Evaluating the Impact of the CDA® Credential™: A Study by Stanford Center on Early Childhood

October 10, 2024

Introduction 

The Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™, awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition, is a foundational credential for early childhood educators across the United States. While the CDA® has long been recognized as a key milestone in educator development, there is limited recent evidence of its effectiveness. To address this gap, the Continuous Improvement Rapid Cycle Learning and Evaluation (CIRCLE) team at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood(SCEC), located at Stanford University, will conduct a comprehensive study to evaluate the CDA’s impact on educator outcomes, such as well-being, career advancement, and financial stability. This mixed-methods evaluation will gather both quantitative data and personal stories from educators to provide a holistic view of the credential’s influence. 

Importance to the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Sector 

The preparation of early childhood educators is critical to ensuring high-quality education and equitable outcomes for children. Credentials like the CDA play a vital role in professionalizing the workforce, yet empirical research on the long-term benefits for educators is scarce. As the first and most widely held credential in the field, the CDA is instrumental in setting the standard for educator development. This study will provide the sector with much-needed data to demonstrate the credential’s effectiveness in improving the lives and careers of early childhood educators and offer insights into potential enhancements for supporting the workforce. 

Benefits of the Study 

  1. Evidence-Based Insights: The study will offer up-to-date, empirical evidence on how the CDA credential influences educator well-being, financial security, and career progression. 
  2. Informed Decision-Making: Findings will support policymakers, education leaders, and organizations in making data-driven decisions about workforce development, compensation, and training. 
  3. Equity and Accessibility: By analyzing the CDA’s impact across demographic groups and care settings, the study will shed light on how the credential may help close gaps in educational and career outcomes, promoting equity within the ECE workforce. 
  4. Strategic Enhancements: Results from the study will provide actionable recommendations for improving the CDA credential, ensuring it remains a valuable tool for advancing the profession. 

Research Questions: The study will address the following critical questions: 

  1. Compared to early childhood educators with only a high school diploma, how and to what extent does attaining a CDA improve educator outcomes? 
  2. How does attaining a CDA shape the educational and career trajectories of early childhood educators? 
  3. To what extent does CDA attainment mitigate discrepancies in career and educational outcomes across different contexts, such as geographical, socioeconomic, and racial categories?

The proposed study will take place over 24 months. 

Background on the Stanford Center on Early Childhood and CIRCLE Team 

The SCEC, led by Dr. Philip Fisher, is dedicated to ensuring every child thrives by addressing structural disparities in families, educators, and communities. SCEC supports various early childhood education (ECE) workforce initiatives, including the RAPID Child Care (RAPID-CC) survey, which gathers data on providers across the US. The survey data informs policy decisions and programs affecting the ECE workforce. 

Additionally, SCEC evaluates a direct cash transfer program for home-based child care providers using their CIRCLE team’s expertise. The CIRCLE team provides technical assistance and evaluation for partners in the ECE field, focusing on continuous improvement through equity and community engagement. Their cyclical research approach, guided by a Theory of Impact (TOI) identifies how programs work and who benefits most. 

SCEC plans to study the impact of the CDA credential on educator outcomes, using mixed methods to gather diverse evidence. This research aims to demonstrate the CDA’s role in increasing workforce valuation and compensation while identifying ways to enhance its effectiveness in improving outcomes for educators. 

Stanford Expert: Dr. Philip A. Fisher

Council Expert:  Dr. Richard Brown 

This study will provide the Council for Professional Recognition with data to demonstrate the value of the CDA and inform future efforts to support the ECE workforce. 

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