Are you considering applying for a Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™? The CDA® credential has many valuable benefits for all early childhood professionals, including helping early educators meet current state and national professional requirements and serving as a pathway to learning best teaching practices. CDA® recipients are competent practitioners who value vital knowledge, skills and formal education. There have been more than 350,000 CDAs® awarded since the early 70s, and 20,000 new CDAs® and 18,000 renewals in 2013 alone.
Start taking action towards your “Best 1st Step” in early childhood education by reviewing the five necessary steps below that every CDA® candidate must follow in order to successfully prepare and complete the process of obtaining a CDA® credential.
Once you’ve completed Step 1, you’ll be ready to complete the following requirements:
Once the Council has received your application, please complete the following steps within six months of your Ready to Schedule notice date. Otherwise, you risk forfeiting your application fee and your Candidate record will be closed:
If the Council determines that after scoring your Verification Visit and CDA® Exam your Cumulative Score meets the credentialing requirement, you will be awarded the Child Development Associate (CDA®) CredentialTM.
The CDA® credential is valid for three years from the awarded date. You may apply to renew your CDA® credential 90 days before it expires. To learn more about CDA® renewal, click here.
With our recent CDA® 2.0 launch, the process of obtaining your credential has never been easier and more convenient. Now is a great time to get motivated about your future as a CDA® candidate! After obtaining their CDAs®, many candidates have gone on to receive advanced degrees, including PhDs in the education field. Remember that there is a CDA® credential for four different settings to conveniently suit your professional goals in early childhood education: For center-based programs there is an Infant/Toddler CDA® and a Preschool CDA®, the Family Child Care CDA® (for children from birth to five years), and the Home Visitors CDA® (for children from birth to five years). All candidates wishing to earn a CDA® for another setting must complete each respective CDA® credentialing process.
CDA®. These three little letters can change the entire trajectory of your career. The Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential is the most widely known and valued credential in early childhood education. By earning your CDA,...
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Chief Operations Officer
Andrew Davis serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Council. In this role, Andrew oversees the Programs Division, which includes the following operational functions: credentialing, growth and business development, marketing and communications, public policy and advocacy, research, innovation, and customer relations.
Andrew has over 20 years of experience in the early care and education field. Most recently, Andrew served as Senior Vice President of Partnership and Engagement with Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning, where he led the expansion of state and community-based partnerships to produce more equitable systems of service delivery, improved programmatic quality, and greater outcomes for communities, children and families. Prior to that, he served as Director of Early Learning at Follett School Solutions.
Andrew earned his MBA from the University of Baltimore and Towson University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – University College.
Chief Financial Officer
Jan Bigelow serves as Chief Financial Officer at the Council and has been with the organization since February of 2022.
Jan has more than 30 years in accounting and finance experience, including public accounting, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. She has held management-level positions with BDO Seidman, Kiplinger Washington Editors, Pew Center for Global Climate Change, Communities In Schools, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and American Humane. Since 2003, Jan has worked exclusively in the non-profit sector where she has been a passionate advocate in improving business operations in order to further the mission of her employers.
Jan holds a CPA from the State of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College. She resides in Alexandria VA with her husband and dog.
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