The Child Development Associate (CDA) is a credential awarded by the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition headquartered in Washington, DC. The CDA recognizes skills of early care givers and education professionals. It is designed for individuals who have work experience in child care settings. It is often considered to be a key entry-level credential in the field of early childhood.
The Council sets assessment procedures. Individuals need to follow these procedures and apply to the Council for assessment. An assessment fee of $325 is payable to the Council by the candidate for assessment.
The CDA credential is different from the associate degree and certificate in Early Childhood Education conferred by KCC. KCC provides classes for academic credit that may be used toward the completion of CDA training requirements. These classes may be applied toward the completion of a certificate in early childhood education or Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education.
The Benefits of CDA Credential
- Advance your career
- Meet job requirements
- Reinforce your commitment to early childhood education
- Provide parents with peace of mind
- Understand developmentally appropriate practice
- Increase your confidence
KCC offers classes meeting the CDA training requirements of a minimum of 120 clock hours of formal training in 8 specific content areas. These 120 clock hours are distributed over 8 different areas. The candidate must earn a minimum of 10 clock hours of training in each area.
Training must meet Council guidelines to apply toward completion of this requirement. The required content areas are:
- Planning a safe, healthy learning environment
- Steps to advance children’s physical and emotional development
- Positive ways to support children’s social and emotional development
- Strategies to establish productive relationships with families
- Strategies to manage an effective program operation
- Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
- Observing and recording children’s behavior
- Principles of child growth and development
The Council determines what training will be accepted from each CDA candidate. KCC recommends coursework to the best of staff’s knowledge. It is up to the candidate to communicate with the Council in advance to assure that she is making the appropriate training decisions.
The State of Michigan Child Care Licensing Regulations recognizes the CDA credential when an individual has additional academic course work in early childhood and child development. The recommended CDA coursework currently meets State guidelines. However, an individual does not necessarily need college credit to earn a CDA. Individuals are encouraged to call the Council for advising directly if they choose to earn a CDA via other training.
The CDA advisor is a vital participant in each CDA candidate’s success. Each candidate chooses his/her own advisor. The advisor must meet CDA guidelines and he/she will observe the candidate working with children and help he/she prepare for assessment.
Each candidate must apply to the Council for assessment. The Council will assign a CDA representative to administer the procedure for each candidate. KCC does not administer the CDA assessment. The Council makes the final determination as to whether or not a candidate will receive the CDA credential. The council has the following deadlines for application.
Application Date |
Verification Visits |
December 1 |
1st Quarter January – March |
March 1 |
2nd Quarter April – June |
June 1 |
3rd Quarter July – September |
September 1 |
4th Quarter October – December |
CDA candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Be 18 years old or older
- Hold a high school diploma or equivalent
- Be able to speak, read, and write well enough to fulfill the responsibilities of a CDA candidate
- Sign a statement of ethical conduct
- Have completed at least 480 clock hours of experience working with children ages birth to 5 in an recognized CDA group setting
- Have completed at least 120 clock hours of formal training in the CDA content areas
- Note: the Council may have additional eligibility requirements. This Information has been taken directly from Council information.
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Setting
Age-Level
Endorsements Specialization
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Source: CDA Committee Form Professional Recognition
Note: Candidates may be employed or work on a volunteer basis in the child care setting.
Preschool (Center Based)-This is a state-approved child development center where a Candidate can be observed working with a group of at least eight children, all of whom are aged 3 through 5 years. In addition, a center-based program must have: (1) at least 10 children enrolled in the program (not necessarily in the Candidate’s group), and (2) at least two caregivers working with the children on a regular basis.
Infant/Toddler (Center Based)-This is a state-approved child development center where a Candidate can be observed working with a group of at least three children, all of whom are under age 3. In addition, a center-based program must have: (1) at least 10 children enrolled in the program (not necessarily the Candidate’s group), and (2) at least two caregivers working with the children on a regular basis.
Family Child Care Setting-This is a family child care home where a Candidate can be observed working with at least two children 5 years old or younger who are not related to the Candidate by blood or marriage. The setting must meet at least the minimum level of applicable state and/or local regulations. Family child care settings are also eligible in localities where there is no regulation of family child care.
Home Visitor-This is an established program of home visits (to families with children 5 years old or younger) that supports parents in meeting the needs of their young children. In this setting, regular home visits are the primary method of program delivery.
A Bilingual Setting- This is a child development program that has specific goals for achieving bilingual development in children; where two languages are consistently used in daily activities
A “Special Education” child development setting – one designed to serve children with moderate to severe special needs – does qualify as an eligible setting for CDA assessment. The CDA Competency Standards address the skills that caregivers need for this population of children. The program must meet the other criteria described above for preschool, infant/toddler, or family child care setting. All requests for expectations to the settings requirements must be submitted in writing on a Waiver Request Form. Source: Council for Professional Recognition.
How do I begin?
Contact the KCC Early Childhood and Teacher Education Director at 269.965.3931, ext 2109 to arrange an appointment with a program advisor. The advisor guides each student individually prior to registration.
Contact the Council for Early Childhood Recognition to request a direct assessment packet. The toll-free number is 800.424.4310. The cost is $19.