Read about the CDA, to see if you meet the requirements. Applicants must have obtained a high school diploma or be a senior enrolled in a high school early education vocational program. Demonstrate competency in reading, writing and the 13 Functional Areas, including providing a safe environment and demonstrating physical and intellectual competency.
Complete 120 hours of formal early education training within five years of applying for your credential. The hours must pertain to your specialized age-group, such as pre-school children, and include at least 10 training hours of the following: providing a safe environment, advancing children's physical and intellectual progress, building family interactions, helping children develop socially and observing and documenting children's behavior. Keep your transcripts or certificates from training courses to submit with your application.
Complete 480 experience hours in a child care setting in your preferred age group classroom. Work through the Preschool Competency Standards book as you apply hands-on experience to the criteria you are learning in class, with how to organize a better learning environment or eat healthier snacks in the classroom.
Choose a CDA advisor within six months before your application deadline. Select an advisor, such as the education coordinator or program director of the center. Schedule a time so that your CDA advisor can observe you in a lead teacher role with at least eight children. Each session must be for at least three consecutive hours to allow the advisor enough time to observe you in all the competency standards and evaluate you effectively. After completing it, the advisor will give you the sealed evaluation to include with your application.
Prepare a list of reference materials related to your child care field within six months of the application deadline. Hand out and collect parent opinion questionnaires, where parents give their thoughts on how you interact and teach their children.
Check all your requirements, making sure you obtained the program director's signature and that your CDA advisor verified that the observations were done by council's rules. Send all signed documents, official transcripts and training documents and an assessment fee of $325 to the Council of Professional Recognition in Washington D.C.
Participate in a verification visit with a council representative, where the representative will check your professional reference materials and statements of competency. Give the representative your parent opinion questionnaires and the evaluation observation that the CDA advisor conducted. Take a two-hour, multiple choice exam of the Early Childhood Studies Review and the oral interview to demonstrate your knowledge of early childhood education.
Wait for the council's decision on if the CDA is awarded to you. If it is, it is effective for five years.