Skip to main content
Home / Child Development Associate Certification Program (CDA)

Child Development Associate® (CDA) Program

Request Information

Complete the form below to learn more about American University’s Child Development Associate® (CDA) Program.

By submitting this form, I agree to be contacted via email, phone, or text to learn more about the programs at American University.

Program Overview

The School of Education at American University offers a Child Development Associate® Certification (CDA) program—for preschool or daycare educators looking to earn the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education. Our program is framed from a critical literacy, social justice, and antiracist perspective and makes use of culturally responsive and sustaining teaching methodology.

This program is fully online and self-paced. It is available in an open enrollment format, and admission to American University is not required.

Our Child Development Associate Certification Credential at a Glance

5 Courses

135-hour course of study.

100% Online

Self-paced and fully online, with assigned advisor and faculty support.

4–8 Month Completion Time*

*Total time to complete the program may vary based on the number of credits taken each semester.

CDA Credential and Requirements

The Council for Professional Recognition (CPR) offers the Child Development Associate Certification credential to early childhood educators. The required elements include completing at least 120 hours of formal early childhood education coursework, preparing a professional portfolio, and obtaining professional work experience.

The Child Development Associate Certification (CDA) program at American University is a 135-hour course of study. It fulfills the 120-hour educational component the CPR requires for the Preschool, Infant-Toddler, and Family Child Care CDA credential, along with some of the educational component hours required for the Home Visitor CDA credential.

You can work on most of the required portfolio components while completing your CDA coursework at AU. Students in the Washington, DC, area can also gain preschool or infant-toddler work experience through our partnership with the educational nonprofit Martha’s Table.

Program Courses

AU’s Child Development Associate Certification program has five courses that you can complete in four to eight months. Since it is self-paced and fully online, you can work around a schedule that meets your needs. You have access to an academic advisor and faculty coach while taking CDA courses The program’s distinguished faculty and staff work every day to achieve the School of Education’s (SOE) vision of an antiracist and equity-driven community.

You may register for additional courses to complete missing education hours or to renew a Preschool, Infant-Toddler, or Family Child Care CDA credential.

Continue Your Education and Expand Your Career Path

After completing your Child Development Associate Certification, you can continue your education with a degree program at American University or Trinity Washington University. CDA graduates can transfer the equivalent of up to six credits to Trinity Washington University’s Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education. These students can then transfer credits to American University’s Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education or Trinity Washington University’s Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education.

Child Development Associate Certification Career Opportunities

Child educators can improve their career prospects by earning this sought-after credential. Graduates commonly find roles as childcare workers, preschool and childcare center directors, preschool teachers, or kindergarten and elementary school teachers. The following is a sample of child educator roles and their median annual wages per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024):

Elementary and Secondary School TeachersKindergarten and Elementary School TeachersPreschool and Childcare Center Directors
$70,790$63,670$54,290

Child Development Associate Certification Program Details

This program features an open enrollment format. Anyone is welcome to register to fulfill the 120-hour educational component needed for the Preschool, Infant-Toddler, or Family Child Care CDA credentials. We also offer courses that fulfill two subject areas needed for the Home Visitor Child Development Associate Certification credential: commitment to professionalism and understanding child development and learning.

  • The program addresses theoretical, research-based, and practitioner-oriented issues concerning children from birth through age five.
  • Instructors emphasize critical literacy and antiracism in the early childhood development years.
  • The program is fully online and self-paced, with an assigned advisor and faculty support.
  • It offers a seamless academic pathway toward an Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education or Elementary Education.

Admission to AU is not required. Simply complete this registration form.

Take Advantage of the Advancing Early Education Collaborative

A graphic of expanding career pathway with the CDA credential going on to an AA and then a BA.

The Advancing Early Education Collaborative (AEEC) is an initiative between the AU SOE, Trinity Washington University, LIFT-DC, and Martha’s Table. The partnership gives students a seamless academic pathway across institutions with wrap-around support (such as free groceries, childcare vouchers, and financial coaching) that helps them successfully navigate, graduate, and enter careers in early learning. 

There’s a scholarship for this initiative, and applicants who qualify will be notified once admitted to the program.

LEARN MORE

CDA Program Course Overview

The courses are self-paced, meaning the material is completed on your time. We list the suggested time to complete each of the five classes.

Course TitleAU Credit
Equivalency		CDA Hours EquivalencySuggested Time to CompleteCost
EDU 071 Child Development and Learning*230.012 weeks$520
EDU 072 Culturally Responsive Learning in Early Childhood Education*345.016 weeks$780
EDU 073 Health, Safety, and Nutrition in the Early Years 115.06 weeks$260
EDU 074 Professionalism and Community Building230.012 weeks$520
EDU 075 Program Management in ECE115.06 weeks$260
Total Courses (5)9135.0N/A$2340

Frequently Asked Questions

The total cost for all five courses is $2,340. The breakdown by course is listed above, and there are scholarships available. Please contact Gabrielle Harris at harris@american.edu for more information.

There is no application deadline. Admissions are reviewed on a rolling basis.

There are scholarships available. For more information, please contact Gabrielle Harris at harris@american.edu.

Culturally Responsive Learning in Early Childhood Education
Exploration of strategies and practices for advancing young children’s physical, cognitive, communicative, creative and intellectual development from a culturally responsive, antiracist and critical literacy perspective

Health, Safety, and Nutrition in the Early Years
Exploration of culturally responsive strategies, policies, and practices for creating, establishing, and maintaining the health, safety, and nutrition of children in the early years

Child Development and Learning
Understanding principles of child development, including social development, emotional development, and learning, along with using the cultural resources (language, cultural traditions, heritage, knowledge) children bring to the learning community

Program Management in ECE
Exploration of various forms of program management in early childhood settings, including observation, documentation, planning, evaluation, record keeping, and building community, from a culturally responsive and antiracist perspective

Professionalism and Community Building
Exploration of the role early childhood educators play in community building to support the needs of young children and in engaging in courageous and professional leadership

The following courses will also fulfill the commitment to professionalism and understanding child development educational components of the Home Visitor CDA credential.

Child Development and Learning
Understanding principles of child development, including social development, emotional development, and learning, using the cultural resources (language, cultural traditions, heritage, knowledge) children bring to the learning community

The Professionalism and Community Building and Child Development and Learning courses fulfill the commitment to professionalism and understanding child development educational component for the Home Visitor CDA credential.

CDA Credential Requirements

The CPR offers several types of child development associate certifications, each with its own set of requirements.

These subject areas are covered in two of the AU CDA courses:

  • Commitment to professionalism covered in the Professionalism and Community Building course
  • Understanding child development covered in the Child Development and Learning course

1. Before Applying for a CDA

  • Earn a high school diploma or GED or be enrolled as a junior or senior in a high school career and technical program in early childhood education.
  • Complete 120 hours of formal early childhood education training covering the growth and development of children ages three to five years old, with no fewer than 10 training hours in each of eight CDA subject areas. These subject areas are integrated into the AU CDA courses and are listed below.
    • 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.
    • Understanding principles of child development and learning.

2. Within three years of submitting your CDA application to the CPR, you must obtain 480 hours of professional work experience in a center-based setting with children ages three to five years old.

3. Within six months of submitting your CDA application to the CPR:

  • Prepare your CDA Professional Portfolio. Many of the components for the Portfolio are completed as part of the course work at AU.
  • Find a CDA professional development (PD) specialist. The specialist will conduct the Verification Visit, during which you will be observed and evaluated working with children in a specific age group.

The Application Process

  • Apply to the CPR online or complete a paper application provided in the CDA Preschool CDA Competency Standards Book.
  • Submit the nonrefundable/nontransferable application fee with your application.
  • You will receive a Ready to Schedule notification from the Council once it reviews and accepts your CDA application.
  • Once you receive your Ready to Schedule notification from the Council, you may schedule your CDA Verification Visit with a CDA PD specialist and CDA Exam. (The CDA PD specialist and Pearson Vue testing center electronically submit scores to the Council.)
  • A Council committee will review the results of your assessment and decide whether to award you the CDA credential. If your credential is awarded, you’ll receive the official CDA in the mail. If the committee decides you need more training, the Council will let you know the next steps to take to earn the credential.

1. Before Applying for a CDA

Earn a high school diploma or GED or be enrolled as a junior or senior in a high school career and technical program in early childhood education.

Complete 120 hours of formal early childhood education training, covering the growth and development of children ages birth to 36 months, with no fewer than 10 training hours in each of the eight CDA subject areas. These subject areas are integrated into the AU CDA courses and are listed below.

  • 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.
  • Understanding principles of child development and learning.

2. Within three years of submitting your CDA application to the CPR, you must obtain 480 hours of professional work experience in a center-based setting with children ages birth to 36 months, including experience in all three age subgroups: young infants (birth to eight months), mobile infants (9–17 months), and toddlers (18–36 months).

3. Within six months of submitting your CDA application to the CPR:

  • Prepare your CDA Professional Portfolio. Many of the components for the Portfolio are completed as part of the course work at AU.
  • Find a CDA professional development (PD) specialist. The specialist will conduct your Verification Visit when you will be observed and evaluated working with children in a specific age group. 

The Application Process

  • Apply to the CPR online or complete a paper application provided in the Infant-Toddler CDA Competency Standards Book.
  • Submit the nonrefundable and nontransferable application fee with your application.
  • You will receive a Ready to Schedule notification from the Council once it reviews and accepts your CDA application.
  • Once you receive your Ready to Schedule notification from the Council, you are ready to schedule your CDA Verification Visit with a CDA PD specialist and CDA Exam. (The CDA PD specialist and Pearson Vue testing center electronically submit scores to the Council.)
  • A Council committee will review the results of your assessment and decide whether to award you the CDA credential. If your credential is awarded, you’ll receive the official CDA in the mail. If the committee decides you need more training, the Council will let you know the next steps to take to earn the credential.

1. Before Applying for a CDA

Earn a high school diploma or GED or be enrolled as a junior or senior in a high school career and technical program in early childhood education.

Complete 120 hours of formal early childhood education training, covering the growth and development of children ages birth to five, with no fewer than 10 training hours in each of eight CDA subject areas. These subject areas are integrated into the AU CDA courses and are listed below.

  • 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.
  • Understanding principles of child development and learning.

2. Within three years of submitting your CDA application to the CPR, you must gain 480 hours of professional work experience in a group setting with children ages birth to 5.

3. Within six months of submitting your CDA application to the CPR:

  • Prepare your CDA Professional Portfolio. Many of the components for the Portfolio are completed as part of the course work at AU.
  • Find a CDA professional development (PD) specialist. The specialist will conduct your Verification Visit during which you’ll be observed and evaluated working with children in a specific age group.

The Application Process

  • Apply to the CPR online or complete a paper application provided in the CDA Family Child-Care Competency Standards Book.
  • Submit the nonrefundable and nontransferable application fee with your application.
  • You will receive a Ready to Schedule notification from the Council once it reviews and accepts your CDA application.
  • Once you receive your Ready to Schedule notification from the Council, you are ready to schedule your CDA Verification Visit with a CDA PD specialist and CDA Exam. (The CDA PD specialist and Pearson Vue testing center electronically submit scores to the Council.)
  • A Council committee will review the results of your assessment and decide whether to award you the CDA credential. If your credential is awarded, you’ll receive the official CDA in the mail. If the committee decides you need more training, the Council will let you know the next steps.

1. Before Applying for a CDA

  • Earn a high school diploma or GED.
  • Complete 120 hours of formal early childhood education training, covering the growth and development of children ages birth to five, with no fewer than 10 training hours in each of eight CDA Home Visitor subject areas.
    • Promoting health and safety in the home environment.
    • Enhancing parents’ skills to advance children’s physical and intellectual development.
    • Promoting parents’ use of positive ways to support children’s social and emotional development.
    • Understanding family systems and development.
    • Managing an effective home visitor program operation.
    • Maintaining a commitment to professionalism.*
    • Working across the child welfare continuum.
    • Understanding the principles of child development and learning.*

*These courses respectively fulfill the commitment to professionalism and understanding child development educational components of the Home Visitor CDA credential.

2. Within three years of submitting your CDA application to the CPR, you must complete 480 hours of professional work experience in a home visitor program serving families with children ages birth to five.

3. Within six months of submitting your CDA application to the CPR:

The Application Process

  • Apply to the CPR online or complete a paper application provided in the CDA Home Visitor Competency Standards Book.
  • Submit the nonrefundable and nontransferable application fee with your application.
  • You will receive your Ready to Schedule notice once your CDA application is approved, and you can schedule your CDA Verification Visit®.
  • A Council committee will review the results of your assessment and decide whether to award you the CDA credential. If your credential is awarded, you’ll receive the official CDA in the mail. If the committee decides you need more training, the Council will let you know the next steps.

Contact Us

If you are interested in signing up for the CDA program, email CDA@american.edu.