CDA childcare credential: what it is, what it costs, and how to earn it

Last updated 2026-07-10

What is the CDA childcare credential?

The Child Development Associate credential, shortened to CDA, is a national early childhood credential awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition. It was created in 1975 and has been issued to more than 600,000 early childhood professionals as of the Council's most recent reporting. ^[1]

The CDA is not a degree. It sits below an associate's or bachelor's in early childhood education, but above raw on-the-job experience. Call it the professional middle ground: enough assessed competence to carry weight with licensing agencies and Head Start grantees, without enrolling in a two- or four-year program.

The Council issues six credential types, each tied to a specific setting:

Credential Type	Setting
Preschool	Center-based, ages 3 to 5
Infant/Toddler	Center-based, birth to 36 months
Family Child Care	Home-based programs
Home Visitor	Child's own home
Preschool Spanish Bilingual	Center-based, bilingual classrooms
Infant/Toddler Spanish Bilingual	Center-based, bilingual

Most daycare operators and staff pursue the Preschool or Infant/Toddler credential, matched to the age group they teach. Providers working out of their homes apply for the Family Child Care type, which has slightly different portfolio rules. ^[1]

Why does the CDA credential matter for licensing and compliance?

State childcare licensing rules increasingly name the CDA as a minimum qualification for lead teachers, site directors, or home providers. It varies by state, and no single federal rule mandates it everywhere, but the direction is clear.

Head Start is the sharpest federal example. The Head Start Program Performance Standards require at least 50 percent of Head Start teachers nationwide to hold at least an associate's degree in early childhood, and a CDA or equivalent is the baseline for the rest. ^[2] If your center serves Head Start families, that requirement lands directly on your staffing plan.

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the federal block grant that funds childcare subsidies in every state, pushes states toward quality through tiered reimbursement, commonly called Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS). In most state QRIS frameworks, credentialed staff earn higher quality ratings, and higher ratings earn higher subsidy reimbursement rates. ^[3] A CDA on your payroll can raise your revenue from subsidy-eligible families. If you enroll children whose families use childcare subsidy dollars, this link is money.

State examples are easy to find. Michigan requires lead caregivers in licensed centers to hold a CDA or higher credential within a set window after hire. ^[4] Other states list it as satisfying the education component of director qualifications. The practical read: if you're building or growing a licensed program, the CDA is probably already written into your compliance requirements, or it will be soon.

What are the eligibility requirements for the CDA?

The Council for Professional Recognition sets four baseline requirements to apply. ^[1] They are short, and there's no college prerequisite.

First, a high school diploma or GED.

Second, 480 hours of professional experience working with children in the age group that matches your credential type, accumulated within the past five years. A full-time center teacher clears 480 hours in roughly three months, but the Council recommends being actively employed during the process so your portfolio observations come from real work.

Third, 120 hours of formal childcare education or training. Those hours have to cover all eight CDA subject areas (next section) and come from an organization with early childhood expertise: a community college, a CDA training provider, a Head Start agency, a Child Care Resource and Referral agency, or similar. Not every online seminar counts. The provider has to be legitimate, and the Council tightened its documentation standards back in 2013.

Fourth, you must be at least 18 years old.

That's the whole list. No prior credential, no degree, no four-year coursework. The accessibility is deliberate. The CDA was built to meet the workforce where it already is.

What are the eight CDA subject areas you have to cover?

Your 120 training hours have to spread across all eight CDA subject areas. You don't need an equal split, but you do need documented hours in each. ^[1]

1. Planning a safe, healthy learning environment 2. Advancing children's physical and intellectual development 3. Supporting children's social and emotional development 4. Building productive relationships with families 5. Managing an effective program operation 6. Maintaining a commitment to professionalism 7. Observing and recording children's behavior 8. Understanding principles of child development and learning

Most training programs bundle these into a structured curriculum so you're not piecing them together yourself. Community colleges with early childhood courses are a reliable source. The Council also runs an online option, CDA Essentials, that covers all eight areas at a self-paced clip.

If you're building a curriculum for your own program while working toward your CDA, some of that reading overlaps with preschool curriculum frameworks you'd be using anyway. That overlap isn't an accident. The subject areas map onto what good programs actually do all day.

What is the CDA Professional Portfolio?

The Professional Portfolio is the documentation piece of the CDA application. It's where you prove competence with real work rather than test scores alone. ^[1]

The portfolio has these required parts:

Statements of Competence. You write six short statements, one per CDA competency goal (the eight subject areas collapse into six competency goals), describing how your work with children shows that competency.

Resource Collection. You gather observation records, curriculum samples, health and safety checklists, family communication examples, and similar materials from your actual work. The Council's Competency Standards book lists exactly what each collection item requires. For home-based Family Child Care candidates, the resource collection differs to match the home setting.

Family Questionnaires. You hand questionnaires to at least ten families in your program. They rate your professional behavior, and you tabulate and include the results. Candidates underestimate this step every time. Collecting ten completed forms from busy parents takes longer than you expect. Start early.

You submit the portfolio with your application, and the PD Specialist reviews it again in person during your Verification Visit.

How does the CDA exam and verification visit work?

After you submit the application and pay the exam fee, you schedule two things: the CDA exam and the CDA Verification Visit.

The exam is a 65-question computer-based test at a Pearson VUE testing center. You get one hour and 45 minutes. Questions cover the eight subject areas and run scenario-based, so you're answering "what should you do" situations rather than reciting definitions. The Council doesn't publish detailed pass rates, but its own prep materials treat the exam as moderately challenging for candidates who haven't read the Competency Standards closely.

The Verification Visit is a site visit run by a CDA Professional Development Specialist (PD Specialist), an early childhood professional the Council credentials to conduct assessments. During the visit, the PD Specialist observes you working with children for 1.5 to 3 hours, reviews your Professional Portfolio on site, and holds a short reflective dialogue about your practice. ^[1]

You schedule the PD Specialist yourself through the Council's online directory. That surprises most people. The Council doesn't assign one. You reach out, coordinate schedules, and confirm. Give yourself four to six weeks to find a specialist with availability, more in rural areas where fewer are listed.

Once the PD Specialist submits a recommendation and your exam score is confirmed, the Council reviews both and issues the credential, usually within four to six weeks.

What does the CDA credential cost?

Two main fees, plus a handful of variable costs. As of 2024, the Council charges $425 for the application and examination fee for first-time candidates. ^[1] That covers application processing, the Pearson VUE exam, and the credential itself once awarded.

The PD Specialist fee is separate and paid straight to the specialist. The Council suggests $150 per visit, but real rates vary, especially with travel to rural sites. Budget $150 to $225.

Training costs swing the most. If your employer covers professional development, the 120 hours might cost you nothing. Community college courses run $200 to $600 or more depending on your state's tuition and whether you're in-district. The Council's CDA Essentials online program runs about $150 to $200.

All-in, first-time candidates usually spend $650 to $1,200, depending mostly on training. Many states run scholarship programs or employer reimbursement built for CDA prep. Your local Child Care Resource and Referral agency is the first place to ask about funding.

The CDA renews every three years. Renewal is $150 as of 2024, plus 45 hours of continuing education. ^[1]

How long does it take to earn a CDA?

Most candidates take six to twelve months from starting training to holding the credential. Some move faster. A few variables drive the clock.

The 120 training hours are usually the bottleneck. One or two college courses per semester while working full time stretches things out. A cohort program that runs intensively over eight weeks compresses them. Community college early childhood programs run on semester schedules, so check enrollment deadlines early.

Finding a PD Specialist with availability adds weeks, especially in a rural area or when you're scheduling around your center's hours (the visit has to happen while you're working with children).

The Council's processing time after the PD Specialist submits a recommendation is typically four to six weeks. There's no expedite option.

A realistic path for a working center teacher or home provider: start training in month one, finish the hours and portfolio by month six to eight, complete the verification visit by month nine to ten, receive the credential by month eleven to twelve. Front-load the training and move fast on the PD Specialist search and you can cut that to seven or eight months.

Can the CDA count toward a college degree?

Yes, and this is one of the more underused facts about the credential. Many community colleges and universities with early childhood programs accept the CDA as transfer or prior-learning credit. The exact number varies by school, but three to nine credits is common, and some programs waive certain intro courses for CDA holders.

The American Council on Education (ACE) has evaluated the CDA and recommends three semester hours of lower-division credit in early childhood education. ^[5] Individual institutions decide whether to honor ACE recommendations, and not all do, so confirm with your target program before you count on the credit.

If you plan to eventually earn an associate's or bachelor's in early childhood, do the CDA first. You'll likely bank some credit, and the portfolio writing is genuinely good practice for the reflective writing college programs expect.

For providers thinking about what their program teaches, some frameworks that overlap with CDA subject matter include Montessori preschool curriculum and structured programs like Creative Curriculum for preschool, both of which connect straight to the developmental competency areas the CDA assesses.

How do you renew a CDA credential?

The CDA is valid for three years from the date of issue. Renewal isn't automatic, and the window is narrow: you apply between six months before expiration and no later than the expiration date. Let it expire and you start the full initial application over. That's a painful, avoidable expense.

To renew, you need 45 hours of continuing education in early childhood, completed during the three-year period. At least 25 of those hours have to align with the CDA subject areas. The rest can come from other early childhood professional development.

You also need a letter of support from a supervisor or colleague who has observed your work with children within the past six months.

The renewal fee is $150 as of 2024. ^[1] No renewal exam, no verification visit. You submit the documentation, the letter, and payment online through the Council's website.

Set a calendar reminder 18 months before your expiration date to start tracking continuing education. Most state licensing systems already make you log professional development hours, so keeping one running log through your credential period is almost no extra work.

The cda credential renewal process is identical across all six credential types.

How does the CDA compare to other early childhood education credentials?

Candidates often ask whether the CDA or a community college Child Development Certificate is the better path. The honest answer: it depends on what you need it for.

The CDA is a national credential, recognized in all 50 states and portable when you move. A state-issued or community college certificate is usually recognized locally, though it may satisfy your state's licensing requirement just as well within that state.

An associate's degree in early childhood takes two years full time and typically costs $5,000 to $20,000 or more depending on your state and institution. ^[6] It opens more doors, especially for director roles and higher pay, but it's a bigger upfront commitment. The CDA is the faster, cheaper, nationally portable option you can stack toward a degree later.

State-specific credentials exist too. Pennsylvania's Child Development Associate credential mirrors the national CDA. North Carolina runs its own Early Childhood Credential (ECC) system. When a state regulation says "CDA or equivalent," it usually means these state alternatives qualify. Read your specific state licensing language.

Credential	Cost	Time	Portability	College Credit
CDA (national)	$650 to $1,200 all-in	6 to 12 months	National	3 to 9 credits (varies)
Community College Certificate	$500 to $3,000	1 to 2 semesters	State/local	May count toward degree
Associate's Degree (ECE)	$5,000 to $20,000	2 years full-time	National	Full degree
Bachelor's Degree (ECE)	$20,000 to $80,000+	4 years full-time	National	Full degree

What resources help you prepare for the CDA?

The Council for Professional Recognition publishes the CDA Competency Standards book, one version per credential type. This is your study guide and portfolio instruction manual in one. Buy it through the Council's website or find it through many public library systems. Read it before you touch your portfolio.

Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies exist in every state and often run CDA cohort prep programs, provide training that meets the 120-hour requirement, and sometimes hold funds to offset costs. Find your local CCR&R through Child Care Aware of America. ^[7]

The Council's online program, CDA Essentials, covers all eight subject areas and is self-paced. It works well when community college courses don't fit your schedule or geography.

Home-based providers should check whether their state childcare licensing agency runs its own CDA prep support. Providers weighing what a daycare center looks like against a home-based program may find that comparing both settings clarifies the Family Child Care CDA requirements.

ChildCareComp's compliance toolkit tracks the documentation you need for both your CDA portfolio and your state licensing file, because the two overlap. You can generate professional development logs and family communication records that satisfy both at once. That double duty matters when you're running a program and building a credential at the same time.

Does a CDA credential improve your income or job prospects?

The data here is real but imperfect. Nobody has clean national wage data isolating CDA holders from the broader early childhood workforce. A few credible sources point the same way.

Child Care Aware of America's 2023 State Child Care Facts show that states with stronger quality rating systems (which reward credentialed staff) pay higher average wages to early childhood workers. ^[7] That's a correlation, not a clean attribution to the CDA alone.

Head Start programs serve roughly one million children a year and employ hundreds of thousands of staff. They use the CDA as a baseline credential and, in many markets, pay above the state-licensed center median. ^{[2] [10]}

At the individual employer level, many operators tie pay scales to credential level. A teacher moving from no credential to CDA might earn $0.50 to $2.00 more per hour, depending on the center's structure and state. That's not life-changing. On a 40-hour week, it's $1,000 to $4,000 more a year.

For licensed home providers, the income effect is indirect. QRIS tiers that reward staff credentials often carry higher subsidy reimbursement rates, which hits your bottom line if you enroll subsidy-funded children. The childcare tax credit families use to offset costs doesn't flow to you, but a higher quality rating does.

Honest summary: the CDA alone won't make you rich, but in a field with historically flat wages, it's one of the few ways to move the needle without years in school.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CDA credential the same as a degree in early childhood education?

No. The CDA is a competency-based professional credential, not an academic degree. It requires 120 training hours and an assessed portfolio rather than a full academic program. It sits below an associate's degree in the credentials hierarchy, but it's nationally recognized and can count as three to nine college credits at institutions that accept ACE recommendations.

Can I get my CDA online?

Partially. The training hours can be completed online through the Council's CDA Essentials program or accredited online college courses. The exam is taken in person at a Pearson VUE testing center. The Verification Visit also happens in person, with a PD Specialist observing you working with children in your actual classroom or home. There's no fully remote version.

How much does it cost to get a CDA credential?

The Council charges $425 for the application and exam fee. The PD Specialist charges a separate visit fee, typically $150 to $225. Training costs range from zero (employer-paid) to $600 or more for college courses. Total out-of-pocket for most first-time candidates runs $650 to $1,200. Many CCR&R agencies offer scholarships to offset these costs.

What happens if my CDA expires?

If your CDA expires without renewal, you lose the credential and must go through the full first-time process again, including the $425 fee, a new portfolio, the exam, and a new Verification Visit. Renewal is far simpler and costs $150, so tracking your expiration date and renewing on time saves real money and months of effort.

Do all states require a CDA for daycare licensing?

No. Requirements vary widely by state. Some require a CDA or equivalent for lead teachers in licensed centers. Others list it as one qualifying option among several. Home-based provider requirements are often lower. Check your state's licensing regulations through your state childcare licensing agency, and see whether your state's QRIS rewards or requires credential attainment.

How many hours of training do you need for a CDA?

The Council requires 120 hours of formal early childhood education or training, and those hours must cover all eight CDA subject areas. There's no required minimum per subject area, but you need documented coverage of each. Training has to come from a legitimate provider with early childhood expertise, such as a community college, a Head Start agency, or a recognized training organization.

Can a family childcare home provider earn a CDA?

Yes. The Council offers a Family Child Care CDA built for home-based providers. The eligibility requirements are the same (high school diploma, 480 hours experience, 120 training hours, age 18+), but the Professional Portfolio requirements and competency demonstrations are adapted for the home setting. The Verification Visit takes place in your home during operating hours.

What is the CDA exam like?

The exam is 65 scenario-based multiple-choice questions at a Pearson VUE testing center. You have 1 hour and 45 minutes. Questions focus on applying knowledge from the eight CDA subject areas to real childcare situations. The Council does not publish pass rates. Reviewing the CDA Competency Standards book and taking Council-provided practice questions are the most direct preparation.

Does the CDA count toward Head Start employment requirements?

Yes. Head Start Program Performance Standards accept the CDA as meeting the baseline educational requirement for teaching staff in programs that haven't yet reached the 50 percent associate's degree threshold. For specific roles, the CDA satisfies the entry-level qualification while staff work toward higher credentials. The Council's CDA is named directly in Head Start guidance.

How do I find a CDA Professional Development Specialist?

The Council for Professional Recognition maintains an online directory of credentialed PD Specialists at cdacouncil.org. You search by location and credential type, then contact specialists directly to check availability and confirm their fee. In rural areas or less-populated states the directory may show limited options, so start your search four to eight weeks before you want the visit.

Is there financial help to pay for the CDA?

Yes, from several sources. Child Care Resource and Referral agencies in most states offer CDA scholarships or training subsidies funded through CCDF quality dollars. Some states run dedicated early childhood workforce funds. Head Start grantees often cover CDA costs for staff. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood scholarships, available in about 25 states, specifically fund CDA attainment for childcare workers.

What is the difference between the CDA and a Child Development Certificate?

The CDA is a nationally portable credential issued by the Council for Professional Recognition. A Child Development Certificate is usually issued by a community college or state agency and recognized mainly within that state. Both may satisfy state licensing requirements, but the CDA travels with you across states. Some institutions offer both; check what your state licensing regulations accept.

How does the CDA credential affect QRIS ratings and subsidy reimbursement?

Most state Quality Rating and Improvement Systems award points for staff credentials, including the CDA. Higher QRIS ratings typically earn higher subsidy reimbursement rates for providers accepting CCDF-funded children. The exact rating boost varies by state, but in states like North Carolina, Ohio, and Michigan, credentialed staff meaningfully affect your reimbursement tier. Contact your state's QRIS administrator for specific rate tables.

Sources

1. Council for Professional Recognition, CDA Credential Overview: CDA issued to more than 600,000 professionals since 1975; fee is $425 for first-time candidates; renewal fee is $150; six credential types; four eligibility requirements; portfolio sections described
2. Office of Head Start, Head Start Program Performance Standards (45 CFR Part 1302): Head Start requires at least 50 percent of teachers hold an associate's degree or higher; the CDA satisfies the baseline credential requirement for remaining teaching staff
3. Office of Child Care, CCDF Policy, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems: CCDF funds quality improvement through state QRIS frameworks; credentialed staff earn higher quality ratings and higher subsidy reimbursement rates
4. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Child Care Licensing Rules: Michigan requires lead caregivers in licensed centers to hold a CDA or higher credential within a set timeframe after hire
5. American Council on Education, ACE Credit Recommendation for CDA: ACE recommends three semester hours of lower-division credit in early childhood education for CDA holders; individual institutions decide whether to accept ACE recommendations
6. National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2022: Associate's degree in early childhood education typically costs $5,000 to $20,000 or more depending on state and institution type
7. Child Care Aware of America, State Child Care Facts 2023: States with stronger quality rating systems pay higher average wages to early childhood workers; CCR&R agencies exist in every state and provide CDA preparation support
8. Office of Child Care, Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Overview: CCDF is the federal block grant funding childcare subsidies in every state; states use CCDF quality funds to incentivize staff credential attainment
9. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood scholarships fund CDA attainment for childcare workers in approximately 25 states
10. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Childcare Workers: Childcare worker wages vary significantly by credential level and employer type; Head Start programs often pay above state-licensed center median in many markets