Child Development Associate (CDA) Support
[Coursework] [Documentation] [Application]
Coursework
CDA applicants are required by the Council for Professional Recognition to complete the following requirements for application for the Child Development Associate Credential.
TECTA provides tuition assistance and textbooks for four (4) college courses. These four courses meet the training requirements required by the Council. The four courses are:
- ECE 2010 Safe, Healthy, Learning Environment
- ECE 2130 Clinical Practicum I
- ECE 2015 Early Childhood Curriculum
- ECE 2040 Family Dynamics and Community Involvement
To see when these courses are offered next view the Southwest course schedule.
For information on financial assistance visit the Tuition Assistance page.
Once students complete the college coursework, they need to work with the TECTA office to complete the CDA application materials.
Documentation
Competency Statements: Competency Statements describe the things you do with children and families, written in your own words. It is important that you write from your own personal experience examples that demonstrate your ability to meet the specific needs of children and families in your care. These examples should demonstrate that you are practicing the concepts of the core content that is the foundation of the CDA goal areas.
CDA Candidates are required to write 6 (six) Competency Goal Statements. Each statement should be between 200 and 500 words and should include each of the functional areas associated with each Competency Goal. View the CDA Competency Goals and Functional Areas (Adobe PDF, requires Adobe Reader).
Resource Collection: The Professional Resource File is a collection of materials that early childhood professionals use in their work with young children and their families. It is a working resource. It should be useful in a Candidate's career in early childhood education.
There are no requirements about how it should look. However, it should be professional looking, manageable in size, legible, easy to add to or delete from, and portable.
There are three specific sections, which are: autobiography, competency statements, and resource collection.
Specific information regarding how it should be organized and what belongs in the resource collection may be found in the Child Development Associate Assessment System & Competency Standards booklet. If you are a TECTA supported Candidate, you may obtain a copy of this from the TECTA Office.
Parent Questionnaires: The Parent Opinion Questionnaires provide feedback from parents with children in the Candidate's classroom or family child care home. The Application Packet includes these questionnaires with instructions for their distribution and collection.
Observation: After all the other components of Documentation are complete, a CDA Advisor will observe the Candidate in his/her classroom working with children. More information about the observation is available as Candidate's are completing the other documentation.
Application
The final step to earn the CDA is to submit the CDA Direct Assessment Application and the $325 application fee. TECTA provides a scholarship to cover the $325 application fee. Students will need to complete the TECTA CDA Scholarship Application, which can be obtained from .
The Council accepts applications four times each year. The Council application deadlines are March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1. The TECTA CDA Scholarship Application is due to the TECTA office one month prior to the Council application dates.
| TECTA CDA Scholarship Application Date |
CDA Council Direct Assessment Application Date |
CDA Council Verification Visit to Occur |
|---|---|---|
| November 1 | December 1 | January, February or March |
| February 1 | March 1 | April, May or June |
| May 1 | June 1 | July, August or September |
| August 1 | September 1 | October, November or December |
