What is a Child Development Associate Credential?

The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ 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 Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is based on a core set of competency standards, which guide early care professionals as they work toward becoming qualified teachers of young children. The Council works to ensure that the nationally-transferable CDA is a credible and valid credential, recognized by the profession as a vital part of professional development.

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. Put simply, CDAs know how to nurture the emotional, physical, intellectual, and social development of children.

Earning the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ has many advantages, including exposure to the larger community of early childhood educators. Over 400,000 educators have received their CDA to date!

Becoming a CDA is a big commitment, but one that creates confident practitioners with command of today’s best practices for teaching young children.

Benefits of The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™

  • Advance your career
  • Meet job requirements
  • Reinforce your commitment to early childhood education
  • Provide parents with peace of mind
  • Understand developmentally appropriate practice
  • Increase your confidence

Click here to see the entire CDA process, and where this course fits in to it: STEP ONE

This is a Self-Paced Online Course     This course is entirely driven by you! All 120 hours of the required training are right here. Work at your own pace, in your own time, in the comfort of your own home. This course meets the STEP ONE 120-hour training requirement for the CDA Credential, as described in the flyer you can download above.

Support Sessions included (2 hours each)    Need some face-to-face help? You get unlimited free Support Sessions with us!  Get expert help, ask questions, and meet other CDA Students. During these sessions, we will also help you build your Professional Portfolio, and when the time comes, assist you with the CDA Application paperwork. Sessions are scheduled monthly (one Saturday per month) in:

Renton, WA | Seattle, WA | Edmonds, WA 

If you live far away, we’ll be happy to set up Skype or phone Support Sessions with you!    To get a copy of the Support Session Schedule, please check out our website: www.bloomlearning.com. 

WA STARS Annual Hours included  If you live in WA State, 20 Hours of STARS is included, so you won’t need to take extra training this year! You will also be able to apply for $250 reimbursement from the DEL. We’ll help you do thisJ

IMPORTANT:  This course includes activities you must complete away from the computer. You will need the ability to:

  • download and print documents
  • scan and attach documents to emails: Send to [email protected]

Please be sure you are able to do this before purchasing this course!

If you have any questions prior to purchasing, please give us a call at (425)361-7992 (Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:00pm PST)

Refund Policy:

  • All course purchases are final.
  • We do not provide refunds for unfinished courses.
  • If you purchased this course by accident, and have not started ANY of the coursework, please email us within 12 hours of purchase to discuss your options.

Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Child Development Associate - Guided Preparatory Course | 120 hours

    • Let's Get Started!
  • 2

    Introduction

    • How to navigate this course

    • Before we begin...

    • Course Overview

    • All About The CDA

    • The CDA Process
  • 3

    Module 1 | Planning A Healthy & Safe Learning Environment | 10 Hours

    • Bye Bye Germs!

    • Quiz: Bye Bye Germs!

    • Health & Safety Practices: An Overview

    • Hand Washing

    • Project Page - Hand Washing

    • Diaper Changing Procedures

    • Project Page - Diaper Changing

    • Cleaning & Sanitizing

    • Safety Procedures & Accident Prevention

    • Project Page: Cleaning & Sanitizing

    • Project Page: Safety Precautions and Accident Prevention

    • Food Handling Tips

    • Health & Safety In The Classroom

    • Quiz: Health & Safety In The Classroom

    • Competency Statement I: Safe & Healthy Learning Environment

    • Competency Statement I: Instruction Page

    • If You Live In Washington State...
  • 4

    Module 2 | Understanding The Principles of Child Development & Learning |20 Hours

    • How The Brain Functions And Learns

    • Quiz: Brain Functions

    • Brain Development in Young Children

    • The Brain and Multi-Sensory Experiences

    • Serve and Return Interactions

    • Serve And Return I

    • Serve And Return II

    • Project Page: Serve and Return In Action

    • The Brain-Body Link

    • Project Page: Sensory Experiences

    • Theories of Child Development

    • John Dewey

    • Dewey Q & A

    • Maria Montessori

    • Montessori Q & A

    • Erik Erikson

    • Erikson Q & A

    • Jean Piaget

    • Piaget Q & A

    • Lev Vygotsky

    • Vygotsky Q & A

    • Whole Child Development

    • Developmental Milestones Quiz
  • 5

    Module 3 | Advancing Children's Physical Development | 10 Hours

    • How Children's Bodies Grow

    • Types of Movement

    • Supporting Movement In The Classroom

    • Project Page: Physical Activity in the Classroom

    • Physical Development in Your Lesson Plan

    • Project Page: Physical Activity In Your Classroom | Alternate Activity

    • Project Page: In Your Classroom
  • 6

    Module 4 | Advancing Children's Intellectual Development | 10 Hours

    • Intellectual or Cognitive Development

    • Cognitive Development Q & A

    • Ages & Stages of Cognitive Development

    • More Cognitive Development Milestones

    • Project Page: Cognitive Development In The Classroom

    • Cognitive Development In Your Lesson Plan

    • Project Page: Cognitive Skills (Alternate Activity)

    • Project Page: Classroom In Action

    • Promoting Language Development

    • Emergent Literacy

    • Emergent Literacy: Early Reading and Writing Development

    • Project Page: Language Development Lesson

    • Competency Statement II: Advancing Physical & Intellectual Competence

    • Competency Statement II
  • 7

    Module 5 | Supporting Children’s Social and Emotional Development | 20 Hours

    • Emotional Skills Development

    • The Six Stages of a Child's Emotional Development

    • Project Page: Emotional Development Case Study

    • Social Development in Young Children

    • Getting Along Together

    • Project Page: Identifying Social Developmental Milestones

    • Experiencing Challenging Behaviors

    • Social & Emotional Scenarios

    • Social & Emotional Development In Your Classroom

    • Direct Positive Guidance

    • Strategies for Direct Positive Guidance

    • DPG #1 - The Learning Environment

    • DPG #2 - Developmental vs Learned Behaviors

    • It's NORMAL!!!

    • DPG #3 - Setting Boundaries

    • Consistent Consequences

    • Project Page: Consistent Consequences in the Classroom

    • Consistent Consequences Q & A

    • DPG #4 - Giving Instructions

    • Giving Instructions

    • ReActive Strategies

    • Five ReActive Strategies

    • Using ReActive Strategies

    • Project Page: What Would You Do?

    • Competency Statement III: Supporting Social & Emotional Development & Providing Positive Guidance

    • Competency Statement III
  • 8

    Module 6 | Observing & Recording Children’s Behavior | 20 Hours

    • Assessment of Learning & Development

    • Observation & Assessment Quiz

    • What Are We Observing & Assessing?

    • The Teaching Cycle

    • The Teaching Cycle In The Classroom

    • Project Page: Observations In Action

    • What Did You Observe?

    • Project Page: Assessments In Action

    • Evidence of Children’s Learning & Development

    • Building Meaningful Portfolios Q & A

    • Project Page: What's In Your Portfolios?
  • 9

    Module 7 | Establishing Effective & Productive Relationships With Families |10 Hours

    • The Anatomy of the Parent

    • Talking To Parents Like A Pro!

    • Communication Assessment

    • Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication

    • Communicating with Families

    • The Sandwich Approach

    • Using The Sandwich Approach

    • Family Delightment

    • Project Page: Customer Interviews

    • From the Usual to the Remarkable

    • How do you go from USUAL to REMARKABLE?

    • Competency Statement IV | To Establish Positive and Productive Relationships with Families

    • Competency Statement IV

  • 10

    Module 8 | Managing an Effective Program Operation |10 Hours

    • Managing The Early Learning Classroom

    • Classroom Management

    • Project Page - Discovering Areas of Opportunity

    • Making It Happen!

    • Project Page - Effective Program Management

    • Licensing Regulations and Quality Standards

    • Your Regulatory Agency

    • Project Page - Understanding Licensing Regulations
  • 11

    Module 9 | Maintaining A Commitment to Professionalism |10 Hours

    • Daycare Worker, Or Something More?

    • Professional Reflection

    • Project Page: You, As A Professional!

    • Project Page - Gaining A Broader Perspective

    • Program Visit Reflection

    • Professional Resources, Organizations, and Associations

    • Becoming Familiar with the Early Childhood Education Field
  • 12

    Final Steps

    • A Small Reminder Of Who You Are!

    • Final Reminders

    • Before you go...

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