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Tips for High School Early Childhood Vocational/Technical
Programs Preparing Students for the CDA Credential

 

Application Materials

  •  Be sure to order enough Competency Standards books (in the correct setting) so that you have one book for each student. Order at least one month in advance.
  •  Become familiar with the book and its contents.

Education and Experience

  • Students must have completed the entire 120 clock hours of child development education
  • Students must have completed the entire 480 hours of experience working directly with children before sending their application to the Council.

Documentation Students Need to Prepare

 As part of preparation for their assessment, students must:

  • Distribute and collect Family Questionnaires
  • Prepare a Professional Portfolio

  • Each student's Portfolio must contain a copy of an official letter on school letterhead and a transcript or certificate verifying 120 clock hours of training.

All of these documents (except for transcripts, which do not expire) must be no older than six months when the application is sent to the Council.

Please do not send any of these materials to the Council. Each student must hold on to these documents to present them to the PD Specialist on the day of the Verification Visit.

Assessment Fee

  • The assessment fee is $325 per student and must be included with each application.
  •  If an agency is paying for more than one student's assessment, consider opening an advance account with us.

Assessment Process and Time Frame

  • To avoid any delays, we encourage your students to use the Checklist located on the inside of the front cover of the Competency Standards Book.
  • Please make sure your application has the code "CTE" (Career Technical Education) under application section B Type of Program.
  • Once the application is approved by the Council, a Ready to Schedule notice will be delivered to the Candidate and the PD Specialist

The new credentialing process is a Candidate-driven process:

  • The Candidate must schedule and complete the Verification Visit with PD Specialist within 6 months from the Ready to Schedule Notice received from the Council.

  • The Candiate must schedule complete the CDA Exam at a Pearson Vue facility within 6 months from the Ready to Schedule Notice received from the Council.

For Further Assistance

Contact us with your questions at 1-800-424-4310 and/or visit our live chat.