How to renew your CDA credential: the complete guide

Last updated 2026-07-09

What is CDA renewal and who has to do it?

The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential comes from the Council for Professional Recognition, and it expires exactly three years from the date it was awarded or last renewed. ^[1] Every CDA holder renews on that schedule or the credential lapses. No automatic extension exists.

Renewal is more than paperwork. A lot of states count an active CDA toward director qualification standards, minimum staff education rules, or points in a tiered quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). ^[2] Let it lapse and you can fall out of compliance with your license before you even notice.

Head Start and Early Head Start raise the stakes. Under the Head Start Act, every lead teacher in a center-based program has to hold at minimum a Child Development Associate credential. ^[3] That rule has teeth. Programs that miss it can lose funding.

Home-based providers face a quieter version of the same problem. Many states that fund care through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) write CDA attainment and renewal into subsidy eligibility or provider reimbursement tiers. ^[4] A lapsed credential can knock your subsidy rate down a tier.

Treat the three-year date like your car registration. Miss it and things get complicated fast.

What are the CDA renewal requirements?

The Council for Professional Recognition sets four requirements you meet before you can submit a renewal application. ^[1]

1. 45 hours of professional development. The training has to be completed since the date of your most recent CDA award or renewal. It has to line up with the eight CDA Competency Standards (safe and healthy learning environment, physical and intellectual competence, social and emotional development, relationships with families, program management, professionalism, and the rest). The hours can come from more than one place. College coursework, workshops, webinars, conferences, and employer training all count as long as you can document them.

2. A current Infant/Child CPR certificate. It has to come from an in-person training, not a purely online course. The Council is explicit about that. The certificate has to be current on the day you submit, more than the day you start pulling the application together.

3. A completed CDA renewal application. You fill it out through the Council's online system at cdacouncil.org. The form asks for your professional development documentation, employment verification, and a written self-reflection on your practice.

4. The $150 renewal fee. Current as of 2024-2025. ^[1] The fee is non-refundable no matter the outcome, so confirm you meet every requirement before you hit submit.

Here is what trips people up. The 45 hours must be earned after your last award or renewal date. Hours you banked before that date do not count, even if you never used them for anything. Keep a running log with dates, provider names, and hours from day one of your new cycle.

How much does CDA renewal cost?

The Council charges $150 for a standard CDA renewal. ^[1] That is the only fee the Council itself collects.

Your real out-of-pocket number runs higher once professional development goes in. The 45 hours can cost almost nothing (your employer pays, or you use free webinars from Child Care Aware of America or your state's child care resource and referral agency) or several hundred dollars if you take a college course or attend a conference.

CPR recertification usually runs $30 to $75 depending on your area and the training organization.

So a realistic total lands somewhere between $180 on the low end (free PD, cheap CPR, $150 fee) and $600 or more if you pay for a mix of workshops and a college credit out of pocket. Many employers reimburse the fee and some or all of the PD. Ask before you pay a dime.

Compare that to the cost of letting the credential lapse and reapplying from scratch. A new CDA application currently costs $425 for a center-based or home visitor setting. ^[1] Renewal at $150 is the obvious better deal.

Cost item	Typical range
Council renewal fee	$150 (fixed)
CPR recertification	$30 to $75
Professional development (45 hrs)	$0 to $400+
Total, realistic range	$180 to $625

Some states have scholarship or incentive programs that cover CDA renewal fees outright. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood scholarship, run in many states, funds credential renewal for child care workers specifically. ^[5] If T.E.A.C.H. operates where you are, apply before you spend anything yourself.

When should you start the CDA renewal process?

Start at least three months before your credential expires. That gives you room to finish any remaining professional development, schedule an in-person CPR class (these book up), gather your documentation, and still have slack if the Council asks you to clarify something.

The Council lets you submit a renewal no later than six months after your credential expires. ^[1] Miss that window and renewal is off the table. You reapply for a new CDA at the higher fee and go through the full initial assessment. The Council does not bend on this cutoff.

Set a calendar reminder the day your credential arrives. Put the expiration date and a "start renewal prep" date (three months before) somewhere you will actually see them. Three years goes faster than you think.

Not sure how many hours you have banked mid-cycle? Count them now. The CDA resource log the Council provides works well, but any system that captures date, provider, topic, and hours does the job.

How do you complete the CDA renewal application step by step?

Here is the actual sequence for an online renewal through the Council's portal at cdacouncil.org. ^[1]

Step 1: Log into your Council account. If you set up an account when you first applied, use those credentials. Lost access? Use the account recovery option before you touch anything else. Do not create a duplicate account.

Step 2: Select "Renew CDA." The system pulls up your credential record and shows your expiration date. Confirm the credential type matches what you hold (Infant/Toddler, Preschool, Family Child Care, Home Visitor, or the bilingual specialization).

Step 3: Complete the professional development log. List each training: title, date, provider, number of hours, and the CDA Competency Standard it addresses. The system lets you upload supporting documents (certificates of completion, transcripts, sign-in sheets). Upload all of it. Leave nothing undocumented.

Step 4: Upload your CPR certificate. Make sure the document shows the issuing organization, the training type (it has to specify infant/child CPR), and the expiration date.

Step 5: Complete the self-reflection section. This is a short written response about your professional growth and practice. The Council states no minimum word count, but a few substantive paragraphs per competency area is the standard expectation.

Step 6: Submit employment verification. Your supervisor or program director confirms you currently work in a child care setting. You start this through the portal, and they get an email prompt.

Step 7: Pay the $150 fee. The portal takes credit and debit cards. You get a confirmation number. Save it.

Step 8: Wait for processing. The Council states processing takes about 30 days. A new credential certificate arrives by mail and your account updates online. ^[1]

If anything is missing or unclear, the Council contacts you through your account. Check your email and your portal regularly during the review window.

What professional development counts toward the 45-hour requirement?

Professional development has to align with the CDA Competency Standards, but the format is wide open. ^[1] Eligible options include:

College or university coursework (credit or non-credit) in early childhood education or child development. One college credit usually equals about 15 to 16 contact hours. A three-credit course generally covers the entire 45-hour requirement in one shot, though it costs more.

Workshops and seminars, in person or online. Your state licensing agency, Child Care Aware affiliates, NAEYC chapter events, community colleges, and private training organizations all run qualifying workshops.

Webinars, including free ones. Zero to Three, Early Childhood Investigations, the National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance, and many state agencies offer free webinars that generate certificates. These are genuinely useful and genuinely free.

Conference sessions. Attend documented sessions at a local, state, or national ECE conference and those hours count.

Employer training. General staff meetings do not count. Structured training events your employer runs or pays for, with documented hours and topics, do.

What does not count: general staff meetings, casual mentoring without structured learning objectives, and hours logged before your current cycle started.

If you want your professional development to feed your curriculum work at the same time, training on specific evidence-based programs like Creative Curriculum for preschool or structured approaches like Montessori preschool curriculum can satisfy competency areas when the training is formally documented. You need a certificate or transcript that shows the hours and ties the content to child development.

Spread your 45 hours across the competency areas instead of piling them into one. The Council does not mandate a distribution, but a renewal where 44 of 45 hours sit in one competency and zero touch professionalism is going to look thin.

What happens if your CDA credential expires before you renew?

The Council gives you a six-month grace period after expiration to still file a renewal instead of a new application. ^[1] Inside that window you renew at the $150 fee even though the credential is technically lapsed.

After six months, renewal is gone. You apply from scratch: full initial application, $425 fee, complete portfolio or Professional Development Specialist (PDS) observation, the whole process. That is a big jump in cost and time.

Compliance is a different clock. An expired CDA is not an active CDA. If your state licensing rule or QRIS requires an active credential, you are out of compliance the day after expiration, not after the grace period ends. The grace period is the Council's administrative policy, not a state licensing carve-out. Check your state rules.

Head Start is stricter still. An expired CDA means you no longer meet the federal lead teacher qualification. Programs usually have internal policies that kick off a corrective action process fast.

And for your own career, plenty of child care employers list an active CDA as a minimum hiring requirement. Letting it lapse can shrink your options even in a role that does not currently require it.

Does CDA renewal count toward state licensing requirements?

In most states, yes. Keeping an active CDA counts toward at least one licensing or quality standard. The specifics swing a lot by state, credential type, and role.

For staff education, many states accept a CDA as a qualifying credential for lead teacher or assistant director positions, sometimes as an alternative to an associate's degree in early childhood education. ^[2] If your regulation says staff must hold a CDA or equivalent, an expired credential breaks that requirement.

For QRIS, most state quality rating systems award points or set a minimum participation threshold based on staff credential levels. An active CDA typically earns a set tier point value. Check your state's QRIS rubric, usually posted by your licensing office or Child Care Aware affiliate.

For CCDF subsidy eligibility, federal rules require states to address quality in their subsidy programs. Many states built credential requirements into higher payment tiers. ^[4] Providers on enhanced reimbursement rates tied to credentials need to watch their renewal dates closely.

For the CDA credential itself, the initial earn and the renewal are two separate compliance events. Earning it gets you to a licensing threshold. Renewing keeps you there.

The best resource for your state's rules is your licensing office directly, or the National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations that Child Care Aware of America maintains. ^[6]

Can you get financial help paying for CDA renewal?

Yes, and most providers should check before paying out of pocket.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood is the best-known scholarship for child care workers. It runs in more than 20 states and funds education and credential costs, including CDA renewal fees and related training. ^[5] Your state's child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agency can tell you whether T.E.A.C.H. is available and how to apply.

State workforce development funds sometimes cover professional development for child care workers as part of retention efforts. These vary widely and often have application windows.

Employer reimbursement is underused. Many centers will cover the fee and PD costs if you ask, especially when they need your credential active for their own licensing or QRIS status. Put the request in writing and tie it to the program's compliance needs.

Child Care Aware affiliates in your state sometimes offer free or subsidized training that satisfies CDA professional development. That covers the 45-hour cost even when it does not touch the $150 fee.

Federal money under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) sent states stabilization grants meant in part to support workforce development, including credentials. Whether those funds are still around in your state depends on how your state spent them. Ask your licensing agency or CCR&R.

Thinking about the business side, credential fees and professional development spending matter at tax time. Expenses like these can be deductible as business education. The childcare tax credit for families is a separate thing, but provider-side education deductions are worth a conversation with your tax preparer.

How does CDA renewal work for the Family Child Care (home daycare) setting?

The renewal for a Family Child Care CDA runs on the same four requirements: 45 hours of PD, current CPR, completed application, $150 fee. ^[1] What changes is how the hours fit your day, since you usually work alone with no director and no built-in PD calendar.

In practice, most family child care providers build hours through evening and weekend webinars, state conference attendance, and the occasional online community college course. The free webinar route fits well here because you can knock out training during nap time or after the children leave.

If you run a family child care home and belong to a National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) accreditation cohort, some of that accreditation training may qualify as CDA professional development. Check it against the competency standards. ^[9]

Your state may treat the Family Child Care CDA differently from the center-based version. Some states require a center-based CDA for director qualification but accept the FCC credential for home provider quality tiers. Know which credential type you hold and what it counts for where you are.

If you are a home provider just now thinking about curriculum documentation, that connects to your PD log too. Training in approaches like Frog Street Press preschool curriculum or preschool curriculum for 3-year-olds can count toward your hours if the training has formal documentation and connects to a competency area.

The tools at ChildCareComp are built around this kind of compliance tracking for home and center providers. If you are building a renewal checklist, our compliance toolkit has a CDA renewal tracker sitting alongside your state licensing calendar.

What records should you keep after your CDA renewal is approved?

Keep everything, permanently.

Your renewed credential certificate: store a physical copy and a scan. When a licensing inspector, a new employer, or a state quality program asks you to prove your credential history, you want that document in hand in two minutes.

Your professional development documentation: the certificates, transcripts, and sign-in sheets that backed your renewal. The Council may hold a copy in your file, but state-level audits can ask you to produce originals.

Your CPR certificate: it expires on its own schedule (typically every two years for most certifying bodies) apart from your CDA cycle. Keep it current and keep copies.

Your payment confirmation from the Council: the receipt showing the $150 fee, the date paid, and your confirmation number.

A log of your next cycle's professional development, starting from your renewal date. Start it immediately. Three years from now, the last thing you want is to rebuild 45 hours of training history from memory.

Some licensing inspectors ask to see CDA credentials during routine inspections. If your state requires staff to hold a CDA, the regulation usually also says documentation has to be available on site. Check your state's retention rules. Michigan, for example, requires licensed providers to keep staff records on site and available for inspection. ^[7]

What's the difference between CDA renewal and the new CDA assessment process?

This confuses people constantly. The initial CDA credential requires a formal assessment: a Professional Development Specialist (PDS) observation, a professional portfolio, and an exam. ^[1] That full process costs $425 and involves a PDS visiting your site.

Renewal is a different animal. No PDS observation. No formal exam. No portfolio in the traditional sense. You document your PD hours, confirm your CPR is current, complete the online application with a self-reflection, verify current employment, and pay $150. The Council reviews your submission and issues the renewed credential.

The Council reworked its initial assessment in recent years, moving toward a competency-based system. Renewal stayed streamlined. If someone tells you renewal needs a new PDS observation or a new exam, they are wrong, or they are mixing up renewal with the initial application. ^[1]

If your credential lapsed more than six months ago, you are back to the full initial application, which does require the assessment components. One more reason to renew on time.

For providers earning their first CDA, the full guide to the CDA credential initial process covers everything from eligibility through assessment.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to renew a CDA credential?

The Council for Professional Recognition charges $150 for a CDA renewal. That is the only fee the Council itself collects. Your total out-of-pocket cost also includes CPR recertification ($30 to $75 typically) and any professional development for the required 45 hours. Use free webinars and employer training and you can keep the total close to $180.

How many professional development hours do I need to renew my CDA?

You need 45 hours of professional development completed since your last CDA award or renewal date. The training has to align with the eight CDA Competency Standards. Hours from before your current cycle began do not count. College courses, workshops, webinars, conferences, and documented employer training all qualify.

Can I renew my CDA online?

Yes. The entire renewal is submitted through the Council for Professional Recognition's online portal at cdacouncil.org. You upload your professional development documentation, CPR certificate, and self-reflection, start employment verification for your supervisor to complete, and pay the $150 fee online. Processing takes about 30 days.

What happens if my CDA expires before I renew it?

The Council allows a six-month grace period after expiration during which you can still renew at the $150 fee. Miss that window and you apply as a new applicant at $425 and complete the full initial assessment, including a Professional Development Specialist observation. For state licensing, an expired credential stops being active the day after expiration, not after the grace period.

Does the CDA renewal require a PDS observation?

No. CDA renewal does not require a Professional Development Specialist observation or a formal exam. Those are part of the initial CDA application. Renewal requires 45 professional development hours, a current Infant/Child CPR certificate, a completed online application with self-reflection, employment verification, and the $150 fee.

How long does it take to process a CDA renewal?

The Council for Professional Recognition states renewal processing takes about 30 days after you submit a complete application. You receive an updated credential certificate by mail and your online account reflects the renewal. Submit at least three months before your expiration date to leave a buffer in case the Council requests more documentation.

Do I need an in-person CPR class for CDA renewal?

Yes. The Council requires that your Infant/Child CPR certificate come from an in-person training, not a purely online course. The certificate has to be current the day you submit. Most CPR certifications through the American Red Cross or American Heart Association last two years, so you may need to recertify mid-cycle regardless of renewal timing.

How do I log professional development hours for CDA renewal?

Keep a running log from day one of your new cycle. For each training, record the title, date, provider, number of hours, and which CDA Competency Standard it addresses. Collect certificates of completion, transcripts, or sign-in sheets as you go. When you submit your renewal, you upload this documentation through the Council's online portal.

Can my employer pay for CDA renewal?

Many employers will cover the $150 fee and professional development costs if you ask, especially when they need active CDA credentials for their own licensing compliance or QRIS standing. Put the request in writing and tie it to your program's specific requirements. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood scholarship also funds CDA renewal in more than 20 states.

Is a CDA renewal required for Head Start teachers?

Yes. Under the Head Start Act, all lead teachers in center-based Head Start programs must hold at minimum an active CDA credential. An expired CDA means the teacher no longer meets federal qualification rules. Head Start programs usually run internal corrective action processes that activate quickly when a credential lapses, and programs risk funding consequences if they stay out of compliance.

Does CDA renewal affect my childcare subsidy reimbursement rate?

It can. Many states tie CCDF subsidy reimbursement rates to provider quality levels, which often include staff credential requirements. Providers on enhanced tiers based on credentials may see their rate drop if a credential lapses. Check your state's QRIS rubric and subsidy rate schedule to see how your CDA status connects to reimbursement. More on how subsidy programs work is at childcare subsidy.

What is the difference between renewing a CDA and applying for a new one?

Renewal ($150) requires 45 PD hours, CPR certification, a self-reflection application, and employment verification. No PDS observation, no exam. A new initial application ($425) requires a full portfolio, a PDS observation at your worksite, and a formal competency exam. If your credential expired more than six months ago, you go through the full initial process regardless of how many years you have worked.

Are there free resources to help meet the 45-hour professional development requirement?

Yes. Child Care Aware affiliates, Zero to Three, Early Childhood Investigations, and your state's child care licensing agency all offer free or low-cost webinars that generate certificates of completion. Many state QRIS programs also offer free training tied to quality standards. Your employer may provide documented training that counts. Starting with your state's CCR&R agency is the fastest route to free local options.

Sources

1. Council for Professional Recognition, CDA Renewal page: CDA renewal costs $150, requires 45 hours of professional development, a current CPR certificate, and must be submitted within six months of expiration; initial application costs $425
2. National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations, Child Care Aware of America: Many states accept an active CDA credential toward staff education requirements and QRIS tier points
3. Head Start Act, 42 U.S.C. § 9843a(a)(1): All lead teachers in center-based Head Start programs must hold at minimum a Child Development Associate credential under federal law
4. Office of Child Care, Child Care and Development Fund Final Rule, 45 CFR Part 98: CCDF rules require states to address quality in subsidy programs; many states connect credential attainment to enhanced reimbursement tiers
5. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood operates in more than 20 states and funds CDA credential attainment and renewal for child care workers
6. Child Care Aware of America, National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations: Child Care Aware maintains a national database of state child care licensing regulations including staff credential requirements
7. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Child Care Licensing Rules: Michigan requires licensed child care providers to maintain staff records on site and available for licensing inspection
8. Office of Head Start, Head Start Program Performance Standards, 45 CFR Part 1302: Head Start Program Performance Standards specify staff qualification requirements including active CDA credential for center-based lead teachers
9. National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), Accreditation Standards: NAFCC accreditation-related training may qualify as professional development hours toward CDA renewal when aligned to competency standards
10. Office of Child Care, CCDF Policies Database: State CCDF plans detail how credential requirements connect to subsidy payment tiers and provider reimbursement rates