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CDA Council for Professional Recognition

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We give early childhood teachers the certification (CDA) and support they need to give all young children the quality care and education they deserve.

Over the past 49 years, we have issued over 1,000,000 CDA credentials. Nonpartisan. The Child Development Associate® (CDA) is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is a key stepping stone on the path of career advancement in ECE. The CDA credential is based on a core set of Competency Standards, which guide early care professionals as they work toward becoming qualified teachers of young children. CDAs have knowledge of how to put the CDA Competency Standards into practice and understanding of why those Standards help children move with success from one developmental stage to another. Over the past 45 years, we have issued over 800,000 CDA credentials to educators in Preschool, Infant/Toddler, Family Child Care and Home Visitor settings, including to those who have earned their CDA through high school programs.

10/30/2026

Nebraska figured out something worth sharing, and they’re ready to tell the rest of us how they did it.

The Nebraska CDA® Roundtable brings statewide partners together with the Council for Professional Recognition. That teamwork has strengthened the early childhood workforce, raised program quality, and created real pathways for educators to grow.

Join Roundtable members on Tuesday, November 10, at 12pm ET. You’ll hear what’s working in Nebraska and how your state could do the same.

Who in your state should be at this table? Tag them below, then save your seat: https://bit.ly/4iB8Hzj

10/29/2026

What does a credential really mean for the people who teach and care for our youngest children?

Join Dr. Calvin E. Moore, Jr., CEO of the Council for Professional Recognition and author of Credentialing Revolution: The Power of Competency-Based Credentialing in Early Childhood Education, for a lively, open discussion in Birmingham, Alabama. Bring your questions and your own experience. Every voice helps shape this conversation.

Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 11:00 AM CST
Jefferson State Community College, Shelby-Hoover Campus
Judy M. Merritt Health Sciences Building (JMB), Room 156
4600 Valleydale Road, Birmingham, AL 35242

Save your seat: https://bit.ly/3WSuE4n

10/29/2026

Janay Moss just earned her CDA®, a Birth to Five credential.

Another CDA earned. Another educator ready to show up for the children and families who need them most.

Congratulations on this milestone, Janay!

10/28/2026

Why did the CDA® cost go up?

Andrew Davis, the Council’s Chief Operating Officer, takes the question head-on in this clip from the new Council Table episode. Andrew says the price increase drew the most pushback and was the first in about 13 years. The price had not even kept up with inflation, so the Council held it steady as long as it could, until its own analysis showed it was losing money.

Dr. Calvin E. Moore Jr. adds that no business operates like that, and that a credential fee is probably the last thing on an educator’s list as the field fights for a livable wage.

The full episode, “What We’re Building: Role Clarity, the CDA, and the Future of Early Childhood Credentialing,” goes beyond the price.

Tap the link in our bio to watch.

10/28/2026

Behind every credential are decisions most people never see. Andrew Davis, the Council's Chief Operating Officer, shares a few.

In this week's Council Table episode, "What We’re Building: Role Clarity, the CDA®, and the Future of Early Childhood Credentialing," Andrew talks with Dr. Calvin E. Moore Jr. about why the Council made its first price increase in about 13 years, what is coming in a new credentialing system, and why role clarity matters for the field. They also share data showing about one CDA for every 131 children ages 5 and under in the country.

A CDA in every classroom may be closer than it sounds. What would you ask the Council's COO? Tell us in the comments.

Watch the full episode: https://bit.ly/4z7SEyG

10/27/2026

Tomorrow, the Council Table welcomes Andrew Davis, the Council's Chief Operating Officer, and this clip previews the conversation.

Andrew says one thing the Council could do better is share the job description that goes with the CDA®. Dr. Calvin E. Moore Jr. points out that in corporate America, employers decide what a role requires, then build certifications to fit that role's responsibilities.

Andrew adds that other fields draw a clear line between a professional's knowledge, skills, and abilities and the training that builds them, and that early childhood tends to blur it. Role clarity is about making that line clear. It is one part of "What We’re Building: Role Clarity, the CDA, and the Future of Early Childhood Credentialing," out tomorrow.

Watch the clip, then come back Wednesday. Tap the link in our bio to subscribe so you don't miss it.

10/27/2026

When someone earns a credential, what job does it say they are ready to do?

That is the question Andrew Davis, the Council's Chief Operating Officer, takes on in a new clip from the Council Table. Andrew says the Council could do a better job sharing the job description that goes with the CDA®, and Dr. Calvin E. Moore Jr. adds that other fields build certifications around a role's responsibilities.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 28, they sit down for the full episode, "What We’re Building: Role Clarity, the CDA, and the Future of Early Childhood Credentialing."

Tell us what you think in the comments, then subscribe so you don't miss it: https://bit.ly/47n4Q2B

10/26/2026

If you work in Head Start, or know someone who does, this one is worth a read this Head Start Awareness Month.

The CDA® has been closely connected to Head Start since the 1970s, and it remains an important qualification for many Head Start educators. In August, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) proposed significant changes to Head Start governance and staffing requirements. The Council for Professional Recognition supports reducing unnecessary requirements, but is concerned the proposed rule could eliminate CDA-related qualification requirements for several Head Start positions, including family child care providers and home visitors.

The Council urges ACF to preserve the CDA as a foundational, competency-based qualification for all Head Start early educators, regardless of setting.

Read the full statement from Dr. Calvin E. Moore Jr., CEO of the Council: https://bit.ly/4iFHStK

10/23/2026

Every educator needs a starting point. A new pilot is working to make the CDA® that place.

Child Care Aware® of America has launched CDA: The Best First Step, a two-year pilot to make the Child Development Associate Credential the consistent entry point into the child care profession. The Council for Professional Recognition is funding the initiative, with the Child Care Trust as a partner.

Florida, Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, and Ohio are leading the work from October 2026 through May 2028. Their goals include supporting 200 educators in Kansas and building a six-month path for 250 preschool associate teachers in Michigan.

Read the full announcement: https://bit.ly/4zQQvYr

10/22/2026

Rachele Mower just earned her CDA®, a Preschool credential.

Another CDA earned. Another educator ready to show up for the children and families who need them most.

Congratulations on this milestone, Rachele!

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Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

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https://www.cdacouncil.org/

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