How the CDA credential process works: steps, costs, and timeline

Last updated 2026-07-10

What is the CDA credential and who needs it?

The Child Development Associate (CDA) is the most widely recognized entry-level credential in early childhood education in the United States. The Council for Professional Recognition has issued it since 1975. More than 500,000 CDAs have been awarded as of 2023 ^[1].

Who actually needs one? That depends on your state and your employer. Plenty of state child care licensing rules require lead teachers or directors to hold a CDA or something comparable. Under the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), states set quality standards for providers, and most state CCDF plans count the CDA toward those standards ^[2]. Run a home daycare and want to accept subsidy payments? Check your state's CCDF plan. A CDA can clear a licensing tier you'd otherwise be stuck below.

Even where it isn't required, the credential pays. Many Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) hand programs a higher star rating when staff hold a CDA, and that rating can raise your reimbursement rate directly ^[2]. Your licensor might not ask for it. Your subsidy program might still reward you for it. We cover how subsidy rates interact with quality credentials in our piece on childcare subsidy.

There isn't one CDA. There are separate pathways: center-based (Infant/Toddler or Preschool), family child care, home visitor, and a bilingual specialization. You apply for the one that matches where you work.

What are the CDA eligibility requirements before you apply?

Meet three baseline requirements before you submit an application, all set by the Council ^[1]. A high school diploma or GED equivalent. At least 480 hours of professional experience working with children in the age group that matches your credential type, earned in the past 5 years. And at least 120 clock hours of formal early childhood education training covering all eight CDA subject areas, also within the past 5 years.

480 hours sounds like a wall. It's about 12 weeks of full-time work. Part-time counts. Volunteering does not count unless it happened in a licensed or regulated program. Document your hours carefully, because the Council can ask you to prove them.

The 120 training hours have to span all eight subject areas: planning a safe, healthy learning environment; advancing children's physical and intellectual development; supporting children's social and emotional development; building productive relationships with families; managing an effective program; maintaining a commitment to professionalism; observing and recording children's behavior; and understanding principles of child development and learning. No single area can dominate. A community college ECE course usually runs 3 credit hours, roughly 45 to 54 clock hours. Two solid college courses plus a workshop series can get you there.

Already hold an associate's or bachelor's degree in early childhood or a related field? You may qualify for the degree pathway, which shifts some of the documentation requirements. The Council's site explains the split. Our full CDA credential overview covers the credential itself in more depth.

How do you apply for the CDA: the step-by-step process

The Council moved to an online application system in 2013, and the sequence is fixed. Here it is in plain order.

Step 1: Verify eligibility. Have your 480 experience hours and 120 training hours documented before you start. Applying early wastes the fee.

Step 2: Create an account on the Council's website and submit the online application. You pick your credential type (center-based infant/toddler, center-based preschool, family child care, home visitor, or bilingual). The application fee is $425 ^[1]. The Council offers a reduced fee for candidates who qualify on financial need. As of 2024, a $150 rate is available through the Council's scholarship program, though funding is limited.

Step 3: Build your Professional Portfolio. This is where most people spend the most time. The portfolio is not a scrapbook. It's a structured document with Competency Goal Statements, a supporting Resource Collection, and Family Questionnaires. The Council publishes a template you have to follow.

Step 4: Take the CDA Exam. Once your application is processed and accepted, you schedule the exam through Pearson VUE ^[9]. It has 65 scenario-based questions across all eight subject areas, and you get 1 hour and 45 minutes. There's no separate exam fee. It's baked into the $425 ^[1].

Step 5: Schedule your Verification Visit. This is an observation (in person, or virtual for some credentials since 2020) run by a CDA Professional Development Specialist (PD Specialist). The PD Specialist is a credentialed early childhood professional, often referred by your local Child Care Resource and Referral agency (CCR&R). Find one through Child Care Aware of America's locator or your state CCR&R network ^[3]. The specialist watches you work with children for at least 2 hours, then reviews your portfolio.

Step 6: The Council reviews everything. After your exam score posts and your PD Specialist submits the verification report, the Council's review team evaluates the full package. If it clears, your credential is issued.

Start to finish runs 6 to 12 months for most candidates. The Council requires every step to be done within one year of your application date.

What goes into the CDA Professional Portfolio?

The portfolio surprises most first-timers. People expect a test, not a binder of written work. But the Council built the credential around demonstrated competence more than recalled knowledge, and the portfolio is how you show it.

It has three main parts ^[1].

Six Competency Goal Statements. These are your written reflections, one for each of the six CDA Competency Goals (the eight subject areas collapse into six goals). Each statement runs 200 to 500 words on how your practice meets that goal. Be specific. Vague statements are the top reason a portfolio review drags out.

Resource Collection. A set of documents tied to each competency goal. A sample daily schedule. A floor plan of your learning environment. Documentation of your 120 training hours. A health and safety checklist. Family communication samples. The Council's Competency Standards book (on their website, or from your local CCR&R) lists the exact items required for each credential type.

Family Questionnaires. You hand these to at least three families you currently serve. They fill them out and return them straight to your PD Specialist in a sealed envelope. You never read them. This checks your family relationships. It is not a reference letter.

A few honest notes. The portfolio cannot be finished overnight. The competency statements alone take most people 10 to 20 hours to write well. Start early, get feedback from a mentor or a community college advisor, and revise. The Council wants reflective practice, which means showing why you do what you do, more than describing your day.

How much does the CDA credential cost in total?

The $425 Council application fee covers your exam and one verification visit ^[1]. That is rarely the whole bill. Here's a realistic picture.

Cost Item	Typical Range	Notes
Council application fee	$425	Includes exam and verification visit
120 hours of training (if not already done)	$0 to $1,500+	Community college courses run $300 to $600 each; some states offer free training through CCR&R
Competency Standards book	$25 to $35	Available from the Council; some libraries carry it
PD Specialist travel reimbursement	$0 to $75	Some specialists charge a travel fee; check locally
Retake fee (if needed)	$150	If you fail the exam or need a second verification visit

If your 120 training hours came free or subsidized (many CCR&R agencies run free workshops, and some states use CCDF quality funds to cover training), your out-of-pocket total might be just the $425. Starting from zero with no training hours? You could spend $1,000 to $2,000 all in.

Funding help is real. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood scholarship program operates in about 24 states and can pay for your training and sometimes the Council fee ^[4]. Your state CCR&R network is the right place to ask about local scholarships. Child Care Aware of America keeps a directory of CCR&R agencies by state ^[3].

Set next to a two-year degree, the CDA is cheap. An associate's in ECE runs roughly $10,000 to $15,000 in community college tuition. The CDA gets you a nationally recognized credential for a small slice of that.

How long does the CDA process take from start to finish?

It varies a lot, and the bottleneck is almost always the portfolio and PD Specialist scheduling, not the exam.

The Council requires all steps within one year of your application date. Miss that window and you reapply and pay again ^[1].

For someone who already has 480 experience hours and 120 training hours done before applying, the practical timeline looks like this:

• Application processing: 1 to 3 weeks
• Exam scheduling and completion: 2 to 6 weeks after application acceptance (Pearson VUE has testing centers in most metro areas, and online proctoring is available)
• Portfolio preparation: 4 to 12 weeks depending on how fast you write and gather documentation
• PD Specialist scheduling: 2 to 8 weeks in some rural areas where specialists are scarce
• Council review after the verification visit: 4 to 8 weeks

Add it up. A focused candidate who starts with every eligibility hour in hand can finish in 4 to 6 months. Someone who still needs training hours realistically takes 9 to 18 months.

The scarcest resource in many rural states is the PD Specialist. The Council expanded virtual verification visits after 2020 and that helped, but some credential types still require an in-person visit. In a low-supply area, start hunting for a PD Specialist before you even submit your application.

What happens during the CDA verification visit?

The verification visit is a formal observation, not a casual check-in. Your PD Specialist comes to your program (or joins virtually), watches you work with children for at least 2 hours, reviews your Professional Portfolio, and completes a structured observation using an instrument designated by the Council ^[1].

The specialist is checking whether what you wrote in your competency statements actually shows up in your room. Say your portfolio claims you use open-ended questions to support language development. The specialist watches to see if that's true.

Here's what candidates often don't know going in. The specialist is not an evaluator hunting for a failure. They're a supportive professional running a competency verification. But they answer to the Council's standards. If they see something below minimum competency, they note it.

A visit that doesn't produce a positive verification isn't the end. You can schedule a second visit (there's a $150 fee) after you close the identified gap. This is uncommon but not rare, and it mostly hits candidates who rushed the portfolio.

Tell the families whose children will be there on visit day. You don't need permission for an observation in a licensed program, but a heads-up is good practice, and the family questionnaire process already tipped them off that you're pursuing your CDA.

How do you renew the CDA credential?

The CDA is valid for three years. After that, you renew ^[1].

Renewal takes three things: 45 clock hours of professional development relevant to early childhood during the three-year period, evidence of ongoing work with children in your credential category, and a completed renewal application with a $150 fee.

Renewal is far simpler than the first go-round. No exam. No portfolio. No verification visit. You document your professional development, confirm your employment, and submit online.

Let your credential expire before you renew and you switch from standard renewal to the Council's reinstatement process, which can add steps and cost. Set a reminder at 30 months (six months out) so you have time to finish your 45 hours if you're behind.

Some states already require child care providers to log a minimum number of training hours per year, so for a lot of practitioners the 45-hour requirement takes care of itself. Others get caught flat-footed because they never tracked it.

Does the CDA credential satisfy state licensing requirements?

Do your homework here, because there is no single national answer. Each state sets its own child care licensing standards ^[5].

Most states count the CDA as meeting or contributing to qualification requirements for lead teachers or family child care providers, but the specifics run all over the map. Some states require a CDA for any teacher in a licensed center. Some require it only for programs chasing a higher QRIS tier. Others set a bachelor's degree as the bar and count the CDA only for an entry tier.

Michigan is a useful example. Under Michigan's child care licensing rules, lead teachers in licensed centers must meet specific education requirements, and the CDA counts toward those for certain program types ^[6]. Our Michigan-specific coverage of michigan daycare licensing shows how this plays out in context.

The CCDF final rule (published in 2024) tightens the requirement for states to set and enforce quality benchmarks for subsidized care, which is pushing more states to formally recognize the CDA in their subsidy payment tiers ^[2]. The rule states that "lead teachers in center-based child care settings must have, at minimum, a child development associate credential or equivalent." Read your state licensing agency's site directly and pull your state's current CCDF plan from the Office of Child Care website ^[10].

For the broader connection between licensing and subsidy access, the daycare center overview covers the full licensing picture.

What are the hardest parts of the CDA process and how do you get through them?

Plenty of people start the CDA and never finish. The two biggest dropout points are the portfolio and the PD Specialist step.

The portfolio sinks candidates who treat it as paperwork. The competency statements have to show real reflection. Write "I provide a safe environment by following safety rules" and the reviewer reads it as surface-level filler. What works is concrete: "In my infant room, I evaluate the environment monthly using a standardized safety checklist. Last quarter, I found the changing table strap was worn and replaced it the same day. I log these checks and share the log with families." Specifics and evidence carry the statement.

Finding a PD Specialist in a rural or low-supply area is a genuine logistics problem. The Council's PD Specialist registry is searchable on their website. Your state CCR&R is often the fastest route to a referral, and some CCR&R staff are trained PD Specialists themselves. Virtual visits, where the Council allows them for your credential type, widen your options a lot.

For the exam, the Council publishes a CDA Exam Blueprint that tells you the exact percentage of questions from each subject area. Most candidates find the exam straightforward once they've actually done the training hours. The scenario format means you apply knowledge instead of reciting definitions. Read each scenario carefully before answering. The wrong choices are written to look like plausible but weaker practices.

The tools that manage your compliance documents, training logs, and portfolio evidence can save real hours. The ChildCareComp compliance toolkit, for one, tracks training hours and documentation across credential and licensing requirements in a single place.

One more thing. Don't underrate a study group or a cohort program. Many community colleges and CCR&R agencies run CDA cohort courses where a group moves through the process together with an instructor. Completion rates in cohort programs run meaningfully higher than solo attempts, though I'm not aware of a published national figure on that.

How does the CDA connect to your career and pay as a child care worker?

The CDA is more than a licensing box. It moves your labor market position, though the encouraging part is the trend, not the raw pay.

The median annual wage for child care workers was about $28,520 in 2023, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one of the lowest for any occupation that requires specialized training ^[7]. Inside that low band, though, credential holders tend to earn more. The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at UC Berkeley has documented that teacher qualifications track with higher wages in states that tie pay scales to qualifications ^[8].

About 16 states run tiered reimbursement systems that pay programs higher subsidy rates when staff hold credentials like the CDA, and some states add credential-linked wage supplements or stipends. New York, for one, has operated child care quality bonus programs tied to credential status. Ask your state CCR&R what's available where you are.

The CDA also opens doors upward. Some community colleges accept it for credit toward an associate's in ECE through articulation agreements, which shortens the path to a higher credential if you want to keep going. The Council has been signing more of these agreements with two-year institutions over the past decade.

Building out your program's curriculum alongside your credential work? The preschool curriculum resource walks through evidence-based options that line up with the CDA competency areas. If your program serves infants and toddlers, the CDA framework maps closely to the kind of intentional planning those structured curricula describe.

What about bilingual and specialized CDA pathways?

The Council offers a Bilingual Specialization for candidates who provide care in both English and a second language ^[1]. It requires every standard CDA step, plus 45 extra hours of training in language development and bilingual education, plus a verification visit conducted at least partly in the second language. Your competency statements have to include examples of working with children in both languages.

The Bilingual CDA carries weight in communities with large non-English-speaking populations, because it tells families and licensing agencies that the provider can genuinely support dual-language development. Some states hand out extra QRIS credit for bilingual credentialed staff.

The family child care pathway differs from the center-based versions in a few ways worth flagging. Your verification visit happens in your home, and the Resource Collection swaps in some home-based items (a floor plan of your home care space, documentation of your home's health and safety setup). The core portfolio structure stays the same.

The Home Visitor CDA is a specialized pathway for professionals who work with families in their homes rather than in group care. It runs on a different competency framework and shows up less often in state licensing rules than the center-based or family child care versions.

Frequently asked questions

Can I start the CDA process before I have all 480 hours of experience?

No. The Council requires your 480 hours of professional experience with children to be complete before you submit the application. You can finish your 120 training hours while you accumulate experience hours, but the application itself requires every eligibility criterion met at submission. Applying before you're eligible wastes the $425 fee.

How hard is the CDA exam?

Most candidates who finished their 120 training hours find it manageable. It has 65 scenario-based questions and a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes. The Council publishes an Exam Blueprint showing the weight of each subject area. The exam rewards applied knowledge over memorization. People who skimmed their coursework find it harder. The Council does not publicly report a pass rate.

What is a CDA Professional Development Specialist and how do I find one?

A PD Specialist is a credentialed early childhood professional trained by the Council to run CDA verification visits. They observe your practice and review your portfolio. Find one through the Council's PD Specialist registry on their website, or by calling your local Child Care Resource and Referral agency (CCR&R). Child Care Aware of America runs a CCR&R locator at childcareaware.org.

Does the CDA credential expire?

Yes. The CDA is valid for three years from the issue date. Renewal takes 45 clock hours of professional development during the three-year period, proof of continued work with children, and a $150 renewal fee to the Council. There is no exam or portfolio for renewal. If it lapses past expiration, reinstatement may require additional steps.

Can I get financial help to pay for the CDA?

Yes. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood scholarship program operates in about 24 states and can cover training costs and sometimes the Council application fee. Many state CCDF quality funds also support credential attainment. Your local CCR&R agency is the best first call for local scholarships. The Council itself offers a reduced $150 fee for income-qualifying candidates through its scholarship program, subject to funding.

Does the CDA satisfy state child care licensing requirements?

It depends on your state. Most states count the CDA as meeting or contributing to teacher or director qualification requirements, and the 2024 CCDF final rule pushes states to require at minimum a CDA for lead teachers in subsidized care. Exact requirements vary widely. Check your state child care licensing agency's website and pull your state's current CCDF plan at the Office of Child Care website (acf.hhs.gov/occ).

What is the difference between the infant/toddler and preschool CDA?

Both are center-based CDAs, issued for different age groups. The infant/toddler credential is for providers working mainly with children from birth to 36 months. The preschool credential covers ages 3 to 5. Your 480 experience hours must be with children in the matching age group. If you work with both, you'd usually choose the one that makes up most of your time.

Can online training count toward my 120 CDA training hours?

Yes. Online and distance learning coursework counts toward the 120 hours. The Council does not require in-person-only training. Online community college ECE courses, online workshops from accredited providers, and hybrid programs all count. What matters is that the training covers the required subject areas and that you have documentation (a transcript or certificate) showing the clock hours.

What is the CDA competency standards book and do I need it?

The Council publishes the CDA Competency Standards book, the official reference for portfolio requirements, competency goal statements, and resource collection items for each credential type. It's effectively required reading. It costs about $25 to $35 from the Council's website. Some CCR&R agencies lend copies to candidates, and some community college libraries carry it.

Does the CDA count as college credit?

The CDA itself is not college credit, but many community colleges hold articulation agreements with the Council for Professional Recognition that award credit toward an associate's in early childhood education for CDA holders. The number of credits varies by institution. If you're thinking about continuing, ask any ECE program whether they have a CDA articulation agreement before you enroll.

What happens if I fail the CDA exam?

You can retake it. The retake fee is $150 and you schedule through Pearson VUE. You must retake within your one-year application window. The Council recommends reviewing the Exam Blueprint to find weaker subject areas before you try again. There is no stated limit on retakes, but each one costs $150 and eats into your application window.

How many CDA credentials have been awarded?

The Council for Professional Recognition reported more than 500,000 CDA credentials awarded as of 2023. The credential has been issued since 1975, making it the oldest and most widely recognized entry-level early childhood credential in the United States. It's accepted in all 50 states, though each state sets its own rules about when it's required.

Can a director use the CDA credential to meet director qualifications?

In some states, yes, especially for small centers or family child care programs. In most states with higher director standards, a CDA alone isn't enough and an associate's or bachelor's in a related field is required. Some states have a separate Director Credential that sits above the CDA. Check your state's licensing regulations for director requirements, which are consistently stricter than teacher requirements.

Sources

1. Council for Professional Recognition, CDA Credential Requirements and Process: CDA application fee is $425, covering exam and verification visit; credential is valid 3 years; more than 500,000 CDAs awarded as of 2023; all portfolio components and steps described
2. U.S. Office of Child Care, CCDF Final Rule 2024: CCDF final rule requires states to set quality standards including that lead teachers in center-based subsidized care have at minimum a CDA credential or equivalent
3. Child Care Aware of America, CCR&R Network: Child Care Aware of America maintains a directory of state CCR&R agencies that help candidates locate CDA Professional Development Specialists
4. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood National Center: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood scholarship program operates in approximately 24 states and can cover training costs and sometimes the Council application fee
5. National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education: Each state sets its own child care licensing standards; states vary significantly in whether and how they require the CDA credential for teachers or directors
6. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Child Care Licensing Rules: Michigan child care licensing rules specify education and credential requirements for lead teachers in licensed centers, and the CDA counts toward requirements for certain program types
7. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Childcare Workers: Median annual wage for child care workers was approximately $28,520 in 2023
8. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, UC Berkeley, Early Childhood Workforce Index: Teacher qualifications correlate with higher wages in states that have qualification-linked pay scales for early childhood educators
9. Pearson VUE, CDA Exam Scheduling: The CDA exam is administered through Pearson VUE testing centers and via online proctoring; scheduling is handled through Pearson VUE after Council application acceptance
10. U.S. Office of Child Care, Child Care and Development Fund State Plans: CCDF state plans must set quality standards; most state CCDF plans count the CDA toward meeting workforce qualification benchmarks for subsidized care