What is a CDA Credential?

In childcare, CDA stands for Child Development Associate. The Child Development Associate® Credential™ is the most widely known and valued credential in early childhood education. It is an opportunity for educators working with children from birth to age 5 to demonstrate and strengthen their knowledge, understanding, and practices when teaching in early education. Not only is passing the CDA test a key part of advancing within early childhood education, but it is also a major professional development learning experience and essential resource moving into the field.

The Child Development Associate Credential is based on a core set of standards set to evaluate and prepare early childhood educators as they work to enter the professional world. Not only is it valuable for professional development, but it can also be a key piece of becoming a qualified, exceptional teacher to young children.

Those who earn their Child Development Associate Credential have mastered the CDA certification standards and have a deep understanding of why these learned practices will help children move more successfully and smoothly from one developmental stage to the next. Child Development Associates have a grasp on each aspect of a child’s development, including emotional, social, physical, and intellectual, and strive to help them grow through the stages of development more effortlessly.

While earning a CDA Credential isn’t always easy, it is overwhelmingly rewarding to personally evolve and professionally prepare to be the best early childhood educator possible.