Child Development Associate (CDA) Training Program (Online-Home Study Program)

Advance your career. Capitalize on how much you already know.

Earn a recognized professional credential.

What is a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential?
 The CDA credential is recognized nationally as the quality standard for training of professional early childhood caregivers. The CDA training helps caregivers work effectively with infants, toddlers, preschool children, and their families within an early childhood program environment.

Why choose the YVR Online CDA from Educational Institute?
Educational Institute provides a range of programs designed to educate and train early childhood practitioners.

Training takes place both online and through online-guided field experiences with children, creating a learning environment grounded in experience as well as theory. CDA training focuses on eight essential content areas:
 • Planning a safe and healthy learning environment
• Advancing children's physical and intellectual development
 • Supporting children's social and emotional development
 • Establishing positive relationships with families
• Effectively managing a child development program
• Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
 • Observing and recording children's behavior
• Applying principles of child growth and development The institute's online-home study program offers the following additional benefits:
 • The program enables students to work at their own time and pace
 • Instructors work with small groups of students
 • Students can contact their instructor via email at all times
• Students select their own advisers to provide on-site consultations at the student's work site
• Students may select any of the specializations for the national CDA credential: center based infant/toddler, center based preschool, or family child care
• Students compile a professional resource file of useful information, references and resources
• Assistance is provided for application for the national CDA credential

How is a class taught online?
Learning is at the time and pace of the individual student. Students connect with the institute's CDA online website, which features:
 • Profiles and photos of the instructor and "classmates"
• Information and assignments for the CDA course
• Bulletin board activities providing opportunities for classmate interaction
• Individual pretests and posttests with feedback features
• Links to internet sites useful for completion of assignments What resources are available to our students?
• CDA information packet and course study guide
 • The textbook Essentials, and trainee's manual, are utilized for instruction, covering the 13 functional areas of CDA and providing guided assignments
 • Course manual with suggestions from our experts in each of the functional areas, multimedia assignments via still photos, and suggested children's literature

What are the computer requirements to take the course?

Students need regular access to a computer with Windows 95 operating system or higher, or Macintosh 7.1 operating system or higher, disk and CD-ROM drives, a printer, modem or DSL connection, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Will I receive academic credit?
No. Students complete 120 course hours and 12 CEU’s- however upon completion of your 120 course hours, working hours and successfully passed the Council for Professional Recognition credentialing test you will be granted your CDA. At this point you may want to apply for further College education. Many colleges credit the CDA credential and provide nine undergraduate credits in early childhood education. These courses may be accepted at many colleges for credit toward early childhood degree programs.

What educational requirements do I need before applying to the program?
• Applicants must be at least 18 years of age • Hold a high school diploma or GED • Work or volunteer regularly in an early childhood program Program completion requires 480 hours of experience working with young children in a child care setting.

When does the program meet?
 
The program consists of four levels that may be completed in three months or at your own pace. Our courses start in January, March, June, and September. Students may enter the program at the start of any session. Information regarding specific dates of upcoming classes is available by request.

Is there financial aid available?
Students may be eligible for scholarships through state programs such as TEACH-Teacher Education and Compensation Helps, or may request tuition assistance from their employer. Contact Child Care services in your state for more information regarding TEACH, or for TEACH nationwide, call (919) 967-3272. Some unemployment programs offer assistance. Check with your State Unemployment Department. 

YVR online CDA training program:

• Course Descriptions Through CDA Online courses, students can prepare to become a Child Development Associate (CDA). offers four online courses covering the six CDA Goals and 13 Functional Areas. Students learn about the developmental needs of children from birth to age five, and learn effective ways of providing for their early care and education. Upon completion of the four courses, students will have the 120 clock hours of formal education, the required Professional Resource File, and the information needed to apply for the national CDA credential in one of the CDA specializations: center-based infant-toddler, preschool, or family child care.

CDA Online I –CDA-SHL 30 HRS. This course covers the functional areas Safe, Health, and Learning Environments. The It prepares you to maintain a safe and healthy environment, and to establish age-appropriate learning environments for children from birth to age five. Some after school programs and school age children program strategies are also discussed.

CDA Online II –CDA-PCC 30 HRS. This course covers the functional areas Physical, Cognitive, and Creative. It enhances your ability to support physical and intellectual development and creative expression of children from birth to age five.

CDA Online III – CDA-SSGF 30 HRS. This course covers the functional areas Self, Social, Guidance, and Families, It enhances your ability to support the development of positive self-concept, guide the socialization, provide positive guidance to children from birth to five, and to work effectively with families.

CDA Online IV – CDA-PMCP 30 HRS. This course provides you with the opportunity to understand your commitment to Program Management, Communication and Professionalism. Encourage the development of communication skills with children, parents and as a professional. This course offers you with hands on activities to engage in ongoing professional development. It provides you with options to enhance your management skills and identify yourself as an early childhood leader.
 
• Cost of the Program Tuition: $100 per level + $75 Student Services Fee + $25 registration fee - $400 ; total of $400 for CDA 4-course online-home study series. Registration Students register and pay for full course at a time.

No Payment plan available for online-home study course. Cost for each course: $400 Online students: A Student Transaction Form will be sent after your Admissions application is processed; complete the form and mail it in with your payment. Additional expenses: Textbook: $50.00- $325 National CDA Credentialing (Call 1-800-424-4310) 

Instructional Team

The instructional team is comprised of a course instructor, and On-site Mentor/Advisor (chosen by you) and a academic counselor.
 
• Course Instructor - Your course instructor oversees your progress and that of your 10-15 webmates that constitute a web-class. You and your instructor will maintain contact through e-mail, fax, and/or regular mail.

• On-site Mentor/Advisor - You will need to select an on-site mentor/advisor, in accordance with the guidelines described in the CDA competency standards booklet. The mentor/advisor assumes the responsibility of making at least four site visits to your work setting, providing feedback, and for completing the CDA Observation Instrument required for national credentialing.
 
• Academic Counselor - Your counselor is a member of the team who responds to queries from students and Mentor/Advisors.

Time Frame On-line courses are asynchronous. That means you can participate at your convenience., however, you can complete assignments within our suggested time frame.

The course calendar gives the suggested specific dates by which assignments need to be completed. Format of CDA Online Courses Each course includes 3 or 4 of the CDA functional areas.

Within each functional area the candidate is responsible for completing a series of activities, which include:

• Readings from the textbook and the Trainee's Manual, and articles that can be accessed through the web.
 • Writing a personal goal statement based on a pretest downloaded from the home page, and a self-assessment included in the CDA Trainee's Manual. • Completing several activities demonstrating competence in the functional areas.
• Completing a field observation.
 • Completing an assignment provided with the study materials.
 • Posting a Bulletin Board assignment on the web to be shared with fellow students.
• Building the Professional Resource File described by the national CDA Council. • Communicating with his or her instructor through email, fax and/or regular mail, and/or online chat conferences

• Frequently Asked Questions (faq's)

• Do I have to complete the national CDA credentialing assessment? Yes. The YVR online CDA course series provides you with 120 hours of training and the preparation needed for the national CDA credential. CDA toll free 1-800-424-4310.

• How does the CDA Online course differ from an on-site course? The content of the CDA online program is identical with the content of the on-site course. The difference between the two programs is the delivery system.
 
• How often can I contact my instructor? There is no limit to the number of emails you can send to your instructor.
 
• How much time should I plan to devote to each course? Each course is divided into three or four functional areas. Plan to spend approximately 12-15 hours completing each of the several functional areas during the nine-week course period.

• What interaction can I expect to have with my web-mates? You will remain in contact with the other members of your web-class through the Discussion Board assignments, email, and the Online Conferences. Student email addresses will be listed in the class roster on the home page for your web-class.
 • What institutions will accept my CDA for credit? It will depend on the College policies, however, most community colleges and undergraduate colleges offering degrees or majors in early childhood education will honor your CDA credential. They may have to be used as elective credits in a degree program.

How do I recruit a mentor/advisor? Identify a professional in your local area with whom you have a good relationship and who meets the criteria for an advisor described the appendix of the CDA Competency Standards booklet. The person could be your program supervisor, a trainer, Head teacher, or Lead instructor.

National CDA

Before beginning the our course you must purchase the CDA Assessment System and Competency Standards booklet from the Council for Professional Recognition, 1-800-424-4310, www.cdacouncil.org.
To be awarded the national CDA credential you must complete all the steps required by the national program, and pay the credentialing fee to the Council for Professional Recognition.
The Council for Professional Recognition, a national credentialing program for early childhood practitioners, administers the Child Development Associate.
The goal of the CDA program is to enhance the quality of child care by defining quality standards and credentialing CDA candidates who have demonstrated their ability to meet and/or exceed these standards.
The CDA Competency Standards define the knowledge and skills needed to function as caregivers in different child care settings, including infant-toddler and preschool center-based settings, and family child care programs.

The CDA Competency Standards are the core of the CDA program. These standards consist of six goals covering 13 Functional Areas. The Competency Goals form the framework of the program, while the Functional Areas describe tasks and skills necessary for caregivers to meet the needs of young children.