CDA Council for Professional Recognition

CDA Council for Professional Recognition We give early childhood teachers the certification (CDA) and support they need to give all young children the quality care and education they deserve.

Over the past 49 years, we have issued over 1,000,000 CDA credentials. Nonpartisan. The Child Development Associate® (CDA) is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is a key stepping stone on the path of career advancement in ECE. The CDA credential is based on a core set of Competency Standards, which guide early care professionals as they work toward becomin

g qualified teachers of young children. CDAs have knowledge of how to put the CDA Competency Standards into practice and understanding of why those Standards help children move with success from one developmental stage to another. Over the past 45 years, we have issued over 800,000 CDA credentials to educators in Preschool, Infant/Toddler, Family Child Care and Home Visitor settings, including to those who have earned their CDA through high school programs.

Congratulations to Nyshekia on earning her CDA®!This credential takes real time and commitment from someone who is alrea...
06/25/2026

Congratulations to Nyshekia on earning her CDA®!

This credential takes real time and commitment from someone who is already in the classroom every day. Nyshekia put in that work, and this community could not be prouder.

Your professional experience in early childhood education is advocacy. You see what families need, what programs are mis...
06/25/2026

Your professional experience in early childhood education is advocacy. You see what families need, what programs are missing, and what is not working on the ground. That knowledge belongs in policy conversations.

The Toolkit: Digital Advocacy in Action is a free, one-hour live session on Tuesday, July 2 at 10:00 AM ET.

Louie Lujan and Haley Brush from the Council's Government Relations team will show you how to use VoterVoice to respond to a Call to Action in under 60 seconds, personalize your outreach so legislators actually read it, and track state and federal policy trends through the Council's Policy Spotlight newsletter.

No experience needed. Come ready to engage.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4b4Tp1s

What does early childhood education look like for a military family stationed overseas? Vilma Williams from the Council ...
06/24/2026

What does early childhood education look like for a military family stationed overseas? Vilma Williams from the Council went to Ramstein Air Base in Germany to find out.

She toured the base's Child Development Center and visited a Family Child Care home, the kind of certified, home-based care that gives military families flexibility when they are far from the support systems they would normally have. These programs do not always get the spotlight, but the educators running them are doing essential work.

Read more about Vilma's visit here: https://bit.ly/4uOQMrO

An assistant educator named Zoe noticed something simple: the children in her classroom wanted to roll around in paint.S...
06/22/2026

An assistant educator named Zoe noticed something simple: the children in her classroom wanted to roll around in paint.

So she let them. She covered the floor with butcher paper, handed out old t-shirts, and watched curiosity turn into a full-sensory art experience. Dr. Shannon Bracamonte, who oversees early learning programs across New Mexico, calls moments like that one of the most rewarding parts of her work.

Shannon's own path started as a young mother working to build a career while raising two sons. Today, she holds a doctorate in early childhood education and helped bring the CDA® credential back into New Mexico's state system, opening free, multilingual pathways for educators who once felt higher education was out of reach.

Her belief is simple: this field runs on relationships, not titles.

Read her story here: https://bit.ly/3Qstie1

What does leadership look like in your program? Tell us in the comments.

The early childhood field has needed this book for a long time, and the person who wrote it is exactly the right person ...
06/19/2026

The early childhood field has needed this book for a long time, and the person who wrote it is exactly the right person to have written it.

Dr. Calvin E. Moore Jr. earned his own CDA® credential before leading the Council for Professional Recognition. He knows what the credential means to the educators who earn it because he has been through the process himself. In "A Credentialing Revolution," he draws on that experience and decades of work in the field to make a clear, urgent case for professionalizing the early childhood workforce through competency-based education and credentialing.

If you believe this field deserves to be taken as seriously as the work demands, this book is for you.

Get your copy: https://bit.ly/4ephq4f

Congratulations to Yasmin on earning her Infant Toddler CDA®.Caring for children in the first five years of life is one ...
06/18/2026

Congratulations to Yasmin on earning her Infant Toddler CDA®.

Caring for children in the first five years of life is one of the most important roles in early childhood education. The fact that Yasmin took on the time and effort to earn this credential while doing that work every day says everything about how seriously she takes it.

This community is proud of you, Yasmin.

One of Jennifer Edwards' former kindergartners walked into her workshop years later, smiled, and said she knew her.Jenni...
06/17/2026

One of Jennifer Edwards' former kindergartners walked into her workshop years later, smiled, and said she knew her.

Jennifer did not recognize her at first. Then it hit her: this was Maryann, the little girl who used to arrive at kindergarten with a lunch bag and a hair bow, hands folded, ready to learn. Now she was 30 years old, had earned her CDA® and a bachelor's degree in early childhood education, and was working as a lead teacher.

Jennifer has spent more than 30 years in this field because of moments like that one. She trains educators across four states from her base in Freeport, New York, helping them earn their CDA and see themselves as the professionals they are.

Her story is a reminder of how far one educator's reach can go.
Read it here: https://bit.ly/4xpgA0l

Who inspired you to stay in early childhood education? Tell us in the comments.

Your CDA® lapsed. Life got busy. The work you did to earn it did not disappear.The Council's CDA Renewal Amnesty program...
06/16/2026

Your CDA® lapsed. Life got busy. The work you did to earn it did not disappear.

The Council's CDA Renewal Amnesty program is returning, running from July 6, 2026, through April 26, 2027. If you have been waiting for the right time to renew, that time is almost here.

More details on fees and next steps are coming soon.

Know someone who needs to hear this? Pass it along: https://bit.ly/3QH9Aew

What does depression look like in a two-year-old? It can look like a child who stops playing. Or one who becomes unusual...
06/15/2026

What does depression look like in a two-year-old? It can look like a child who stops playing. Or one who becomes unusually clingy. Or who regresses in toilet learning, or stops eating and sleeping the way they used to.

Dr. Marie Masterson opens her latest piece for the Council with the story of Ariana, a two-year-old whose world changed when her grandmother died. Her teacher noticed the signs, stayed connected with Ariana's family, and helped create consistency and security during the hardest weeks.

Early childhood educators do not always realize how much that kind of steady presence matters for children's mental health. The CDA® Competency Standards prepare educators for this: building warm relationships, partnering with families, and supporting children through hard moments.

Read the full piece: https://bit.ly/3RZD8Vc

What do you wish more people understood about mental health in early childhood? Share in the comments.

Congratulations to Grace on earning their CDA®!The credential is not easy to earn, especially while working full-time in...
06/11/2026

Congratulations to Grace on earning their CDA®!

The credential is not easy to earn, especially while working full-time in a program. The fact that Grace saw it through says a lot about how seriously they take this work.

This community is proud of you.

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