CDA teaching credential: what it is, what it costs, and how to get it

Last updated 2026-07-09

What is the CDA teaching credential, exactly?

The Child Development Associate (CDA) is a national credential for early childhood educators working directly with kids from birth through age five. The Council for Professional Recognition has run it since 1975, which makes it one of the oldest credentialing programs in the field. ^[1]

It is not a college degree. It sits below an associate's or bachelor's degree on the education ladder but above a basic orientation training. Think of it as the field's professional license for frontline educators who don't have a postsecondary degree yet but want documented, validated competency.

The Council builds the credential around eight Competency Standards: safe environments, healthy environments, learning environments, curriculum, families, program management, professionalism, and self. ^[1] Those standards drive every piece of the assessment, from the written exam to the portfolio to the verification visit.

CDAs come in settings-specific types: Center-Based Preschool (ages 3 to 5), Center-Based Infant/Toddler (birth to 36 months), Family Child Care, Home Visitor, and an Early Intervention specialty. You apply for the one that matches where you actually work. Running a licensed family child care home? The Family Child Care CDA is your fit.

Who actually needs a CDA credential?

That depends on your state and your funding source. No federal law makes every child care worker hold a CDA, but several rules stack up hard enough to make it functionally required in a lot of situations.

Start with state licensing. As of 2023, more than 40 states reference the CDA or an equivalent in their child care licensing regulations, either as a minimum qualification for lead teachers, a way to meet director qualifications, or a factor in tiered quality rating systems. ^[2] The specific language varies wildly. Texas requires lead teachers in licensed centers to hold at least a CDA within a certain number of years of hire. California's Title 22 specifies unit requirements the CDA can help satisfy. Michigan's licensing rules list the CDA as an accepted qualification for group child care home providers. ^[3] Check your state licensing office for the exact standard.

Next, CCDF funding. The Child Care and Development Fund, the federal block grant behind child care subsidies, requires states to run quality improvement systems, and most states build CDA-level credentials into their Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS). Programs with higher QRIS ratings often get higher subsidy reimbursement rates, so credentialed staff can move your revenue directly. ^[4] The 2024 CCDF final rule tightened quality requirements, and state plans keep adding incentives for credentialed staff. ^[4]

Then Head Start. The Head Start Act requires at least 50% of Head Start teachers nationwide to hold a bachelor's degree in early childhood or a related field, and all teachers must hold at minimum a CDA. ^[5] That's a hard statutory floor, not a suggestion.

Even if none of that applies to you today, the CDA gives you a credential that travels. Move states, hire staff, or apply for grants, and it's recognized in a way a state-specific orientation certificate is not.

For a broader look at how credentials interact with licensing, the cda credential overview covers the basic structure.

What are the requirements to get a CDA?

The Council lays out four requirements, and you have to meet all four before you apply. ^[1]

120 hours of professional education. These cover eight content areas tied to the Competency Standards: planning a safe environment, promoting physical and intellectual development, supporting social and emotional development, building family partnerships, program management, maintaining an ethical commitment, observing and recording child behavior, and understanding child development. At least 10 hours in each of the eight areas. Training can come from community college courses, CDA training programs, employer workshops, or online providers the Council accepts. Community college courses typically cost $75 to $200 per credit hour. Purpose-built CDA training programs run $300 to $700 for the full package.

480 hours of work experience with young children. These have to fall within the last five years, in a setting that matches your CDA type. A Family Child Care CDA applicant needs 480 hours in a family child care setting. You document these yourself. The Council does not audit payroll, but your Professional Development Specialist verifies the setting during the verification visit.

Professional Portfolio. This is the piece most people underestimate. The portfolio holds six Resource Collection items (documents, materials, and resource lists organized by competency) and three Reflective Competency Statements, one for each of the six Competency Goals. Writing those statements is real work. Plan 20 to 40 hours of focused effort beyond your training time.

A completed application to the Council. Once you've finished the three items above, you apply online, pay the fee, and schedule your CDA Exam and verification visit.

Before you apply, you also need a health and safety record showing current first aid and CPR certification.

How much does it cost to get a CDA credential?

The Council's application fee is $425 for center-based and family child care candidates as of 2025. ^[1] That covers the online exam, the portfolio review, and the verification visit. Fail the exam and a retake costs $75.

The $425 is just the Council's cut. Training goes on top:

Cost item	Typical low	Typical high
Council application fee	$425	$425
120-hour training program	$0 (free community resources)	$700 (commercial programs)
Community college courses	$150	$900
Study materials / prep books	$25	$75
CPR/First Aid certification	$40	$120
Total estimated range	$465	$2,220

The low end is real if your employer subsidizes training, you use library resources, and your CPR is already current. The high end is what you pay if you enroll in a structured commercial CDA program and cover community college tuition.

Many states offer CDA scholarships through T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps), which can cover training costs and sometimes the Council fee. ^[6] Child Care Aware of America tracks state scholarship availability, and your state's child care resource and referral agency is the right place to start. Some CCDF state plans also let professional development funds cover CDA costs for providers serving subsidized children. ^[4]

Fund the credential well and it pairs with other financial tools open to providers. The childcare subsidy article covers CCDF-funded supports that may apply to your program's finances more broadly.

How long does the CDA process take?

Six to twelve months, from starting training to holding the credential. That range is not bureaucratic hedging. It depends on how fast you finish 120 training hours while also working.

Someone working full time in a program, taking one evening class a week, and setting aside weekends for the portfolio usually lands around nine months. Someone in a structured cohort-based CDA program at a community college that front-loads the training might finish in six. Someone who enrolls, then stops for a few months because life happens, stretches to a year or more.

Once you formally apply to the Council (submit online, pay the fee), the Council has 90 days to finish your assessment, including the verification visit. ^[1] The verification visit is a scheduled observation, roughly one to two hours, where a Professional Development Specialist watches you work with children and reviews your portfolio. Scheduling can add weeks depending on PDS availability in your region.

One timing trap people hit: the Council requires your 480 hours of experience and your CDA Exam to fall inside the same five-year window. Trained years ago and stopped? You may need to recount your hours or redo some training.

How does the CDA exam work?

The CDA Exam is a computer-based test at a Prometric testing center. ^[9] It has 65 scored multiple-choice questions plus 5 unscored pilot questions, so 70 total. You get 90 minutes.

The questions are scenario-based. They are not definition recall. A question might describe a toddler who's hitting other children and ask what the teacher should do. The test measures judgment and applied child development knowledge, not memorization of the Competency Standards document.

The passing score is set by the Council and is not published as a simple percentage. The test uses a scaled scoring method. In practice, candidates who finished 120 hours of quality training and built their portfolio thoughtfully pass at a high rate. The Council does not publish its overall pass rate, and I haven't found an independently verified figure I'd cite with confidence.

Prep worth using: the Council's own CDA Competency Standards book (required reading, not optional), free practice scenarios through some T.E.A.C.H. and CCR&R offices, and community college instructors who run CDA cohorts. Commercial prep courses exist and run $100 to $300. They aren't necessary if your training was solid.

How do you renew a CDA credential?

The CDA is good for three years. Then you renew. ^[1]

Renewal takes 45 clock hours of professional development completed during the three-year period. At least one of those hours has to cover infant/child and family mental health (added in the 2021 renewal requirements). You also need a current CDA verification statement from your professional setting and an up-to-date first aid/CPR certification.

The renewal fee is $150 as of 2025. ^[1] That's much less than the initial application fee.

If your CDA lapses, you have a five-year window to renew as an expired credential. After five years, you reapply from scratch, as if it's your first. Don't let it lapse if you can help it. The renewal process is far lighter than initial credentialing.

Some states require proof of renewal to keep your role as a credentialed lead teacher. If your state licensing renewal lines up with your CDA renewal, plan ahead so you're not scrambling.

Does the CDA count toward state licensing requirements?

In most states, yes, with nuance. The CDA is one of the most broadly accepted alternative qualifications in state child care licensing. States differ on exactly where it applies and how.

Common patterns across states:

• Lead teacher qualification: Many states accept the CDA (plus a minimum age, usually 18) as the minimum qualification for a lead teacher in a licensed center. Examples include Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
• Director qualification: Some states count the CDA plus years of experience toward director or administrator roles, though most require at least an associate's degree for director positions.
• Family child care provider: Several states recognize the Family Child Care CDA as meeting or contributing to provider qualification standards for licensed homes.
• QRIS credit: Nearly every state with a QRIS assigns quality points to CDA holders, which feeds subsidy rates and public ratings.

The rule that matters: verify against your specific state's current licensing regulations, not a summary someone posted online. State regulations change, sometimes fast, and a summary that was right two years ago may not match the current standard. Your state licensing agency's website is the only authoritative source. ^[2]

For Michigan-specific requirements, the michigan daycare licensing article walks through how credentials map to their rules in detail.

If you want to understand how the physical setup of your program affects licensing, the daycare center guide covers center licensing basics across multiple states.

What's the difference between a CDA and an early childhood education degree?

This one deserves an honest answer, because it moves real money and real career decisions.

The CDA is a competency-based credential, not a college degree. It does not confer college credit on its own, though some community colleges grant credit toward an associate's for CDA-equivalent coursework. An associate's degree in early childhood education usually takes two years full time and costs $8,000 to $20,000 or more depending on the institution. A bachelor's takes four years and costs a lot more.

Here's what the labor market pays for. Child Care Aware of America's 2023 report puts the median hourly wage for child care workers around $14.60, and credentialed or degreed teachers earn more, with bachelor's degree holders in preschool roles closer to $18 to $20 an hour. ^[7] The wage premium for a CDA over no credential is real but modest, often $0.50 to $2.00 an hour depending on the employer and state. The Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data backs up the national median figure. ^[8]

For career progression, the CDA is a starting point, not a ceiling. The standard pathway is CDA, then associate's degree (often with credit for CDA coursework), then bachelor's. If you plan to direct a center long-term, most states will require at least an associate's, and many are moving toward a bachelor's for directors.

For a licensed family child care home, the CDA may be all you need on the credentialing front for years, and it's a reasonable stopping point if degree programs aren't affordable or logistically doable.

A CDA does not substitute for a teaching license. Want to teach in a public school pre-K program? Most states require a state-issued teaching license, which means a bachelor's degree plus student teaching plus a state exam. The CDA does not get you there.

If you're thinking about what you actually teach, the preschool curriculum overview and specific approaches like the creative curriculum for preschool or montessori preschool curriculum are worth reading alongside your credential work.

Is the CDA credential worth the time and money?

Honest answer: it depends on your goals, and the math is not obviously favorable from a pure wage-gain view.

If you're a family child care provider or a center employee, and your state's licensing rules require or strongly reward the CDA, it's worth it. The credential keeps you compliant, may qualify you for higher QRIS tiers (which can mean higher subsidy reimbursement rates), and signals professionalism to families. Treating the roughly $500 to $1,000 total cost as a business compliance expense makes sense there.

If you're on a path toward directing a center or teaching in Head Start, the CDA is an efficient first step. It shows commitment, often counts toward associate's degree requirements, and gets you qualified faster than waiting to finish a full degree.

If you already hold an associate's or bachelor's in early childhood education, the CDA probably adds little. Your degree already satisfies every state requirement the CDA satisfies, and then some. Spending $425 plus training time on a credential your degree supersedes is a waste of money.

One thing worth knowing: the Council has a scholarship fund for candidates who demonstrate financial need. Ask when you contact them.

Before you spend the time, confirm how credentials map to your state's specific licensing thresholds so you know the CDA checks the box you actually need.

The free preschool curriculum article helps here too. Strong, no-cost curriculum resources can strengthen your portfolio and your program without adding to your budget.

How do you actually apply for a CDA: step by step?

Here's the process in order, no padding.

Step 1: Choose your CDA type. Center-Based Preschool, Center-Based Infant/Toddler, Family Child Care, Home Visitor, or Early Intervention. Pick the one matching your current work setting.

Step 2: Complete 120 training hours. Find a training program, a community college course sequence, or a mix of approved professional development. Keep every certificate, transcript, and record. You'll need it.

Step 3: Accumulate 480 hours of experience. If you already work in child care, you're likely stacking these at the same time. Keep a log.

Step 4: Get current CPR and first aid certification. It has to be current at application and through the verification visit.

Step 5: Build your Professional Portfolio. It includes your Family Questionnaires (you hand these to the families you work with and collect responses), your Professional Philosophy Statement, your Resource Collection, and your Reflective Competency Statements. The Council's candidate guide walks through each item. ^[1]

Step 6: Submit your online application and pay the $425 fee. Create an account on the Council's website (cdacouncil.org), complete the application, upload documents, and pay.

Step 7: Schedule your CDA Exam at a Prometric center. You do this after your application is accepted. The exam runs at locations nationwide. ^[9]

Step 8: Complete the Verification Visit. A Professional Development Specialist contacts you to schedule. They observe you working with children for about an hour, review your portfolio, and complete a verification form.

Step 9: Receive your credential. If everything passes review, the Council issues your CDA. The physical card and certificate come by mail.

Read the Council's candidate materials in full before you start, not after.

What does CCDF say about CDA credentials and quality?

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the main federal funding stream for child care subsidies and quality improvement. The law behind it, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014, requires states to build quality rating systems and spend a share of CCDF funds on quality improvement activities. ^[10]

The 2024 CCDF final rule, published in April 2024, tightened these requirements. It requires states to set payment rates that reflect the cost of quality care, and quality gets defined partly by staff qualifications. States that want higher reimbursement rates for child care slots have to show quality, and staff credentials are a standard quality indicator in every state's QRIS. ^[4]

The statute requires states to set "health and safety standards" and "training and professional development requirements." The CDA is the credential state CCDF plans name most often when they describe required or incentivized qualifications for teachers. ^[4]

Here's the practical part for providers. If you serve subsidized children, your state's QRIS rating sets what subsidy rate you get per enrolled child. Moving up one QRIS level can raise your reimbursement by 10 to 25% per child, depending on the state. Staff CDA credentials are often enough to move you from the lowest to the second tier. That's real money. Ten subsidized slots at a $200/month reimbursement difference each is $2,000 a month, or $24,000 a year. Frame it that way and CDA training looks a lot more valuable. ^[6]

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a CDA credential online?

The 120-hour training requirement can be done fully online through accredited programs. The CDA Exam itself is taken in person at a Prometric testing center, so it's not fully online end to end. The verification visit also requires an in-person observation of you working with children. Training-wise, online is fine, and many candidates go that route.

How much does the CDA credential cost in total?

The Council's application fee is $425. Add training, which ranges from near zero (if your employer or a state scholarship covers it) to $700 for a structured commercial program. CPR certification runs $40 to $120. Total out-of-pocket cost for most candidates falls between $500 and $1,300. T.E.A.C.H. scholarships in many states cover a significant portion.

Does a CDA credential expire?

Yes. The CDA is valid for three years. Renewal takes 45 hours of professional development during that period, a current first aid/CPR certification, and a $150 renewal fee. If it lapses, you have a five-year window to renew as an expired credential. After five years without renewal, you reapply and go through the full initial credentialing process again.

What is the CDA Professional Portfolio?

The portfolio is a structured collection of documents you assemble to show competency. It includes a Professional Philosophy Statement, Family Questionnaire responses, a Resource Collection organized by Competency Standard, and three Reflective Competency Statements. The Professional Development Specialist reviews it during the verification visit. Plan 20 to 40 hours of work beyond your training hours to put it together properly.

Is a CDA the same as a teaching certification?

No. A CDA is a professional credential issued by a private nonprofit, the Council for Professional Recognition. A teaching certification or license comes from a state government and usually requires a bachelor's degree plus a state exam. Public school pre-K programs almost always require a state teaching license, not a CDA. Private child care centers and family child care homes are where the CDA matters most.

Does the CDA credential transfer between states?

Yes, the CDA is a national credential recognized across all 50 states. Whether it satisfies your specific new state's licensing requirements is a separate question. Most states accept it, but a few have qualification standards that require specific college credits or state-specific training on top. Always check the new state's licensing regulations directly.

Can a family child care provider get a CDA?

Yes. There's a specific Family Child Care CDA type built for licensed family child care home providers. The training content, portfolio, and verification visit are tailored to the family child care setting. The fee is the same $425. Many states recognize the Family Child Care CDA as meeting or contributing to provider qualification requirements in their licensing regulations.

What training counts toward the 120-hour CDA requirement?

Training must cover the eight CDA content areas, with at least 10 hours in each. Accepted training includes community college courses, workshops from a CCR&R or state agency, employer-provided training, and courses from Council-recognized online providers. Document it with certificates or transcripts showing the topic, provider, and hours completed. Not all online courses qualify, so check that your provider is recognized.

How does the CDA help with QRIS ratings?

Nearly every state's Quality Rating and Improvement System includes staff education and credentials as a rated category. Having one or more staff with a CDA usually earns points there, which can move your program up a QRIS level. Higher QRIS ratings translate to higher subsidy reimbursement rates per enrolled child in most states, sometimes 10 to 25% more per slot per month.

What is the CDA verification visit?

The verification visit is a scheduled observation by a Professional Development Specialist, a trained assessor hired by the Council. They observe you working with children for about one to two hours and review your Professional Portfolio. They complete a standardized verification form. The visit happens after you apply and pass the CDA Exam. Scheduling can take several weeks depending on PDS availability in your area.

Can my CDA training count toward a college degree?

Sometimes. Some community colleges award credit for coursework completed as part of a CDA program, especially if the courses were taken at that institution. A few colleges have articulation agreements that grant credit toward an associate's for holding a CDA. This varies by institution. Ask your community college's early childhood education department about its specific policy before you assume you'll get credit.

What age group does the CDA credential cover?

It depends on the CDA type you earn. The Center-Based Infant/Toddler CDA covers birth through 36 months. The Center-Based Preschool CDA covers ages three through five. The Family Child Care CDA covers birth through five. Each type requires your 480 hours of experience to be with children in that age range and setting, and the verification visit happens in the matching environment.

Is a CDA required for Head Start teachers?

Yes. Federal law under the Head Start Act requires all Head Start and Early Head Start teachers to hold at minimum a CDA credential. At least 50% must hold a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a related field. The CDA is the statutory floor for Head Start teacher qualifications, so it's a hard requirement, not a preference, in that funding stream.

What happens if I fail the CDA Exam?

You can retake it. The retake fee is $75. The Council allows multiple retakes, though you have to wait a set period before retesting (the specific waiting period is in the candidate handbook). There's no publicly stated maximum number of attempts. If you fail, review the content areas where you scored lowest and add training or study in those areas before you retest.

Sources

1. Council for Professional Recognition, CDA Competency Standards and Application Requirements: CDA application fee is $425; requires 120 training hours, 480 experience hours, professional portfolio, and exam; credential is valid 3 years; renewal fee is $150; renewal requires 45 hours of professional development
2. National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance / Child Care Technical Assistance Network, State Licensing and Credentialing Requirements: More than 40 states reference the CDA or equivalent credential in child care licensing regulations
3. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Child Care Licensing Rules: Michigan licensing rules list the CDA as an accepted qualification for group child care home providers
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Care, CCDF Final Rule 2024: CCDBG Act and 2024 CCDF final rule require states to develop QRIS and invest in quality improvement; states must set payment rates reflecting cost of quality care; CDA credentials are standard quality indicators in QRIS
5. Head Start Act, 42 U.S.C. § 9843a, Teacher Qualifications (Office of Head Start): Head Start Act requires all Head Start teachers to hold at minimum a CDA; at least 50% must hold a bachelor's degree in early childhood or related field
6. Child Care Aware of America, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program: T.E.A.C.H. scholarships available in many states can cover CDA training costs and Council fees; QRIS rating improvements from credentialed staff can increase subsidy reimbursement by 10–25% per slot
7. Child Care Aware of America, Demanding Change: Repairing Our Child Care System 2023: Median hourly wage for child care workers nationally is approximately $14.60; credentialed and degreed teachers earn more, with bachelor's degree holders in preschool roles earning closer to $18–$20/hour median
8. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: Childcare Workers: National wage data for child care workers supporting median hourly wage figures
9. Prometric Testing, CDA Exam Administration: CDA Exam is administered at Prometric testing centers nationwide; computer-based test
10. Office of Child Care, ACF, CCDBG State Plan and Quality Set-Aside Requirements: CCDBG requires states to spend a portion of CCDF funds on quality improvement activities including staff credentialing and professional development