Center-Based Birth to Five

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

All requirements must be met before starting the application process.

EDUCATION

Any time prior to applying:

• Earn a high school diploma, GED or be enrolled as a junior or senior in a high school career and technical program in early childhood education.
• Complete 120 hours of formal early childhood education training, covering the growth and development of children ages birth to 5 years old, with no fewer than 10 training hours in each of the eight CDA® subject areas.

CDA® Subject Areas

• Planning a safe and healthy learning environment
• Advancing children’s physical and intellectual development
• Supporting children’s social and emotional development
• Building productive relationships with families
• Managing an effective program operation
• Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
• Observing and recording children’s behavior
• Understanding the principles of child development and learning

CDA® Training

Training can be obtained through a wide variety of organizations — from a single training agency or several training organizations. The organization must have expertise in early childhood education and teacher preparation and must provide official documentation of training completed.

The Council does not accept training provided by individual consultants or from a conference. A trainer is considered an individual consultant if they are providing training independently. A training agency must have two or more instructors to not be considered an individual consultant.

Acceptable forms of training documentation:

• College transcript from an accredited college or university
• Certificate of training
• Letter of training on official letterhead of the agency(ies)
• Approved state registry learning records

Documentation of training must include:

• Training agency name and address
• Training agency logo
• Course name(s) (Note: If course name does not include age reference, certificate must include the ages the training covered.)
• CDA subject area of training
• Candidate’s name
• Number of hours/credits awarded
• Dates of training
• Official signature of instructor

EXPERIENCE

Within 3 years of submitting your application:

Obtain 480 hours of professional work experience in a center-based setting with children from birth to 5 years old. This experience should include a minimum of 160 hours in each sub-age group within a center-based setting, including experience in all three sub-age groups – infants (birth–17 months), toddlers (18–36 months), and preschoolers (3–5-years-old).

DOCUMENTATION

Within 6 months of submitting your application:

• Prepare your CDA® Professional Portfolio. This is a collection of reference materials related to your work with children and families. You will find detailed preparation instructions in the magenta Birth to Five edition of the CDA Competency Standards book.
• Select a CDA Professional Development (PD) Specialist™ to conduct your CDA Verification Visit®, which is part of your final assessment. Your PD Specialist will review your professional portfolio, observe you working with the children, complete a Reflective Dialogue with you, and submit score recommendations to the Council.
  • All active CDA PD Specialists can be found and selected in YourCouncil. To access the Find-a-PD Specialist Tool, login to YourCouncil and click the Find a PDS button located on the left side menu. If you do not have a YourCouncil account, visit yourcouncil.org and click the option to create an account under the Login button. Need help? Check out these video resources to learn how to create an account and apply online.
  • To learn more about CDA PD Specialist’s role in the CDA credentialing process click here.

COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION

After all requirements are met:

• Apply online using YourCouncil and pay the online assessment fee of $525, or submit a paper application with the $600 assessment fee. You can download and print the Birth to Five CDA application here.
• The non-refundable, non-transferable application fee must be submitted with your application. Make sure to secure the funds before you submit your application.

Learn more about applying for a CDA in Other Languages or CDA Exam Special Accommodations.

READY TO SCHEDULE

Once your CDA® application is approved, you will receive your first Ready to Schedule notice to schedule your CDA exam. Only after you have completed the exam will you be eligible to schedule your CDA Verification Visit®. You will receive the second Ready to Schedule notice authorizing you to schedule your verification visit. Details are provided in the magenta Birth to Five edition of the CDA Competency Standards book.

EARNING YOUR CDA®

• Once you have completed your CDA® exam and CDA Verification Visit®, your results are electronically submitted to the Council by Pearson VUE testing center and your CDA PD Specialist™.
• The Council reviews the results of your assessment and renders a credentialing decision.
  • If the CDA credential is awarded, the Council will send an email via our partner Credly to access your digital CDA certificate and badge awarded. Through Credly you will be able to download your certificate and share your digital badge on all your preferred networks. For more information about digital credentials, click here.
    • If you prefer a professionally printed CDA® credential certificate, once awarded, you will have the option to place an order from your YourCouncil account dashboard. A $30 printing fee will apply.
  • In the unfortunate event your CDA credential is denied, the Council will make recommendations on areas of improvement and let you know the next steps to take to appeal and/or reapply to earn the CDA credential.