The Council has received an outpouring of positive responses since the release of the CDA 2.0 Transition Guide in August. 

"The Transition Guide answered many questions I didn't know I had... and I really applaud the Council!" Phyllis O'Connell, M.Ed.

The Guide is a helpful tool, mapping out the changes that will occur in the credentialing process, officially beginning on June 1, 2013. 

 The Transition Guide and Transition Comparison Chart are now available to download in Spanish!

Both versions of the Guide and Comparison Chart are available to download for free by clicking here, or on the picture above.  

 Information Sessions

We've created bi-weekly information sessions to give the CDA community a chance to have their CDA 2.0 questions answered.  These hour-long sessions will walk participants through the CDA 2.0 transition with the remaining time devoted to a Q&A session.

Due to popular demand, we are increasing the number of open slots for our CDA 2.0 information sessions.  Be sure to follow this link  to sign up to participate in a convenient session while spaces are available!

If you're unable to sign up for a session, don't worry! Recordings will be made available later this fall!

Introducing the CDA 2.0 Facebook Forum

To see what CDA Community members are talking about, please visit the new Council's CDA 2.0 Facebook Forum. There you can post your own questions about CDA 2.0 by topic. The Council strives to answer questions within two business days.  

CDA Featured in Young Children Magazine

The Council was featured in this month's issue of Young Children Magazine!

Be sure to pick up your copy of the September issue of Young Children and check out the article!

The Council is excited to announce that later this year we will release the newly-revised third edition of the landmark textbook Essentials for Child Development Associates Working with Young Children. The new Essentials will provide all of the most current research, information, ideas and strategies needed by entry-level early childhood professionals. The textbook will be organized around each of the thirteen Functional Areas, along with new information about reflection, intentionality, observation, documentation and other key topics of interest to contemporary teachers and caregivers.

In our last article  we reflected on "Functional Area 7 – Creativity." Please see below, the many responses we received about this topic from members of the national CDA community. This month we focus on... Self

Here is an advanced sneak peek of "Chapter 8: Self" for you to reflect on...

As a caregiver, one of your most important roles is to get to know and appreciate each child as an individual. We know that young children are motivated to learn when their interests, preferences and backgrounds are reflected in the curriculum. Caregivers can only do this well if they genuinely take the time to know children at a deep level.

At the same time that you are getting to know children, you want to do all that you can to support their development. You can help children feel good about themselves by reinforcing who they are as individuals. One of the main ways you do this is by helping children to appreciate the characteristics that define them – such as their temperament, their strengths and their approaches to learning. Beyond this, you also want to support children in valuing who they are as members of a family, as members of a culture and as citizens of a society.