The Child Development Associate (CDA) is a credential awarded by the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition headquartered in Washington, DC. The CDA recognizes the skills of early caregivers and education professionals. It is designed for individuals who have work experience in early childcare settings. The CDA represents a national effort to credential qualified caregivers who work with children ages birth to five.
The CDA is different from the associate degree in Early Childhood Education conferred by Kellogg Community College. KCC provides classes for academic credit that may be applied toward the completion of CDA education and training requirements. KCC does NOT award the CDA credential.
The Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition sets CDA assessment procedures and candidate requirements. KCC offers training toward the completion of the Direct Assessment CDA credential procedure. All interested students need to meet with the Early Childhood and Teacher Education department prior to registering for classes. For more information, call (269) 965-3931, extension 2109.
The following courses are recommendations. Other early childhood courses may apply toward the completion of CDA training requirements. To extend your preparation for the CDA, it is recommended that CDA candidates take ECE 224 along with ECE 232 or ECE 233 , depending on the CDA setting of your choice.
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