accept my CDA for credit? It will depend on the
College policies, however, most community colleges and undergraduate colleges
offering degrees or majors in early childhood education will honor your CDA
credential. They may have to be used as elective credits in a degree program.
How do I recruit a mentor/advisor? Identify a professional in your local area
with whom you have a good relationship and who meets the criteria for an
advisor described the appendix of the CDA Competency Standards booklet. The
person could be your program supervisor, a trainer, Head teacher, or Lead
instructor.
National CDA
Before beginning the our course you must purchase the CDA Assessment System and
Competency Standards booklet from the Council for Professional Recognition,
1-800-424-4310, www.cdacouncil.org.
To be awarded the national CDA credential you must complete all the steps
required by the national program, and pay the credentialing fee to the Council
for Professional Recognition.
The Council for Professional Recognition, a national credentialing program for
early childhood practitioners, administers the Child Development Associate.
The goal of the CDA program is to enhance the quality of child care by defining
quality standards and credentialing CDA candidates who have demonstrated their
ability to meet and/or exceed these standards.
The CDA Competency Standards define the knowledge and skills needed to function
as caregivers in different child care settings, including infant-toddler and
preschool center-based settings, and family child care programs.
The CDA Competency Standards are the core of the CDA program. These standards
consist of six goals covering 13 Functional Areas. The Competency Goals form
the framework of the program, while the Functional Areas describe tasks and
skills necessary for caregivers to meet the needs of young children.
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A person needs to be working with young children in order to go through the CDA process. This is because he or she will be observed working with young children.
Before embarking on the CDA journey, the Candidate will acquire at least 120 clock hours of training and purchase a CDA Application Packet from the Council. This packet can be requested by calling the Council: 1-800-424-4310 and specifying the setting in which you work.
In order to get a position in a quality center, to expect advancement, and to demand proper compensation, you may either be looking toward a CDA Credential or actively pursuing one.
In light of current research regarding the vital importance of ensuring quality care for young children, new legislation continues to impact the early childhood profession. To stay within state and federal guidelines, an increasing number of preschools and day care centers are requiring even entry-level teachers and caregivers to have a CDA Credential.
However, as these individuals begin the CDA process,a rather large percentage are uninformed, not only about what is expected of themselves, but also of their classroom environments, in order to meet Council criteria.
Kids learn best when they are having fun! We tailor our lessons to teach teachers to approach each child's unique learning style. Our candidates enjoy the hand-on activities!
Our activities include:
- Singing
- Dancing
- Reading
- Understanding Outdoor play
- Counting
- Social development
- Story time
- Games
- Large and fine motor skill development
- Circle time
- Cooking
- Letter recognition files
- Character building activities
- Professional Ethics and Conduct
- Program Management
- Community Resources
- Family Relations
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