WASHINGTON, D.C. – The youngest people in the Show Me State will soon benefit from a unique collaboration between the Council for Professional Recognition and Child Care Aware® of Missouri; the initiative aims to have over 800 early childhood educators in Missouri working toward their Child Development Associate Credential™ (CDA) in 2020. Right now, over 10,000 educators hold CDAs in the state. Full details about the scholarships are at mo.childcareaware.org/cda-scholarship-project/.
The Council’s CDA is recognized as the standard global competency in the early childhood education space. The Council and Child Care Aware® of Missouri believe it’s a vital credential that educators must have to position children for success as they approach kindergarten. The CDA is the only competency-based credential that is portable, as it is globally recognized.
Program leaders say Missouri early childhood educators can earn the CDA at no cost as the application, workbook and other fees will be covered. They can earn the credential through clock hours (training) or credit hours (T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI CDA scholarship).
Childhood educators will benefit from guidance around portfolio creation and each will receive a $380 bonus upon the completion of the CDA and by continuing their work at their current program for six months.
Heather Dunn of Pilot Knob, Mo., is an early childhood educator who was drawn to the profession for a very personal reason and greatly benefited from her college coursework. “Four years ago my family suffered the tragic death of my three-year-old nephew. After his death I had this desire to help other children his age reach important milestones that he never was able to meet,” she recalls. “With each class I grew as a teacher and developed a deeper understanding early childhood education. Without the T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship I would not have reached this achievement. With the momentum and confidence I have gained through the CDA process, I plan to continue on to an associate’s and then a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Out of my greatest tragedy came my greatest passion.”
“We’re excited to move early childhood education forward in Missouri for educators like Heather and others and to see this effort as we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Child Development Associate Credential,” says Dr. Valora Washington, CEO of the Council. “The CDA Scholarship Project is based on the tenets of the T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI scholarship. Working together, this project will increase the quality of early childhood through education, compensation and retention of early childhood education professionals. Parents and others can be confident that child care providers who have a CDA credential have been certified as having mastered the skills and attained the knowledge necessary to support a child’s emotional, physical, intellectual, and social development.”
The Missouri Department of Social Services, Children’s Division is financing the scholarship project through federal funds.