ECE Registered Apprenticeship Pathways
The CDA® can be the first step toward an ECE career for apprenticeship participants.
An Investment with High Returns: Apprenticeships in ECE
As the Council looks to the future, we support the expansion of ECE apprenticeship programs and strongly believe in their promise to advance the competency of the early education workforce.
Registered apprenticeships in early childhood education (ECE) empower educators to earn while they learn, especially when combined with the Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™. Together, the two programs provide a mix of hands-on training, coaching, and coursework that gives educators the competence they need to succeed in the classroom. That’s the aim of the CDA® Competency Standards, which align with the Department of Labor’s requirements for apprenticeships in the ECE field. The credential and registered apprenticeships serve as key infrastructural components of workforce development and expansion within the field. Both rely on a competency-based model that provides educators with the opportunity to gain skills through real-life practice and training relevant to their professional goals.
Educators who want to move ahead in their careers will find CDA-based apprenticeship programs especially attractive. The CDA credential counts for college credit in many states, so it provides an entry into higher education for many seasoned educators who are looking for new roads to success. At the same time, high school apprenticeship programs based on the CDA create accelerated opportunities to enter the early education career pathway and further expand the pipeline of new educators.
The expansion of ECE apprenticeship programs that incorporate the CDA offers an important solution to the national need for a highly competent and well-compensated workforce.
The CDA®: Part of the Pathway
The CDA is the perfect step on the career pathway for apprenticeships and is part of many apprenticeship programs. The Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™ is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is the best first step on the path of career advancement in ECE. The distinctive CDA® Credential is the only nationally-recognized, portable, reciprocal, competency-based credential of its kind in the country. It is uniquely positioned to support apprenticeships, as it can be awarded at any point in the apprenticeship program once the credentialing requirements are met. The CDA incorporates elements that are very similar to apprenticeship, making the CDA a very good fit for early childhood education apprenticeships. If any questions, please contact: partnerships@cdacouncil.org.
Mapping CDA® Competency Standards to Work Activities in Registered Apprenticeships
The competencies CDA® candidates are required to learn align with the work activities laid out by the Department of Labor (DOL) for both apprenticeable occupation codes for early childhood education, Child Care Workers and Preschool Teachers. This alignment showcases how deeply the CDA fits a critical component of apprenticeships: the skills that apprentices are expected to master for successful program completion.
Resource Links
- EdSurge News | What’s Behind the Explosion of Apprenticeships in Early Childhood Education?
- Bipartisan Policy Center | Apprenticeships: The Fastest Growing Strategy for Child Care Workforce Development
- Bipartisan Policy Center | Apprenticeships: Building a Strong Childcare Workforce Pipeline