What You Need To Know About Earning Your CDA
Completing the CDA Course from ProSolutions Training is a great first step on your professional journey as an early childhood educator.The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is the best first step on the path of career advancement in ECE. The distinctive CDA Credential is the only nationally recognized, portable, reciprocal, competency-based credential of its kind in the country.
The Child Development Associate (CDA) National Credentialing Program™ is the unique early childhood teacher credentialing process, administered by the Council for Professional Recognition, which results in the award of the CDA Credential. The Program uses a specific set of time-tested, research-based tools to determine early childhood teacher competency, based on multiple sources of evidence.
Having the CDA Credential from the Council for Professional Recognition verifies that teachers have the ability to put the Council's nationally-recognized CDA Competency Standards into practice and the understanding of why those Standards help children move with success from one developmental stage to another.
The Council for Professional Recognition changed The Child Development Associate (CDA) National Credentialing Program™ effective June 1, 2013, therefore, it's important you know exactly what the steps are in the application process. Visit the Council for Professional Recognition's website at www.cdacouncil.org for more information.
In order to begin your journey to a CDA credential, you first must meet eligibility requirements, which show that you already have experience in the early childhood education field. You will need:
- A minimum of a high school diploma/GED or be currently enrolled in a high school career/technical program
- 480 clock hours of experience working with children within three years of beginning your application.
- If you are working in a family day care home or child care center setting full-time (40 hours/week), this equates to three months of employment
- You can also gain this experience by volunteering in a child care setting.
- 120 hours of training in 8 subject areas: the ProSolutions Training CDA Course fulfills this coursework requirement
Once you have determined your eligibility and completed the required coursework, the next step is to purchase the CDA Competency Standards Book from the Council for Professional Recognition. The CDA Competency Standards Book will provide you with all of the steps required to prepare for the application process including:
- Preparation of the Professional Portfolio – a collection of resources
- Reflective Statements of Competence – using, at key points, the resources you collected
- Professional Philosophy Statement – a summary of your viewpoint; takes into account learning that occurred when preparing the Professional Portfolio
- Family Questionnaires – this document is distributed to the families whose children you have cared for; the questionnaires highlight areas of strength as well as areas of growth.
Upon completion, the next step is to submit your application to the Council for Professional Recognition, which can be done either online or on paper. Effective September 1, 2013, the cost to submit your application is $425. During the application process, you will indicate a chosen CDA Professional Development (PD) Specialist using the Council's online directory or by finding a PD Specialist on your own.
Candidates' knowledge and competencies will be determined using two factors:
- The results of the 65-question CDA Credential Exam, which Candidates will take at a time of their convenience at a local Pearson VUE testing center in their area. The online exam consists of 65 multiple-choice questions. Five of the questions are pictures with scenarios and a multiple-choice question. You will have one hour and 45 minutes to complete the exam. Your scores will be sent directly to the Council for Professional Recognition.
- The results of the Verification Visit, which is structured around the R.O.R. Model™, designed by the Council, with the help and guidance of PD Specialists. The Verification Visit will be conducted by a CDA Professional Development (PD) Specialist.
The R.O.R. Model™
"R.O.R." stands for Review-Observe-Reflect, the tasks undertaken by the CDA Professional Development Specialist that contribute to the assessment of Candidate competency. During the Verification Visit, the PD Specialist will:
- Review the contents of the Candidate's Professional Portfolio, training transcripts/certificate and Family Questionnaires
- Observe the Candidate working with children, recording criterion evidence where applicable
- Reflect with the Candidate, focusing on the Candidate's areas of strength or growth found in the Portfolio or seen in the Observation
The PD Specialist will then submit the Competency Recommendation Scores to the Council online. These scores, along with the CDA Exam score, will be combined by the Council into a final Cumulative Score which will determine the credentialing decision. You will receive the credentialing decision within 10 business days of receipt of the Cumulative Score by the Council.
ProSolutions Training helps you on your journey
When you purchase a CDA Course from ProSolutions Training, you'll receive a number of benefits designed to help you along the path to a CDA credential. Each course includes free resources, such as links and downloadable materials, which can be used to build your Professional Portfolio.
Additionally, you'll be granted access to two additional courses to help you with the application process: Your Journey to the CDA Credential: Let's Get Started! and Creating a Dynamite Professional Portfolio! These courses will review key elements in the application process.
ProSolutions Training has a singular goal: to help you give wings to children. Through our CDA Course, you can take the next step in your career as an early childhood educator. To get started, click here!
