Bright Horizons' long-time partnership with the Council helps both organizations reach their mutual goals of cultivating education and professional development in the early childhood education field.

"It's been a great partnership and we've worked so well together," said Susan Brenner, Senior Vice President of Education for Bright Horizons. "Bright Horizons and The Council are always willing to think new thoughts about where the field can be and how we can move it forward."

The ECDA training program offered through Bright Horizons couples online self-guided education with an interpersonal support and guidance. Brenner says the result is a seamless training that has certified more than 1,200 CDAs in 750 child care programs and six countries.  For more information on the Bright Horizons E-CDA program, please follow this link. 

Brenner added that the candidates' benefit of earning his or her CDA extends beyond personal professional development.

"When a teacher does get a CDA it is beneficial to the teacher, but it's also beneficial for the children in the classroom," Brenner said. "Teachers who go through the program become mentors for other teachers; they come to the classroom with new ideas. It's tremendously important. "

"We needed to provide training in a way to make it more accessible to teachers throughout the country, so we partnered with Teaching Strategies and developed the online CDA program," Brenner said. "We have a couple hundred people enrolled at any given time and we see that number growing."

Brenner added that the candidates' benefit of earning his or her CDA extends beyond personal professional development.

"When a teacher does get a CDA it is beneficial to the teacher, but it's also beneficial for the children in the classroom," Brenner said. "Teachers who go through the program become mentors for other teachers; they come to the classroom with new ideas. It's tremendously important. "