CREATING BETTER
ACCESS:
How the High School CDA®
Closes the Child Care
Staffing Gap
Presented by:
Chonda Walden, Training and Development Manager and
Dawn Owens, Early Childhood Education Special Projects Manager
About Presenters
Chonda Walden joined the Council for
Professional Recognition in 2018. She leads
the Council’s training and development team as
they oversee a network of 3600+ early
educators across the globe. Chonda has
served as a CDA instructor, adjunct instructor at
three universities, published writer and created
national training curriculums.
Dawn Owens joined the Council for
Professional Recognition in June of 2021.
Recently, Dawn was promoted to serve as the
Early Childhood Special Projects Manager.
Prior to joining the Council, Dawn was a PD
Specialist. Dawn has 25+ years in the field of
Early Childhood Education. Beginning her
career as a Kindergarten Teacher, Coach First
Class for Pre- K Teachers and the relaunch of
the Alabama Quality STARS program.
Chonda Walden
Dawn Owens
Session Goal
Goal: To examine the CDA® and discover how high school
CTE programs can help close the ECE staffing gap.
Today, we will review:
➢CTE CDA essentials and program benefits
➢College articulation
➢An example of a sustainable CTE program
➢ Insert session reading materials & resources QR Code here (Chonda
will provide)
Use QR Code to Gain Access to
Helpful Resources
Who is in the room?
Best 1st Step
Nationally Recognized
Transferable
Competency-Based
The CDA®
➢ The Child Development Associate®
(CDA) Credential™ is the most widely recognized
credential in early childhood education.
➢ It is a key steppingstone on the path to career
advancement in early childhood education.
➢ To be awarded the credential, candidates must
complete an assessment process &
demonstrate their ability to put their knowledge of
the CDA Competency Standards into practice in
their daily work with children & families.
➢ Being awarded the CDA means a candidate is
qualified to be a lead teacher in the classroom.
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