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CDA Renewal - You are responsible for knowing when your CDA is expiring and completing the steps for renewal.

You will need an account with the CDA council website to complete the process.

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A Child Development Associate Certificate is the simplest way to further your career in early child care and education.  Receiving your CDA will aid you in becoming a qualified lead teacher or a child care administrator.

Why do I need a CDA?

Head Start performance standards and Step Up to Quality requires some type of credential for lead teachers – CDA, associate’s degree, or bachelor’s degree in a connected early education field.

Eligible to begin courses after 90 days of employment but must be started within 180 days.  without a CDA you cannot be considered a qualified lead teacher.

CDA includes 120 hours of course work.  How much time you dedicate will determine your finish time.  If you dedicate 2 hours each week, that would take you approximately one year to complete your CDA.  There is no specific time limit for completing your CDA.

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We are excited to start this journey with you in helping develop your professional development!

The What:

The Child Development Associate credential or CDA is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) in the U.S. The credential is awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition. To earn a CDA, applicants must demonstrate their competency in areas which support healthy growth and development of children both in center-based care, and in home visiting programs.

The Why:

Head Start Program Performance Standards (this rule applies to you because you may be working in a classroom that has Early Head Start children.

1302.91 Staff qualifications and competency requirements

Child and family services staff. (1) Early Head Start center-based teacher qualification requirements. As prescribed in section 645A(h) of the Act, a program must ensure center-based teachers that provide direct services to infants and toddlers in Early Head Start centers have a minimum of a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or comparable credential and have been trained or have equivalent coursework in early childhood development with a focus on infant and toddler development.

Step Up To Quality (All centers in Ohio follow these rules to provide quality centers for children. The higher rating or stars the more money the program will receive)

Assoicates of Arts or higher in an approved related field of education for lead teachers in the room. Also having a CPL 3. What does this mean?

The Career Pathways Level (CPL) model provides a common, point based system for all Ohio early care and education and afterschool professionals to quantify their professional growth and accomplishments to define and assist with professional advancement.

So the more training or professional development you receive the higher you CPL level is

This information can be found in OCCRRA- more information about OCCRRA is available at Home - OCCRRA or ask your administration.

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When and by completing your CDA you will complete training that will raise your CPL level. Gain a higher knowledge about child development and build your career path in early childhood education! 😁😁 This is an exciting accomplishment, and we are thrilled to help you on this journey!

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Step one part a:   Inform your building administrator of your interest in pursuing your CDA.  They may also have this conversation with you around your 90 days (about 3 months) of employment to discuss your professional development plan. Your administrator will inform Megan that they and you are ready to start the process of CDA.

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Step one part b: Megan will ask both administrator and teacher to check out and have a discission about the POWER OHIO Scholarship and T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship.
look for scholarship links in the scholarship tab
This way>>>>>>

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POWER OHIO: Teachers can get paid for successfully completing higher education! Completion of CDA is a $450 check, staying at your workplace for 6 months another $450, 12 months is $600! This is money sent to you for just applying.

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Artboard 1 (d2hfgw7vtnz2tl.cloudfront.net)

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POWER-Ohio-FAQ.pdf (d2hfgw7vtnz2tl.cloudfront.net)

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Applying is simple. Log into the Ohio Professional Registry (OPR) and review your employment and account information in your profile to make sure it is up-to-date. Then click on applications and select the POWER Ohio application. Upload your wage documentation and click submit.
POWER Ohio Overview - OCCRRA
Home - OCCRRA

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POWER Ohio was created by a subcommittee of state agencies and early childhood stakeholders. POWER is an acronym for Powering Optimal Wages and Encouraging Retention. The program purpose is to provide additional funds to professionals and increase these trained professionals' retention in programs. Potential recipients apply through your Ohio Professional Registry Profile.

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T.E.A.C.H: this scholarship pays for the $425 Assessment Fee charged by the CDA Council. A $100 bonus if a CDA Credential is awarded by the Council. Paid release time per week to work on required assignments.

Check with admins to see if they have sub availability to be able to complete scholarship requirements

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T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® OHIO Overview - OCCRRA

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T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® OHIO Overview - OCCRRA

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Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association

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OHIO T (occrra.org)

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EHS education coordinator will ask that you make an account on the Council for Professional Recognition website.

https://yourcouncil.org/cfprssa/f?p=STDSSA:101:6194011947956::::P101_VC,P101_CONTEXT,CUST_CONTEXT,G_SUCCESS_URL:,,,ssaauthmenu.show_top_menu:

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EHS education coordinator will ask for an admins for your CDA Registry Transcript Report. This report will show EHS education coordinator how many hours you will need to complete in training before you can apply to test and be observed. From that report and asking what training would best fit your needs from admins, EHS education coordinator will create your personal plan to complete all the requirements of CDA.

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EHS education coordinator will present to you your individual CDA plan. We will talk about timeframes, due dates, portfolio,

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After Megan and CDA applicant discuss the individual plan.
Applicant, Megan and Admin will sign a CDA agreement. This will just state what Megan will provide for you, how she will have protected time availability to help work on your portfolio. How your Admin will help schedule time to work with Megan on portfolio. Applicant will be accountable, be open to ask for help if struggling.

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Megan will have your individual CDA plan with dates of when trainings need to be completed and portfolio check in dates

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Completing training assignments.
You are going to log in to your TSG account
Dashboard | Teaching Strategies

Along the top of the web page there is a Develop tab click that. On the next page you need to click the GoToQuorum tab on the right side of the page. This will redirect you to the Quorum site. Log in information should be the same as your TSG account

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Quality Assist Portal Login (mlearning.com)

Log into the QUORUM. Log in should be the same as your TSG log in

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Q: My teacher is ready to test what do I do next?
A: You can ask your teacher to provide their customer ID number. It will be a 7-digit number. Next call or email Megan, letting her know the teacher and the customer ID. Megan will then put in a voucher for teachers to redeem for the cost of the test and observer. Megan will confirm with you that a voucher was sent to teacher's email. And may ask that you follow up to assure that they received the email.

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Once teachers received noticed the have received their CDA, please inform Megan as that she tracks teacher qualification for Head Start data.

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The CDA® renewal process gives you the opportunity to reaffirm your competence as an Infant-Toddler Child Development Associate®.
A CDA credential is valid for 3 years from the award date.

Please note: You must renew your CDA credential before it expires. Make sure to prepare in advance and be ready to submit a complete application with supporting documents when your renewal window opens. You may submit your CDA renewal application up to 6 months before your credential expires. You can only renew in the setting of your original credential and all renewal requirements must be met in that setting, even if you no longer work in that setting.

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1. Gather required documentation. Detailed instructions and forms are provided in The CDA Renewal Procedures Guide.

CDA-Renewal-Guide_final_May2022.pdf (cdacouncil.org)

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1. Watch the free YourCouncil renewal tutorials series. These short tutorials walk you through the online application process.

2. Apply for the CDA Renewal. Once you meet all requirements, you are ready to fill out and submit your CDA renewal application. To apply for CDA renewal online, the fee is $125. To apply for CDA renewal by mail, the fee is $150. Remember: You may submit your CDA renewal application as early as six months prior to your CDA credential expiration date.

Let Megan or your Admin know that you are renewing! Megan will put a voucher in for the $125 renewal fee.

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Renewal_Infographic_020119.pdf (cdacouncil.org)

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Upon receipt of the application, full payment and supporting documents, Council staff will review the materials to make a credentialing decision. If the materials are incomplete or do not meet requirements, the Council will notify you, and you will be given the opportunity to resolve the problem within a specified time period.

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It can be easy to lose track of dates! Make sure to write down the date you received your CDA and the date it expires. Remember, all CDAs issued after June 2013 must be renewed every three years. Your admin may also help you with remember this date because they need it for your SUTQ professional development.

Normally, the CDA Council requires that you complete a new national CDA Credential if you did not renew your expired CDA before its expiration date.

You will need to work with you and your admin to create an individual CDA plan to get you back on track. If you let your CDA expire or not give enough notice CCP is not responsible for paying for you to obtain CDA again.

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FAQs - CDA Council

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Chief Operations Officer Andrew Davis serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Council. In this role, Andrew oversees the Programs Division, which includes the following operational functions: credentialing, growth and business development, marketing and communications, public policy and advocacy, research, innovation, and customer relations.

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Way to Go!! you are almost there!

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Let you admin know that you are ready to apply for your CDA. They may ask you for you 7-digit customer ID number. This number can be found in your CDA profile. The first tab on the left-hand side on the top of the page. It will be in bold large print when directed to the next page.
Your admin will let Megan know and give her your ID number. Megan will then apply a voucher for the $425.00 cost for the test and observer.
You will receive an email with the voucher number. Your admin may ask to make sure that you received it. When scheduling you may also note that you have a voucher if you have heard from Megan that one has been purchased for you.

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Login (yourcouncil.org)

Remember you did this long ago and probably haven't needed to login in a while.

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The 8th tab down on the left-hand side you will see a CDA Initial Application. Click and it will take you to create a new CDA application. You will see some instruction and that all parts need to be completed.

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Will need to verify your hours and that you really work where you say you work. So, make sure that you communicate that to them so they can be on the lookout for the email. This is time sensitive. Both of you should be prepared to have protected time so that you won't have to resubmit any information

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The very last tab in your application status will red x what is still needed and will green check✅ what is good.

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Before scheduling your CDA Exam, you must receive a “Ready to Schedule” notice from the Council. Once you have received this notice you are ready to schedule your CDA Exam.

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Before scheduling your CDA Exam, you must receive a “Ready to Schedule” notice from the Council. Once you have received this notice you are ready to schedule your CDA Exam.

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You will now need to schedule your test and to have an observer to visit.

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You will now need to schedule your test and to have an observer to visit.

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Testing site locator: https://home.pearsonvue.com/cdaexam
Observer: you can search for a PD Specialist on the home page of your council dashboard. Under the Find a PDS tab.

Schedule dates that work best for you. Also let you admin know these dates.

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The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is the best first step on the path of career advancement in ECE. For more information about the benefits of the CDA credential and the process of earning the credential, please visit the Council for Professional Recognition's website.

For detailed information about the CDA Exam, please refer to the Competency Standards book.

Schedule Your CDA Exam

CDA Candidates who have applied to the Council for Professional Recognition and have received a Ready to Schedule Notice may schedule the CDA Exam. There are two ways a Candidate can schedule the CDA Exam. Testing times and locations are available on a "first come, first serve" basis.

Schedule online

To schedule the exam online, Candidates must first create a Pearson VUE web account. When creating your account, you will need the Candidate ID number from your Ready to Schedule Notice that you received from the Council.

Schedule by phone

To schedule your CDA Exam by phone, for English call 1-866-507-5627; for Spanish call 800-511-6951. You may schedule the CDA Exam anytime between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST), Monday through Friday. Do not call the Council for Professional Recognition to schedule your CDA Exam.

CDA Exam accommodations

It is the Council's commitment to provide a standardized and fair assessment for all eligible CDA Candidates. Prior to submitting the CDA Application, a CDA Candidate with a documented disability should submit the Special Accommodations Request Form to the Council.
Click here to learn more about accommodations provided by Pearson VUE.
CDA Exam for military personnel

CDA Candidates who are military personnel have access to additional Department of Defense (DoD) test sites. Military personnel who received the Ready to Schedule Notice may choose to take the CDA Exam at one of the DoD sites.
Click here to schedule the CDA Exam at a DoD site.

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Child Development Associate (CDA) :: Pearson VUE

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The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is the best first step on the path of career advancement in ECE.

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The CDA Exam has 65 multiple-choice questions – 60 questions and 5 scenario questions (with a short narrative and photo). The Candidate will have up to one hour and 45 minutes to complete the exam. The only computer-based skill needed to take the Exam is the ability to point and click a mouse. The exam requires no scrolling, typing or even double-clicking. Click here to review a short exam tutorial and see how easy it will be to complete the CDA Exam at a testing center.

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During the CDA Verification Visit, the CDA PD Specialist will:

Review the contents of your Professional Portfolio, training transcripts/certificates, and Family Questionnaires

Observe you working with children

Reflect with you, focusing on your areas of strength or growth found in the Portfolio or seen during the Observation

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Wait until you hear from the council on if you have obtained your CDA! They will mail you a letter.
Let you admin know and.....CELEBRATE!!! 🎉🎉

You did it!
Don't forget you can add any and all trainings to your OCCRRA account.

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Teachers can get credit for the trainings they completed in OCCRRA.
Let Megan know if you need a 01307 ODJFS form

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Nugget (mlearning.com)

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Complete the trainings assigned. Will work with Megan for dates and meeting times to work on portfolio and reflect on what was learned in training topics

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It will be up to your administration to pay for you to renew your CDA.

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Once logged in. You are going to go to the search at the top of the page. Type the training name that Megan provided to you. Seclect and start training.

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If you need to stop the training that's okay, it happens! From your quorum home page, you will see My Professional Development. Your course should be located there, and you can click launch!

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Child language development and signs of delay

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Nourishing healthy eaters in early childhood