How to obtain a CDA credential: the complete step-by-step guide

Last updated 2026-07-09

What is the CDA credential and why does it matter for daycare operators?

The Child Development Associate credential is the most widely held early childhood credential in the United States. The Council for Professional Recognition issues it, and that nonprofit has credentialed more than 500,000 early childhood professionals since 1975 ^[1]. It is not a college degree. It is also not a weekend certificate. Think of it as the recognized professional baseline for anyone working directly with young children in a group setting.

For daycare operators, it matters in two concrete ways. Many state licensing rules require lead teachers or family childcare providers to hold a CDA or an equivalent. And the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), which pays for childcare subsidies in every state, pushes states to tie Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) points to staff credentials. A CDA on your roster can move your star rating, and your rating drives your reimbursement rate ^[2].

If you run a daycare center or a home program and you are trying to figure out what your staff actually need on paper, the CDA is almost always the answer at the entry-to-mid level. Our CDA credential article covers the overview. This guide is the how-to.

The Council issues CDAs in six settings: center-based preschool, center-based infant/toddler, family childcare, home visitor, adult/program administration, and early intervention ^[8]. Pick the setting that matches where you actually work. Choosing the wrong one is a common mistake, and it delays the whole process.

What are the eligibility requirements before you apply?

Meet the baseline before you spend a dollar on training or start collecting portfolio materials. The Council is specific here, and missing one item stops your application cold.

You need a high school diploma or GED. That is the educational floor. There is no college requirement for the standard CDA. You must be at least 18. You need to speak, read, and write well enough to work with children and families, which the Council treats as professional-level fluency in the language you work in. The CDA can be earned in English or Spanish ^[1].

The experience and training thresholds are what most candidates underestimate.

The 480-hour experience requirement. You need at least 480 hours of work with young children in a formal group setting, all within the last five years. Family childcare candidates need those hours in a home-based program. Center-based candidates need them in a center. Babysitting, nannying, and time with your own kids do not count.

The 120-hour training requirement. You need 120 clock hours of formal early childhood training spread across eight subject areas the Council defines. No single area can hold more than 10 hours taken more than five years before your application date. The eight areas: planning a safe and 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 operation; maintaining a commitment to professionalism; observing and recording children's behavior; and understanding principles of child development and learning ^[1].

If your training hours are short in any one category, fix that first. Nothing else moves until they balance.

How many hours and how long does the CDA process take?

Most candidates finish in six to twelve months. The Council's guidance puts the typical timeline near six months once someone has their training hours squared away ^[1]. Scheduling the exam and the verification visit can add a few weeks of lag on top of that.

Here is the breakdown of the core time commitments.

Requirement	Hours / Time	Notes
Childcare experience	480 hours minimum	Must be within the past 5 years
Formal training	120 hours minimum	Spread across 8 subject areas
Portfolio preparation	Varies; estimate 20-40 hours	No official hour count, but substantial
Professional Development Specialist visit	1-3 hours	Scheduled after portfolio submission
Written exam	3 hours	Computer-based at Pearson VUE testing centers

The 480 experience hours are usually the longest runway. Work 20 hours a week in a childcare setting and you hit 480 in about 24 weeks, roughly six months. Full-time gets you there in about 12 weeks. Training hours can run at the same time as experience hours, so start both together. The candidates who finish their experience first and then go hunting for training are the ones who drag this into a full year.

Step 1: Complete your 120 hours of early childhood training

Start here. Training takes calendar time, and the subject-area distribution requirement trips people up more than any other piece.

The Council accepts training from community college courses, Child Care Resource and Referral agency workshops, Council-approved online providers, and accredited professional development organizations. It maintains a list of CDA Gold Standard training providers on its site ^[1]. Some state childcare agencies offer free or subsidized training that hits the CDA subject areas, so check with your state licensing office or your local Child Care Aware agency to see what is available near you ^[3].

Online training has grown a lot since 2020. Several providers now run the full 120 hours online, which helps family childcare providers who cannot leave their program during the day. Cost for 120 hours runs from free (through state-subsidized programs) to roughly $300 to $600 for a complete commercial online package. Nobody has good national cost data on this. Those ranges come from spot-checking current provider pricing, not a formal study.

Keep every certificate and transcript. You will list all 120 hours on your application and show how they map to the eight subject areas. Messy documentation means a slower review. Start a folder, paper or digital, on day one.

If you teach preschool, a resource like a preschool curriculum is a good anchor for the developmental frameworks that feed several of the eight subject areas. You can also pull ideas from a free preschool curriculum to ground your planning.

Step 2: Accumulate your 480 hours of supervised childcare experience

You need 480 hours of documented work with young children in the setting that matches your credential. Center-based preschool candidates work with children ages 3 through 5. Infant/toddler candidates work with children birth through 36 months. Family childcare candidates work in a licensed or regulated home-based program.

The Council requires that at least some of these hours be observed and supervised by a qualified professional. The documentation burden is real. Keep a running log as you go: dates, times, setting, age group. Your employer or program director signs off on these hours on the application, so tell them the expectation up front.

If you are a director applying for the Administration CDA, the experience bar is different. You need five years of early childhood experience, including two years in a supervisory or administrative role. That is a much higher wall.

One honest note. The Council has no formal third-party audit for your hours. Verification rests on your employer's signature and the professional standards of the process. That does not make it a rubber stamp. Misrepresenting hours is a professional integrity violation that can get the credential revoked.

Step 3: Build your professional portfolio

The portfolio is the piece candidates most often underestimate. It is a large collection of work that shows your competence across the Council's six Competency Standards: safe and healthy environments; learning environment; social and emotional development; family relationships; program management; and professionalism ^[1].

Several components are required. You need a philosophy statement, a written account of your beliefs about early childhood care and education. You need Family Questionnaires, forms completed by at least six families of children currently in your care. You need Resource Collection items, documents you gather that show you understand key concepts in each subject area, things like a sample daily schedule, an observation form you created, or a community resource list. You also need Reflective Statements of Competence, written pieces of several hundred words for each of the six Competency Standards ^[10].

The Council publishes a Professional Portfolio guide that spells out exactly what goes in each section. Download it and use it as a checklist. Candidates who wing the portfolio almost always redo sections.

Building it takes most people one to three months of part-time work. Start collecting Family Questionnaires early. Getting six families to return forms takes longer than anyone expects. If you plan to apply for a childcare subsidy program, some QRIS frameworks want portfolio-style documentation too, so the effort can do double duty.

A practical rhythm: write one Reflective Statement per week. Six weeks later you have all six. Spreading it out beats trying to crank them out in a single weekend.

Step 4: Set up your account and submit the formal application

Once your training and experience are documented and your portfolio is built, apply through the Council's online portal at cdacouncil.org. As of 2025, the initial CDA application fee is $425 ^[1]. That fee has climbed over the years, so check the current schedule before you budget.

The application asks you to verify your training hours, list your experience, and affirm that your portfolio is complete. You designate a Professional Development Specialist (PDS) through the application. The Council keeps a directory, and you can ask the Council to assign one to you, which helps if you do not know any in your area.

You have 180 days from the date your application is accepted to finish the remaining steps, the verification visit and the exam. Miss that window and you restart. Treat it as a hard deadline, not a soft target.

Money can be a barrier, so know your options. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program runs in about 24 states as of this writing, and it can cover application fees and training costs for qualifying early childhood workers ^[4]. Your state's Child Care Resource and Referral agency can tell you whether T.E.A.C.H. operates where you live.

Step 5: Complete the CDA verification visit

The verification visit is when a Professional Development Specialist comes to your worksite, watches you work with children, and reviews your portfolio. It is scheduled in advance. It is not a surprise inspection, and the PDS is there to confirm your competency, not to catch you slipping.

During the visit, the PDS observes your practice for a set period, typically at least one hour of direct observation, though the process gives the PDS some flexibility. The PDS reviews your portfolio, interviews you, and completes a formal assessment. The PDS does not make the final call. They submit the assessment to the Council, and Council staff review it as part of your overall application.

You schedule the visit, so do not sit on it. Some specialists have long lead times, especially in rural areas. Contact your designated PDS the day your application is accepted and get on the calendar.

The Council requires the PDS to be a credentialed early childhood professional with specific qualifications, including at minimum a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or child development. If you have questions about a particular specialist's background, the Council's PDS criteria are posted on its site.

Step 6: Pass the CDA exam

The written exam is the last formal hurdle. It is computer-based, given at Pearson VUE testing centers, and runs three hours. It has 65 scored questions plus some unscored pilot questions, all drawn from the CDA Competency Standards and the Council's recommended resource guide ^[7].

The Council's study resource is "The Child Development Associate (CDA) Exam: A Preparation Guide," along with the resource guide it references. Read both. The exam does not try to trick you, but it is not trivial. Questions often ask you to pick the best professional response from several plausible options, which takes real understanding of child development rather than recall.

The Council does not publish an aggregate national pass rate, at least not in any source I can find with confidence. Some states track pass data through QRIS systems, but there is no reliable national figure to cite.

You can book the exam at Pearson VUE as soon as your application is accepted and your PDS visit is set. You do not have to wait until the visit finishes. Some candidates schedule both in the same week to stay comfortably inside the 180-day window.

Fail it and you can retake it after a waiting period. The Council's current policy allows retakes. Check its site for the current waiting period and any retake fee.

How much does it cost to get a CDA credential?

The total depends heavily on whether you have access to subsidized or free training. Here is a realistic range.

Cost component	Low end	High end
Application and exam fee (Council)	$425	$425
Training (120 hours)	$0 (state-subsidized)	$600 (commercial online provider)
Portfolio materials (printing, binders)	$20	$60
T.E.A.C.H. or other scholarship (offset)	Up to full cost	$0 if ineligible
Total estimated out-of-pocket	$445	$1,085

The $425 Council fee is fixed and current as of 2025 ^[1]. Training is the variable. If your state runs a T.E.A.C.H. program or your local Child Care Resource and Referral agency offers free workshops that cover the subject areas, your training can cost nothing out of pocket ^[4].

Renewal happens every three years. The renewal fee is lower than the initial fee. The Council charges $150 for renewal as of 2025, and you need 45 hours of continuing education in that three-year period to renew ^[1]. That is a much lighter lift than the initial 120 hours.

Home-based providers thinking about how the CDA fits into a compliant program can use the ChildCareComp compliance toolkit to track which credentialing milestones tie to your state's specific licensing rules.

How does the CDA connect to state daycare licensing requirements?

This varies a lot by state, and you have to check your own regulations. No single federal rule mandates a CDA for all childcare workers. What the federal government does through CCDF is require states to have a professional development framework with credential pathways, and to report staff qualifications in their CCDF State Plans ^[6].

In practice, most states either accept a CDA (or equivalent) for lead teachers or give QRIS credit for credentialed staff. North Carolina and Pennsylvania run well-developed career lattices where the CDA sits at a defined tier. Michigan has a professional development framework tied to licensing where credential levels affect the quality indicators a program can claim ^[5]. If you are in Michigan, our Michigan daycare licensing article walks through how those state-specific rules work.

A few states have moved toward requiring a CDA for family childcare licensure specifically. Child Care Aware of America publishes state-by-state data on staff qualification rules in its annual "Demanding Change" report, which is the best single tracker I know of ^[3].

Here is the move. Before you invest a minute in the CDA, call your state licensing office and ask two questions. First: does a CDA satisfy the lead teacher or provider qualification in your regulations? Second: does holding a CDA change your QRIS rating and your subsidy reimbursement rate? The two answers tell you exactly what this credential is worth to you in dollars.

What are the differences between CDA credential types and settings?

The Council issues CDAs for six settings, and the right choice matters because the competencies and portfolio requirements are built for the setting ^[8].

Center-Based Preschool. The most common type. For educators working with children ages 3 through 5 in a center.

Center-Based Infant/Toddler. For educators working with children birth through 36 months in a center. The developmental content differs enough from preschool that operators who work across both age groups usually steer staff toward the credential for the group they mostly work with.

Family Child Care. For providers running licensed or regulated home-based programs. The portfolio and competency evidence reflect the mixed-age, home context.

Home Visitor. For professionals who deliver home visiting services to families with young children. Less common in a standard daycare licensing context.

Early Intervention. For professionals working with children who have disabilities or developmental delays in early intervention programs.

Adult/Program Administration. For center directors and administrators. This one requires five years of experience including two in a supervisory role, as noted earlier.

A center-based preschool CDA does not qualify you for a family childcare credential, and vice versa. Change settings and you apply for the credential that fits the new setting. The Council does have a renewal process for candidates who switch settings, so ask them directly about your situation before you assume you are starting from scratch.

Can the CDA credential help with staff pay and program funding?

Yes, and concretely. The credential touches pay two ways: some states pay wage supplements for credentialed staff, and QRIS ratings tied to credentials can lift subsidy reimbursement rates.

Child Care Aware of America's annual workforce report documents that credentialed staff earn higher wages on average, though the premium swings widely by state and setting ^[3]. In states with tiered reimbursement, a center with a higher QRIS rating (helped in part by credentialed staff) can collect subsidy payments 15 to 25 percent above the base rate, depending on the state's QRIS structure. That is real revenue, not a rounding error.

Some states run explicit wage supplements for CDA holders in childcare. North Carolina's WAGE$ program has historically paid supplements to credentialed early childhood educators. These programs come and go with funding cycles, so confirm the current status with your state childcare agency rather than trusting that any program I name here is still running.

For directors, a staff member earning a CDA can also affect eligibility for certain grants and quality improvement funds. CCDF lets states spend quality funds on professional development, which is exactly why so many state agencies pay for CDA training and application fees directly ^[9]. Ask your state childcare agency whether they have money available for this before you pay out of pocket.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to get a CDA credential?

Most candidates finish in six to twelve months. The Council gives you 180 days from application acceptance to complete the verification visit and exam, but the real timeline is driven by how long it takes to log 480 experience hours and 120 training hours. Work full-time in a childcare setting and start training at the same time, and six months is realistic. Part-timers usually take closer to a year.

How much does the CDA credential cost?

The Council's application and exam fee is $425 as of 2025. Training for the required 120 hours ranges from free (through state-subsidized programs or Child Care Resource and Referral workshops) to roughly $300 to $600 for commercial online packages. Total out-of-pocket costs usually land between $445 and $1,085. T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarships can cover fees in about 24 states.

Can I get a CDA credential online?

Most training hours can be completed online through Council-approved providers, and the application goes through the Council's online portal. But the verification visit requires an in-person observation by a Professional Development Specialist at your actual worksite, and the written exam is taken at a Pearson VUE testing center in person. You cannot finish the entire process remotely.

Do I need a college degree to get a CDA credential?

No. The minimum for the standard CDA is a high school diploma or GED. You do not need any college credits. The CDA is designed for practitioners who may not have a degree but have real working experience with young children. That accessibility is a big reason it remains the most widely held formal credential in early childhood education.

What is the CDA verification visit and what happens during it?

A Professional Development Specialist visits your worksite, observes you working with children for at least one hour, reviews your portfolio, and interviews you. The visit is scheduled in advance. The PDS completes an assessment and submits it to the Council; they do not make the final credentialing decision. Contact your PDS early, because scheduling can take weeks, especially in rural areas.

How hard is the CDA exam?

The exam has 65 scored questions, runs three hours, and is given at Pearson VUE centers. Questions draw from the CDA Competency Standards and the Council's recommended resource guide. They tend to ask for the best professional response among plausible options, which takes real understanding of child development, more than memorization. Study the Council's preparation guide and resource guide. The Council does not publish a national pass rate.

Does a CDA credential count toward state daycare licensing requirements?

In most states, yes, but you have to verify your own state's rules. Many licensing regulations accept a CDA as meeting the lead teacher or family childcare provider qualification. Some states go further and award QRIS points for credentialed staff, which can lift subsidy reimbursement rates. Call your state childcare licensing office and ask directly whether a CDA satisfies their staff qualification rules.

How do I renew a CDA credential?

CDA credentials last three years. To renew, you need 45 hours of continuing education completed during that three-year period, evidence of ongoing professional development, and the renewal fee, which the Council sets at $150 as of 2025. You apply through the Council's online portal before your credential expires. A late renewal option exists if you miss the window, but it costs more.

What is the difference between a CDA and an ECE associate degree?

A CDA is a competency-based credential earned through experience, training, and assessment. An associate degree in early childhood education is a college credential, typically 60 credit hours, covering broader academic content. Many states treat them as equivalent for entry-level licensing, but an associate degree generally opens doors to higher-level positions and pay scales that a CDA alone does not. Some CDA training hours transfer as college credit at participating schools.

Can I get financial help to pay for the CDA credential?

Yes, through several routes. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program operates in about 24 states and can cover application fees and training costs. Many state childcare agencies use CCDF quality funds to pay for professional development, including CDA fees. Child Care Resource and Referral agencies often know about local funding. Ask your state childcare agency and your local CCR&R before paying anything out of pocket.

Can the CDA credential be earned in Spanish?

Yes. The Council for Professional Recognition offers the CDA in both English and Spanish. The application, exam, and portfolio materials are available in Spanish, and candidates working in Spanish-speaking settings can complete the process in Spanish. The professional fluency requirement applies in whichever language the candidate works in with children and families.

What happens if I fail the CDA exam?

You can retake the exam after a waiting period. The Council's current policy allows retakes; check its site for the current waiting period and any retake fees. Your 180-day application window keeps running, so if you fail close to the deadline, contact the Council promptly about your options. The verification visit result stays valid while you retake the exam.

Does the CDA credential qualify me to run my own home daycare?

It depends entirely on your state's licensing rules. A Family Child Care CDA shows professional competency, and many states count it toward provider qualification requirements. But licensing a home daycare involves background checks, home inspections, health and safety standards, and other requirements beyond credentials. The CDA is usually one piece of the qualification puzzle, not the whole thing.

What are the eight subject areas required in CDA training?

The Council requires 120 training hours spread across: planning a safe and 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 operation; maintaining a commitment to professionalism; observing and recording children's behavior; and understanding principles of child development and learning. No single area can hold more than 10 hours from training completed more than five years ago.

Sources

1. Council for Professional Recognition, CDA Credential Application Process: 480 experience hours, 120 training hours across 8 subject areas, $425 application fee, 3-year renewal with 45 hours of continuing education, and $150 renewal fee.
2. Office of Child Care (HHS), Child Care and Development Fund Policy: CCDF requires states to have professional development frameworks with credential pathways and allows states to use quality funds for CDA training and fees.
3. Child Care Aware of America, Demanding Change: Repairing Our Child Care System: Child Care Aware tracks state-by-state staff qualification requirements and documents that credentialed staff earn higher wages on average.
4. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Scholarship Program operates in approximately 24 states and can cover CDA application fees and training costs for qualifying early childhood workers.
5. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Child Care Licensing: Michigan has a professional development framework tied to licensing where credential levels affect quality indicators a program can claim.
6. Office of Child Care (HHS), CCDF State Plans and Professional Development Requirements: CCDF requires states to report on staff qualifications in their State Plans and encourages tiered reimbursement tied to QRIS ratings.
7. Pearson VUE, CDA Exam Scheduling: The CDA written exam is computer-based, administered at Pearson VUE testing centers, and is three hours long with 65 scored questions.
8. Council for Professional Recognition, CDA Credential Types and Settings: The Council offers CDA credentials in six settings: center-based preschool, center-based infant/toddler, family childcare, home visitor, early intervention, and adult/program administration.
9. Office of Child Care (HHS), CCDF Quality Funds and Professional Development: CCDF allows states to use quality funds for professional development activities, which is why many state agencies pay for CDA training and application fees directly.
10. Council for Professional Recognition, Professional Portfolio Guide: The CDA portfolio requires a philosophy statement, Family Questionnaires from at least six families, Resource Collection items, and Reflective Statements of Competence for each of six Competency Standards.