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The Child Development Associates Credential

The Child Development Associate (CDA) National Credentialing Program is a program that focuses on the skills of early care and education professionals.  It is designed to provide performance-based training, assessment, and credentialing of child care staff, home visitors, and family child care providers.

What do I need for my CDA?

Candidates must be:

  • 18 years of age or older.

  • Hold a high school diploma or GED.

  • Have 480 hours of experience working with children within the past five years.

  • Have 120 clock hours of formal child care education within the past five years.  The 120 clock hours of education must be documented, with no fewer than 10 hours in each of the following content areas:

    • Planning a safe, healthy environment to invite learning;

    • Steps to advance children's physical and intellectual development;

    • Positive ways to support children's social and emotional development;

    • Strategies to manage an effective program operation;

    • Maintaining a commitment to professionalism;

    • Observing and recording children's behavior;

    • Principles of child development and learning;

What Green River can offer:

Green River offers training that covers specific areas relevant to Early Childhood education.  Courses are designed to allow the student to enter the program during any quarter.

ECE 120 - CDA 1 We address Health, Safety, Learning Environments and the fostering of self concept in children.
ECE 190 - CDA 2 Functional areas surrounding Social development, Positive Guidance, Communication, Cognitive and Physical Development and Creativity are the focus.
ECE 200 - CDA 3 We cover Working with Families, effective Program Management and a commitment to Professionalism.
ECE 260 - CDA 4 This class is designed for those students who have met the requirements for CDA Clock hours of training but still need to develop a portfolio and gather the required resources, in order to submit to CDA for their exam.

During the course of study, we have designed a model that help our students prepare for the national exam.  A student who attends the first three quarters here at Green River will develop their Professional Resource File as they go.  If they choose to take the fourth quarter, we assign them special topics to enhance their portfolio, act as the advisor for their formal observation and have them further demonstrate their professional development.

During each quarter, students will learn about Child Development, Nutrition, Observation and Documentation of children's behavior and Anti-bias, Multicultural practices.  These key areas are woven into the curriculum to gain a better understanding of the critical role these principles play in the successful development of children.

In addition, we encourage our students to take advantage of the practicum classes that we offer here at Green River.  This is a wonderful way to earn credit and document the 480 hours of practical training that they are receiving.

Green River in proud of its excellent CDA program and it's record of CDA graduates.  Credits earned while attending the CDA classes may apply towards your Early Childhood degree.

Our Family Studies and the Early Childhood Education Department is committed to assisting students in becoming quality providers and teachers that will lead our children into the future.

To view CDA classes online, click here.

Questions?

For questions pertaining to the CDA program, e-mail Candy Benteu.

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