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.
Education: The 8 CDA® Subject Areas
CDA Subject Areas
Examples
1 Planning a safe, healthy learning
environment.
Safety, first aid, health, space planning, materials and
equipment, play
2 Advancing children’s physical and
intellectual development.
Large and small muscle, language and literacy, discovery, art,
music, math, social studies, brain development, science,
technology, dual language learning
3 Supporting children’s social and
emotional development.
Self-esteem, independence, self-regulation, socialization,
cultural identity
4 Building productive relationships with
families.
Parent involvement, home visits, conferences, referrals
5 Managing an effective program.
Planning, record keeping, reporting
6 Maintaining a commitment to
professionalism.
Advocacy, ethical practices, workforce issues, professional
associations
7 Observing and recording children’s
behavior.
Tools and strategies for objective information and assessment
8 Understanding principles of child
development and learning.
Child development from birth through age 5, individual
variations, cultural influences
CDA® Credential Setting Types
CENTER-BASED SETTINGS
FAMILY CHILD CARE
HOME VISITOR
3-5 Years
Birth-36 Months
Birth-5 Years
Birth-5 Years
CDA Professional
Development
Specialists™
Essential to the assessment process
➢Early education experts
• Knowledge and experience to support
the professional development of early
care professionals through the Child
Development Associate assessment
process
• Recognized for their professional
contributions to the field
Who are CDA Professional Development
Specialists™?
Professional Development Specialist
Eligibility
➢ Must have an active
email address
➢ Must have access to the
Internet
Technology
➢ Demonstrated work directly
with children
➢ Local & national standards
& requirements of child
care programs
➢ Able to relate to people of
varying backgrounds to
include cultures, racial,
ethnicities socio-economic
status
➢ Facilitating professional
growth of an adult
Knowledge & Skills
➢ Baccalaureate or
Associate degree
in Early Childhood
Education/Child
Development
➢ Elementary
Education/Early
Childhood Education
➢ Home Economics/Child
Development
Education
The Great Resignation!
A Dynamic Duo…CTE and the CDA®
➢ Appeals to adult students enrolled in the Alabama
Non-Traditional High School Diploma Option
(HSDO)
➢ Creates a mobile career with a transportable
credential
➢ Leads to improved job opportunities
➢ May increase salary
➢ Provides professional growth & career
advancement
➢ Leads to college academic credits
➢ Focused ECE specialty
➢ Enhances confidence
The CDA® Supports Career Pathways
➢ Prepares an individual to be successful in a full
range of postsecondary education options.
➢ Can include counseling to support an
individual in achieving education & career
goals.
➢ Includes, as appropriate, education offered
concurrently or in the same cycle as
workforce preparation activities & training.
➢ Enables an individual to attain a secondary
school diploma and at least one recognized
industry-based credential (IBC).
➢ Helps an individual enter or advance within
the industry.
Possible Career Pathway Outcomes
➢ Provides comprehensive education and training
➢
Includes coaching/counseling
➢ Aligns with the needs of employers, consumers, and regulators
➢ Produces recognized credentials
➢ Leads to various jobs differentiated by knowledge, skills and
compensation
➢ Builds a skilled workforce
College degree award
Employment
ECE leadership
Earn CDA
High School CTE Programming Benefits
When offered as a career pathway, the CDA®:
➢ Qualifies an individual for many teaching positions in the early childhood education sector
➢ Provides an on-the-job apprenticeship
➢ Prepares an individual to be successful in a range of postsecondary education options
➢ Offers opportunities to earn credit toward degree programs
➢ Can include counseling to support an individual in achieving education & career goals
➢ Helps an individual enter or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster
➢ Several states have developed career pathway models showing opportunities for current
and prospective early educators to climb the ECE career ladder starting from the CDA
and leading as high as terminal degrees.
Benefits for Students
When offered as a career
pathway, CDA® students:
➢ Leave high school job-ready with nationally
recognized CDA credential -- as CDA
credentialed professionals are in high demand!
➢ Jump-start their higher education with core
knowledge of child development
➢ Have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to
work with young children
➢ Get assessed in the language of their work
➢ Gain valuable skills & competencies that early
childhood employers want
➢ Earn college credit while still in high school
➢ Receive faculty support throughout the process
Benefits to States
When offered as a career pathway, the CDA®:
➢ Integrates with most state pre-designed courses and alignment
➢ Provides opportunity for customized CDA®/ECE courses to support further roll-out
in state
➢ Qualifies for dedicated funding toward CTE/ECE programs in some states
➢ Supports career pathways
• May include education offered concurrently or in the same cycle as workforce
preparation and training
• Enables CTE program to offer students secondary school diploma and at least
one recognized industry-based credential
• Helps an individual enter or advance within a specific occupation or
occupational cluster
College Credit
Articulation
➢ Statewide
transfer/articulation
committee
➢ Monitoring and
evaluation systems
➢ Core curriculum transfer
courses
➢ Common course
numbering
➢ Faculty involvement
➢ Two- and four-year ECE
program accreditation
➢ Guarantee of transfer
➢ Transfer guides
➢ Receive credit for prior
learning
➢ Common student record
systems
➢ Counselor/ Service
Center supports
➢ Appeals processes for
students
➢ Legislative or policy
driver (Ignash, 2000)
Some Common Elements of
Effective Articulation
Converting Clock Hours
CEUs
0.1 CEUs = 1 Clock Hour
0.2 CEUs = 2 Clock Hours
0.3 CEUs = 3 Clock Hours
0.4 CEUs = 4 Clock Hours
0.5 CEUs = 5 Clock Hours
0.6 CEUs = 6 Clock Hours
0.7 CEUs = 7 Clock Hours
0.8 CEUs = 8 Clock Hours
0.9 CEUs = 9 Clock Hours
1 CEU = 10 Clock Hours
4.5 CEU = 45 Clock Hours
Semester Credits
(College)
1 Semester Credit (College)
= 15 Clock Hours
2 Semester Credits (College)
= 30 Clock Hours
3 Semester Credits (College)
= 45 Clock Hours
Quarter Credits
1 Quarter Credits
= 10 Clock Hours
2 Quarter Credits
= 20 Clock Hours
3 Quarter Credits
= 30 Clock Hours
4 Quarter Credits
= 40 Clock Hours
These
calculations
primarily
refer to
colleges.
Florida CTE/CDA
A Proven Sustainable Model
Promising Model – Florida Story
One-year course
sequence
Embedded or Parallel
Remediation in Career Technical
Programs
Students with more significant remedial
needs can benefit from more robust
instruction and enhanced learning
supports in the form of a two-semester
course sequence in which students
master gateway college-credit course
material in one year. Consider use of a
cohort model.
For students enrolled in a certificate or
applied degree program, embedding or
providing parallel remediation within the
courses or technical program offerings
ensures that students can immerse
themselves in the program of study that
initially propelled their enrollment in
postsecondary education.
Statewide Model
➢ Florida Department of Education
➢ Statewide Advisory Committee
➢ Child Development Associate® articulates statewide into 9 college credit
hours to the AS Degree in Early Childhood Education or the College Credit
Certificate Program
➢ Articulation of additional credits by any college through local agreements are
allowed
➢ CDA must be issued within three years prior to enrollment
➢ Credit awarded as “S” grade and will not affect students grade point average
➢ 25% of degree or certificate program requirements must be completed
through traditional coursework at institutions
Florida: Career Pathways Statewide
Articulation
Findings: Employment Pathways
➢ 43.5% of respondents were employed in ECE settings following
graduation.
➢ 57% of other employed were looking for jobs in ECE while they
worked in retail/restaurant industry.
➢ Of the 35% who were unemployed, three-quarters were enrolled in
college.
Findings: Educational Pathways
➢ 73.5% of respondents enrolled in a college
degree program after graduation.
• Most respondents enrolled in Associate of
Arts degrees (no declared major).
• Only 12% of respondents who enrolled in
college declared an ECE major.
➢ 90% of those not currently enrolled intend to
go to college at some point.
• 28% of those intending to go to college said
they would likely major in ECE; over 50% in
the education field
Resources
➢ eCDA at Northhampton Community College, NCC
➢ Office of Child Care and Office of Head Start, U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services
➢ How to Professionalize the Early Childhood
Workforce? Three Approaches for States By Lee
Foster
➢ T.E.A.C.H. National Center: Early Childhood
Articulation Project Compendium
➢ Embedding CDA into Curricula, Columbus State
Community College by Prof. Charvella McKay
➢ Core Principles for Transforming Remedial
Education: A Joint Statement
Questions?
Session Evaluation
Please scan the QR code to complete an
evaluation for this session.
Get set for a full day geared toward the support and well-being of CDA professionals
and practitioners in the ECE field. Register to attend professional development,
health and self-care sessions, along with the chance to network with your peers!
Learn more and register: cvent.me/xwaQwZ
VISIT the Council website
www.cdacouncil.org
SUBSCRIBE to our Free CounciLINK Newsletter
www.cdacouncil.org/subscribe
JOIN our CDA Community Online @cdacouncil
Learn More & Stay Connected
The Council for Professional Recognition
2460 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009-3547
Local: 202-265-9090 Toll Free: 800-424-4310
Visit the Council’s Website at www.cdacouncil.org.
Copyright © 2022 by the Council for Professional Recognition. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise
noted on a specific page, no part of this presentation may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning web
distribution, information networks, information storage and retrieval systems without the prior written
permission from the Council for Professional Recognition.
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.
Education: The 8 CDA® Subject Areas
CDA Subject Areas
Examples
1 Planning a safe, healthy learning
environment.
Safety, first aid, health, space planning, materials and
equipment, play
2 Advancing children’s physical and
intellectual development.
Large and small muscle, language and literacy, discovery, art,
music, math, social studies, brain development, science,
technology, dual language learning
3 Supporting children’s social and
emotional development.
Self-esteem, independence, self-regulation, socialization,
cultural identity
4 Building productive relationships with
families.
Parent involvement, home visits, conferences, referrals
5 Managing an effective program.
Planning, record keeping, reporting
6 Maintaining a commitment to
professionalism.
Advocacy, ethical practices, workforce issues, professional
associations
7 Observing and recording children’s
behavior.
Tools and strategies for objective information and assessment
8 Understanding principles of child
development and learning.
Child development from birth through age 5, individual
variations, cultural influences
CDA® Credential Setting Types
CENTER-BASED SETTINGS
FAMILY CHILD CARE
HOME VISITOR
3-5 Years
Birth-36 Months
Birth-5 Years
Birth-5 Years
CDA Professional
Development
Specialists™
Essential to the assessment process
➢Early education experts
• Knowledge and experience to support
the professional development of early
care professionals through the Child
Development Associate assessment
process
• Recognized for their professional
contributions to the field
Who are CDA Professional Development
Specialists™?
Professional Development Specialist
Eligibility
➢ Must have an active
email address
➢ Must have access to the
Internet
Technology
➢ Demonstrated work directly
with children
➢ Local & national standards
& requirements of child
care programs
➢ Able to relate to people of
varying backgrounds to
include cultures, racial,
ethnicities socio-economic
status
➢ Facilitating professional
growth of an adult
Knowledge & Skills
➢ Baccalaureate or
Associate degree
in Early Childhood
Education/Child
Development
➢ Elementary
Education/Early
Childhood Education
➢ Home Economics/Child
Development
Education
The Great Resignation!
A Dynamic Duo…CTE and the CDA®
➢ Appeals to adult students enrolled in the Alabama
Non-Traditional High School Diploma Option
(HSDO)
➢ Creates a mobile career with a transportable
credential
➢ Leads to improved job opportunities
➢ May increase salary
➢ Provides professional growth & career
advancement
➢ Leads to college academic credits
➢ Focused ECE specialty
➢ Enhances confidence
The CDA® Supports Career Pathways
➢ Prepares an individual to be successful in a full
range of postsecondary education options.
➢ Can include counseling to support an
individual in achieving education & career
goals.
➢ Includes, as appropriate, education offered
concurrently or in the same cycle as
workforce preparation activities & training.
➢ Enables an individual to attain a secondary
school diploma and at least one recognized
industry-based credential (IBC).
➢ Helps an individual enter or advance within
the industry.
Possible Career Pathway Outcomes
➢ Provides comprehensive education and training
➢
Includes coaching/counseling
➢ Aligns with the needs of employers, consumers, and regulators
➢ Produces recognized credentials
➢ Leads to various jobs differentiated by knowledge, skills and
compensation
➢ Builds a skilled workforce
College degree award
Employment
ECE leadership
Earn CDA
High School CTE Programming Benefits
When offered as a career pathway, the CDA®:
➢ Qualifies an individual for many teaching positions in the early childhood education sector
➢ Provides an on-the-job apprenticeship
➢ Prepares an individual to be successful in a range of postsecondary education options
➢ Offers opportunities to earn credit toward degree programs
➢ Can include counseling to support an individual in achieving education & career goals
➢ Helps an individual enter or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster
➢ Several states have developed career pathway models showing opportunities for current
and prospective early educators to climb the ECE career ladder starting from the CDA
and leading as high as terminal degrees.
Benefits for Students
When offered as a career
pathway, CDA® students:
➢ Leave high school job-ready with nationally
recognized CDA credential -- as CDA
credentialed professionals are in high demand!
➢ Jump-start their higher education with core
knowledge of child development
➢ Have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to
work with young children
➢ Get assessed in the language of their work
➢ Gain valuable skills & competencies that early
childhood employers want
➢ Earn college credit while still in high school
➢ Receive faculty support throughout the process
Benefits to States
When offered as a career pathway, the CDA®:
➢ Integrates with most state pre-designed courses and alignment
➢ Provides opportunity for customized CDA®/ECE courses to support further roll-out
in state
➢ Qualifies for dedicated funding toward CTE/ECE programs in some states
➢ Supports career pathways
• May include education offered concurrently or in the same cycle as workforce
preparation and training
• Enables CTE program to offer students secondary school diploma and at least
one recognized industry-based credential
• Helps an individual enter or advance within a specific occupation or
occupational cluster
College Credit
Articulation
➢ Statewide
transfer/articulation
committee
➢ Monitoring and
evaluation systems
➢ Core curriculum transfer
courses
➢ Common course
numbering
➢ Faculty involvement
➢ Two- and four-year ECE
program accreditation
➢ Guarantee of transfer
➢ Transfer guides
➢ Receive credit for prior
learning
➢ Common student record
systems
➢ Counselor/ Service
Center supports
➢ Appeals processes for
students
➢ Legislative or policy
driver (Ignash, 2000)
Some Common Elements of
Effective Articulation
Converting Clock Hours
CEUs
0.1 CEUs = 1 Clock Hour
0.2 CEUs = 2 Clock Hours
0.3 CEUs = 3 Clock Hours
0.4 CEUs = 4 Clock Hours
0.5 CEUs = 5 Clock Hours
0.6 CEUs = 6 Clock Hours
0.7 CEUs = 7 Clock Hours
0.8 CEUs = 8 Clock Hours
0.9 CEUs = 9 Clock Hours
1 CEU = 10 Clock Hours
4.5 CEU = 45 Clock Hours
Semester Credits
(College)
1 Semester Credit (College)
= 15 Clock Hours
2 Semester Credits (College)
= 30 Clock Hours
3 Semester Credits (College)
= 45 Clock Hours
Quarter Credits
1 Quarter Credits
= 10 Clock Hours
2 Quarter Credits
= 20 Clock Hours
3 Quarter Credits
= 30 Clock Hours
4 Quarter Credits
= 40 Clock Hours
These
calculations
primarily
refer to
colleges.
Florida CTE/CDA
A Proven Sustainable Model
Promising Model – Florida Story
One-year course
sequence
Embedded or Parallel
Remediation in Career Technical
Programs
Students with more significant remedial
needs can benefit from more robust
instruction and enhanced learning
supports in the form of a two-semester
course sequence in which students
master gateway college-credit course
material in one year. Consider use of a
cohort model.
For students enrolled in a certificate or
applied degree program, embedding or
providing parallel remediation within the
courses or technical program offerings
ensures that students can immerse
themselves in the program of study that
initially propelled their enrollment in
postsecondary education.
Statewide Model
➢ Florida Department of Education
➢ Statewide Advisory Committee
➢ Child Development Associate® articulates statewide into 9 college credit
hours to the AS Degree in Early Childhood Education or the College Credit
Certificate Program
➢ Articulation of additional credits by any college through local agreements are
allowed
➢ CDA must be issued within three years prior to enrollment
➢ Credit awarded as “S” grade and will not affect students grade point average
➢ 25% of degree or certificate program requirements must be completed
through traditional coursework at institutions
Florida: Career Pathways Statewide
Articulation
Findings: Employment Pathways
➢ 43.5% of respondents were employed in ECE settings following
graduation.
➢ 57% of other employed were looking for jobs in ECE while they
worked in retail/restaurant industry.
➢ Of the 35% who were unemployed, three-quarters were enrolled in
college.
Findings: Educational Pathways
➢ 73.5% of respondents enrolled in a college
degree program after graduation.
• Most respondents enrolled in Associate of
Arts degrees (no declared major).
• Only 12% of respondents who enrolled in
college declared an ECE major.
➢ 90% of those not currently enrolled intend to
go to college at some point.
• 28% of those intending to go to college said
they would likely major in ECE; over 50% in
the education field
Resources
➢ eCDA at Northhampton Community College, NCC
➢ Office of Child Care and Office of Head Start, U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services
➢ How to Professionalize the Early Childhood
Workforce? Three Approaches for States By Lee
Foster
➢ T.E.A.C.H. National Center: Early Childhood
Articulation Project Compendium
➢ Embedding CDA into Curricula, Columbus State
Community College by Prof. Charvella McKay
➢ Core Principles for Transforming Remedial
Education: A Joint Statement
Questions?
Session Evaluation
Please scan the QR code to complete an
evaluation for this session.
Get set for a full day geared toward the support and well-being of CDA professionals
and practitioners in the ECE field. Register to attend professional development,
health and self-care sessions, along with the chance to network with your peers!
Learn more and register: cvent.me/xwaQwZ
VISIT the Council website
www.cdacouncil.org
SUBSCRIBE to our Free CounciLINK Newsletter
www.cdacouncil.org/subscribe
JOIN our CDA Community Online @cdacouncil
Learn More & Stay Connected
The Council for Professional Recognition
2460 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009-3547
Local: 202-265-9090 Toll Free: 800-424-4310
Visit the Council’s Website at www.cdacouncil.org.
Copyright © 2022 by the Council for Professional Recognition. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise
noted on a specific page, no part of this presentation may be reproduced in any form or by any
electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning web
distribution, information networks, information storage and retrieval systems without the prior written
permission from the Council for Professional Recognition.