CDA credential in Virginia: requirements, costs, and how to apply

Last updated 2026-07-09

What is the CDA credential and why does it matter in Virginia?

The Child Development Associate credential is a nationally recognized certification issued by the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely held professional credential in early childhood education in the United States, with more than 800,000 awarded since the program launched in 1975 ^[1].

In Virginia, the CDA shows up in two places that directly affect your bottom line. First, it is one of the pathways to meeting the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) staff qualification standards for licensed childcare centers and family day homes ^[2]. Second, it is a qualification marker in Virginia's quality improvement system, where higher staff credentials can move your program up a star level, which in turn affects your eligibility for higher subsidy reimbursement rates ^[3].

For directors and lead teachers at center-based programs, the CDA does not automatically satisfy the full director qualification requirement (that path typically requires an associate or bachelor's degree with early childhood coursework), but it counts as a staff qualification and shows up favorably in licensing reviews. For home daycare providers, it is often the most practical first credential, because it does not require a college degree and can be completed entirely through community college coursework or an approved training provider.

If you are comparing your options, see our full overview of the cda credential for the national picture before reading the Virginia-specific details below.

What are the eligibility requirements for a CDA in Virginia?

The Council for Professional Recognition sets the eligibility rules, not Virginia. The baseline requirements are identical whether you work in Richmond, Roanoke, or anywhere else in the state.

To apply, you need:

• A high school diploma or GED equivalent
• 480 hours of professional experience working with children in the age group you are applying for (infant/toddler, preschool, or family childcare) within the past five years
• 120 clock hours of formal childcare education covering all eight CDA subject areas, completed within the past five years
• A current, valid adult CPR and first aid certificate (must be hands-on, not online-only)
• A completed professional portfolio that you bring to the verification visit ^[1]

Virginia does not add state-specific prerequisites on top of these, though individual training providers here may set their own enrollment rules. The 480 practicum hours do not have to come from a licensed program, but they do have to be documented. If you have worked in a licensed Virginia childcare center, that work counts and your employer can verify it.

What are the eight CDA subject areas and how do Virginia training providers cover them?

The 120 training hours must be spread across eight content areas defined by the Council ^[1]. You cannot front-load all your hours in one subject. Here is the breakdown:

Subject Area	Minimum Hours
Planning a safe, healthy learning environment	10
Steps to advance children's physical and intellectual development	10
Positive ways to support children's social and emotional development	10
Strategies to establish productive relationships with families	10
Strategies to manage an effective program operation	10
Maintaining a commitment to professionalism	10
Observing and recording children's behavior	10
Understanding principles of child development and learning	10

That is 80 specified hours. The remaining 40 hours can go to any of the eight areas based on your chosen specialization.

In Virginia, you have several ways to get these hours. Community colleges with accredited early childhood programs are the most common path. Northern Virginia Community College, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Tidewater Community College, and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College all offer ECE coursework that maps to the CDA subject areas ^[4]. Many state-approved professional development providers also offer CDA preparation courses, sometimes in a hybrid format that combines evening classes with online modules.

The Virginia Infant and Toddler Specialist Network connects its training to the CDA competency standards, so if you have completed training through the specialist network, some of those hours may already count ^[5]. Ask your training provider for a written confirmation that a specific course maps to specific CDA content areas before you enroll. Getting that in writing saves headaches later when you build your portfolio.

How does the CDA professional portfolio work?

The portfolio is more than a paperwork exercise. It is the main evidence document the CDA Professional Development Specialist reviews during your verification visit.

You build the portfolio yourself, and it has three required components ^[1]:

1. Resource Collection: documentation showing your working knowledge of each competency area. This includes items like a copy of your state's childcare licensing regulations, a sample parent handbook, and philosophy statements you have written.

2. Reflective Competency Statements: six written statements (one per CDA competency goal) where you explain how your work with children demonstrates each competency. Each statement should run about 500 words. This is where most candidates spend the most time.

3. Family Questionnaires: at least six questionnaires completed by families of children in your care. The Council provides the form. You distribute them, collect them sealed, and include them in the portfolio unopened.

Virginia does not impose a separate portfolio format. You follow the Council's format exactly as described in the CDA Competency Standards books, which the Council sells on its website and which many community college ECE programs include in course materials.

One practical note: start building the Resource Collection from day one of your training, not after you finish the 120 hours. Providers who wait until the end often scramble to locate things like a copy of the local emergency plan or evidence of a community resource referral.

How much does the CDA credential cost in Virginia?

The total cost breaks into three buckets: training, the Council application fee, and materials. All in, expect to spend $650 to $1,300 through a community college or $600 to $900 through a private prep provider.

The Council's application and assessment fee is $425 for a new credential as of 2024 ^[1]. That covers the online application, access to the CDA exam, and the verification visit by a Professional Development Specialist. Renewal after three years costs $150.

Training costs vary a lot. Community college courses in Virginia typically run $100 to $250 per credit hour for in-state tuition, and a full CDA prep sequence might be two to four credit courses, so budget $200 to $800 just for tuition depending on your school and whether you need multiple courses. Some private CDA preparation providers offer self-paced online programs for $200 to $400 that include the CDA Competency Standards book and portfolio guidance.

Materials (CPR certification, portfolio binders, printing) typically add $50 to $100.

The spread is real, and the uncertainty comes straight from the wide range of local tuition rates.

Here is the good news. Virginia has funding to help. The T.A.P.P. (Training Assistance, Partnership, and Pathways) program through the Virginia Community College System offers scholarships for ECE training for qualifying providers, including CDA coursework ^[4]. Child Care Aware of Virginia can also connect you with local T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood scholarship funds, which have historically covered a significant portion of CDA training costs for Virginia providers working in licensed programs ^[6].

Can Virginia providers get financial help to pay for CDA training?

Yes, and most eligible providers should apply before paying anything out of pocket.

The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Virginia scholarship program is the primary funding source. It is administered through Child Care Aware of Virginia and funded in part through Virginia's Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) allocation ^[6][7]. Scholarships typically cover a large share of tuition and materials, in exchange for a commitment to stay in your current position for a set period after completing the training (usually six to twelve months). Compensation supplements are sometimes included.

Eligibility generally requires that you work in a licensed childcare program serving children from low-income families, that you meet income guidelines, and that your program participates in the subsidy system. Check the current eligibility rules directly with Child Care Aware of Virginia, because the specific terms change with each state budget cycle.

Virginia's CCDF state plan also supports quality improvement activities under the Quality Set-Aside, and some of that money flows through the state quality system to fund staff training ^[7]. If your program is enrolled in Virginia's quality rating system, ask your quality improvement coach about training funds before you pay.

One more angle. If you receive the childcare subsidy from the state, raising your credential level (which the CDA does) can lift your reimbursement rate, which effectively recovers some of the credential cost over time.

How does the CDA verification visit and exam work in Virginia?

Once you submit your application through the Council's online system and pay the fee, the Council assigns a CDA Professional Development Specialist to conduct your verification visit. This person is not a state licensing inspector and is not affiliated with VDSS. They are contracted by the Council.

The verification visit happens at your worksite, where the Specialist observes you working with children for at least two hours. They review your professional portfolio and hold a short reflective dialogue about your practice. You do not have to do anything special for the observation day. Just work the way you normally do. The Specialist is looking for evidence that your daily practice matches what you wrote in your competency statements.

Separately, you complete the CDA Exam, a 65-question computer-based test administered through a network of proctored testing centers. The exam covers the eight subject areas. There is no published pass rate for Virginia specifically, and the Council does not publicly release state-level exam data. Nationally, most candidates who completed formal preparation coursework pass on the first attempt, according to the Council's own program materials ^[1].

After both the visit and exam are complete, the Council's credentialing team reviews everything. Processing typically takes four to six weeks. You receive a physical credential certificate in the mail and your name is added to the Council's online registry.

How does the CDA credential affect Virginia childcare licensing compliance?

Virginia's childcare licensing regulations (22 VAC 40-185 for child day centers and 22 VAC 40-111 for family day homes) set the minimum staff qualification requirements ^[2]. The CDA credential satisfies the staff qualification requirement for lead teachers at many center-based programs as an alternative to an associate degree with ECE coursework, depending on the specific staff role and age group.

For family day home providers, the regulations require a set number of training hours annually, and the CDA process can count toward those hours while building toward the credential. Once you hold an active CDA, it shows up in licensing reviews as documentation of staff qualifications, which cuts the risk of a deficiency citation on that standard.

Virginia's quality rating and improvement system uses credentials as part of its rating criteria. Programs with more credentialed staff score higher on the Staff Qualifications and Professional Development domain. A higher star rating is more than recognition. It affects your subsidy reimbursement rate differential, which is real money ^[3].

If you run a daycare center in Virginia and you have staff without formal credentials, CDA preparation is usually the cheapest path to meeting both the licensing standard and the state quality benchmarks at once.

How long does it take to get a CDA credential in Virginia?

Six months to a year is the realistic range for most working providers. The bottleneck is almost never the application. It is stacking up 120 training hours while working full-time.

If you already hold significant prior ECE training from an accredited college (say, an ECE certificate program), you may be able to map existing coursework to the eight subject areas and only need to fill gaps, which can shorten the timeline to three to six months.

The Council's website notes that the verification visit is typically scheduled within 60 days of application approval ^[1]. So the back end of the process is faster than people expect. The front end, completing training and building the portfolio while running a program or teaching full-time, is where the months pile up.

If speed matters, look for a CDA cohort or bootcamp-style preparation program. Several Virginia community colleges and at least one online national provider (the Council's own CDA Gold program) offer structured timelines built to move candidates through in four to six months by scheduling coursework in sequence.

What happens when you renew a CDA in Virginia?

The CDA credential expires after three years. Renewal requires 45 hours of continuing education completed in the three years since you received or last renewed the credential, plus the $150 renewal fee paid to the Council ^[1].

Virginia adds no renewal requirements on top of the Council's. Your 45 renewal hours can come from any combination of state-approved professional development, community college coursework, or other accredited training related to early childhood education.

One thing to watch: if you let your CDA lapse, you cannot simply renew it. You have to re-apply as a new candidate and go through the full process again, including the portfolio and verification visit. The Council offers a six-month grace period beyond the expiration date to complete renewal, but after that the credential is gone ^[1]. Set a calendar reminder at two years and six months.

For resources that support ongoing development and can count toward renewal hours, structured frameworks like the creative curriculum for preschool or preschool curriculum map cleanly to CDA competency areas.

How does the CDA compare to other Virginia ECE credentials and degrees?

Virginia's early childhood workforce qualifications sit on a ladder, and it helps to know where the CDA fits.

Credential	Requires Degree?	Meets VA Staff Qualification?	Virginia Quality Impact
Annual training hours only (no credential)	No	Minimum standard	Base level
CDA credential	No (HS diploma only)	Yes, for lead teacher in many roles	Moves rating up
ECE Certificate (1-year community college)	No	Yes	Similar to CDA
Associate degree in ECE	Yes (2-year)	Yes, including some director roles	Strong impact
Bachelor's degree in ECE or related	Yes (4-year)	Yes, director and administrator	Highest impact

The CDA is the fastest credential you can get without a college degree that still carries formal recognition in both state licensing and the quality rating system. An ECE certificate from a community college may be comparable in time and cost, depending on your local school, and carries academic credit that stacks toward an associate degree if you continue.

The CDA makes the most sense when you need a recognized credential fast, you do not have time for a full college program, or you want to test whether you enjoy formal ECE study before committing to a degree. The associate or bachelor's degree makes more sense if you have a long career horizon and want director-level advancement.

Child Care Aware of America's 2023 workforce report found that staff qualifications remain one of the strongest predictors of program quality ratings at the state level, though the effect size varies by state QRIS design ^[8].

Where can Virginia providers find CDA training and approved programs?

Start with three sources.

First, the Virginia Community College System's early childhood education programs. Most of Virginia's 23 community colleges offer ECE coursework that maps to CDA subject areas and accepts T.E.A.C.H. scholarships ^[4]. Call the ECE department chair at your nearest campus and ask directly whether their courses match CDA competency standards. They should be able to give you a written course mapping.

Second, the state's quality rating system, maintained by VDSS, lists approved professional development providers ^[3]. These providers' courses count toward state professional development requirements, and most also match CDA content areas.

Third, the Council for Professional Recognition's own CDA Gold program offers a formal online preparation pathway. It is not free (around $400 as of recent pricing, separate from the application fee), but it is built specifically to produce a portfolio-ready candidate and includes a mentor and a structured timeline ^[1].

ChildCareComp's compliance toolkit includes a tracking sheet for logging your 120 training hours by CDA subject area, which helps you spot coverage gaps before you apply. Beyond that, the sources above are where the actual training happens.

If you work with infants and toddlers, the Virginia Infant and Toddler Specialist Network (part of the state's infant-toddler quality initiative) offers training that can map to the infant/toddler CDA specialization ^[5]. This is a strong route if most of your children are under age three.

Frequently asked questions

Does Virginia require a CDA credential to run a home daycare?

No, Virginia does not require a CDA to operate a licensed family day home. The state requires annual training hours and CPR/first aid certification for home providers. However, holding a CDA satisfies the staff qualification documentation requirement in licensing and raises your state quality star rating, which can increase your subsidy reimbursement rate. It is optional but financially beneficial for most home providers.

Do the CDA training hours I completed in another state count in Virginia?

Yes. The CDA credential is issued by the Council for Professional Recognition, not by any state. Training hours earned anywhere in the United States count toward the 120-hour requirement as long as they cover the eight CDA subject areas and were completed within the past five years. Virginia adds no residency or state-specific training requirement on top of the Council's standards.

How many hours of work experience do I need before I can apply for the CDA in Virginia?

You need 480 hours of professional experience working with children in the age group matching your CDA endorsement area (infant/toddler, preschool, or family childcare). Those hours must be from within the past five years. Full-time childcare work at roughly 40 hours per week would get you there in about three months, though most applicants already have well over 480 hours when they start the credential process.

Is the CDA exam hard? What is the passing score?

The CDA Exam is 65 multiple-choice questions based on the eight competency subject areas. The Council does not publish a national pass rate, and there is no publicly released Virginia-specific pass rate. Most candidates who completed a formal CDA preparation course pass on the first attempt according to Council program guidance. If you fail, you can retake the exam after 30 days for a fee set by the testing center.

Can the CDA training hours count toward Virginia's annual in-service training requirement?

Generally yes. Virginia's childcare regulations require annual training hours for licensed staff, and coursework completed during CDA preparation can count toward those annual hours if the training is from an approved provider. Confirm with your VDSS licensing inspector that your specific training provider is recognized, since the state does have an approved provider list and not every course automatically qualifies.

What is the difference between a CDA and an ECE certificate from a community college in Virginia?

A CDA is a national credential issued by the Council for Professional Recognition after a portfolio review and exam. A community college ECE certificate is an academic credential issued by the college after completing coursework. Both satisfy Virginia licensing staff qualification standards. The ECE certificate gives you transferable college credit toward an associate degree. The CDA is generally faster to complete for someone who is not interested in continuing toward a degree.

How much does the T.E.A.C.H. scholarship cover for CDA training in Virginia?

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Virginia scholarships historically cover 75 to 90 percent of tuition and fees for eligible candidates, in exchange for a commitment to remain in their current position for a set period after completing training. The exact terms, percentages, and income eligibility thresholds change with state budget cycles. Contact Child Care Aware of Virginia directly for the current benefit schedule before assuming coverage.

Does the CDA credential affect how much Virginia pays my program for subsidized children?

Yes, indirectly. Virginia's quality rating system uses staff credentials, including the CDA, as part of its rating criteria. Programs with higher ratings receive a differential supplement on top of the base subsidy reimbursement rate. The supplement percentages are set in Virginia's CCDF state plan and adjust periodically. More credentialed staff generally means a higher rating, which means a higher reimbursement rate per subsidized child enrolled.

Can online-only CPR certification satisfy the CDA requirement in Virginia?

No. The Council for Professional Recognition requires that your CPR and first aid certification include an in-person hands-on skills component. An online-only certificate does not qualify. You need a blended or fully in-person course from an approved provider like the American Red Cross or American Heart Association. Virginia's childcare licensing regulations also require in-person CPR for licensed staff, so this requirement is consistent across both the CDA and the state licensing standard.

Is there a CDA for family childcare home providers that is different from the center-based one?

Yes. The Council offers a Family Child Care CDA endorsement specifically for providers who work in a home-based setting. The competency areas are the same, but the examples in the portfolio, the observer at the verification visit, and the exam scenarios are all oriented toward home-based care. Virginia home daycare providers should apply for the Family Child Care CDA rather than the Preschool or Infant/Toddler center-based endorsement.

What Virginia community colleges offer CDA preparation programs?

Northern Virginia Community College, Tidewater Community College, Piedmont Virginia Community College, and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College all offer ECE coursework that matches CDA subject areas. Most other Virginia community colleges have at least some ECE courses. Call the ECE department at your nearest campus to confirm that their specific courses map to CDA competency standards before enrolling, and ask about T.E.A.C.H. scholarship compatibility.

How do I find a CDA Professional Development Specialist in Virginia for the verification visit?

You do not find one yourself. After you submit your application and pay the fee through the Council for Professional Recognition's online portal, the Council assigns a Professional Development Specialist from their national network to your case. The Specialist contacts you to schedule the verification visit at your worksite. You have no choice in which Specialist is assigned, though you can request rescheduling if the proposed date does not work.

Does Virginia accept a CDA from another country or an international equivalent?

Virginia's licensing regulations reference the CDA credential as issued by the Council for Professional Recognition, which is a U.S.-based organization. An international early childhood credential would need to be evaluated separately against Virginia's staff qualification standards by the VDSS licensing office. There is no automatic equivalency. If you hold a foreign credential, contact your VDSS regional licensing office directly to request a qualification determination before assuming it meets the standard.

Can preschool curriculum training count toward my CDA hours?

It depends on the training. Coursework or workshops specifically on preschool curriculum design and implementation can count toward the CDA subject area covering children's intellectual development and learning environments. Make sure the training provider gives you documentation showing the content area covered and the number of clock hours. Generic product demos or sales events from curriculum publishers do not count as formal training hours toward the CDA.

Sources

1. Council for Professional Recognition, CDA Competency Standards and Credentialing Requirements: CDA application fee is $425 for new credentials; renewal is $150; 120 clock hours across 8 subject areas required; 480 practicum hours required; in-person CPR required; verification visit and portfolio process described; over 800,000 credentials awarded since 1975
2. Virginia Department of Social Services, Child Day Center Licensing Standards (22 VAC 40-185) and Family Day Home Standards (22 VAC 40-111): Virginia staff qualification requirements for licensed childcare centers and family day homes; CDA satisfies staff qualification standards for lead teachers
3. Virginia Department of Education, Early Childhood Care and Education / Virginia Quality rating system: Staff credentials including CDA affect the state quality star rating; higher ratings affect subsidy reimbursement rate differentials; approved professional development provider list maintained
4. Virginia Community College System, Early Childhood Education programs: Virginia community colleges offer ECE coursework mapping to CDA subject areas; T.A.P.P. program offers training scholarships for ECE providers
5. Virginia Infant and Toddler Specialist Network (VITS Network): VITS Network training connects to CDA infant/toddler competency areas
6. Child Care Aware of America, Family and Provider Resources (T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood referral): T.E.A.C.H. scholarships cover significant portion of CDA training costs for eligible providers in licensed programs; funded in part through CCDF
7. Virginia Department of Social Services, Child Care Subsidy and CCDF: Virginia's CCDF allocation funds quality improvement activities including staff training through Quality Set-Aside; subsidy reimbursement rate differentials tied to state quality ratings
8. Child Care Aware of America, Demanding Change: Repairing Our Child Care System (2023): Staff qualifications are among the strongest predictors of program quality ratings at the state level in national workforce data
9. American Red Cross, CPR and First Aid Training: In-person or blended CPR/first aid certification required for CDA and Virginia childcare licensing; online-only certification does not satisfy hands-on component requirement
10. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Care, CCDF Program: CCDF Quality Set-Aside funds must be used for quality improvement activities including workforce development and credentials; state plans govern specific use