The Child Care Business Podcast
The Child Care Business Podcast
Season 4, Episode 11: Understanding the CDA and How to Complete It, with Sammantha Boyle
The Child Development Associate CDA credential, better known as the CDA, is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education. It is an important part of career advancement in the field, but many talented teachers do not have the certification.
In this podcast, Sammantha Boyle, a curriculum manager at Procare Solutions, breaks down step-by-step what the CDA is and how to earn it.
She also describes how child care center directors and owners can support their staff as they work toward this goal and how the CDA Pathway from Bertelsen Education, a Procare Solutions company, can help!
Learn more about the CDA Pathway here!
Welcome to the Childcare Business Podcast, brought to you by ProCare Solutions. This podcast is all about giving childcare , preschool, daycare, after school , and other early education professionals. A fun and upbeat way to learn about strategies and inspiration you can use to thrive. You'll hear from a variety of childcare thought leaders, including educators, owners, and industry experts on ways to innovate, to meet the needs of the children you serve. From practical tips for managing operations to uplifting stories of transformation and triumph, this podcast will be chock full of insights you can use to fully realize the potential of your childcare business. Let's jump in.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone, and welcome to the Childcare Business Podcast. My name is Leah Woodbury. I'm the head of content here at ProCare Solutions, and we are so happy to have you all join us today. Um, today we are thrilled to have Samantha Boyle with us. She is a curriculum manager here at ProCare Solutions. Um, she's an expert on many things, has a lot of experience in ECE , um, but today she's gonna specifically talk to us about the child development associate credential. So welcome, Samantha.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we usually like to start these podcasts, getting a little bit of background on our guests . Um, you've been part of the ECE world in many forms, including, I think it's an assistant director of a childcare center in Florida. So tell us what led you down the ECE path.
Speaker 3:Sure. Yeah. Um, so my ECE experience really started with my mom. She was a director and started a program. Oh, geez . She was working in preschools when I was four or five, so for a really long time. And actually as, as a young child, I swore I would never work with little kids. I had a mom who worked in ECE and I have a sister who is almost eight years younger than me. And so I was like, Nope , not doing the little kid thing. I've had enough. Um, so, you know, kind of went through like the normal thing. I went to college. I studied anthropology. I , uh, worked on film sets, have a background in film and video, and , uh, ended up moving back home. Uh, right before I was about to have my son. And when I had him, I was really looking for something I could do where I could bring him with me , uh, you know, didn't wanna leave him at home, still wanted to work, but, you know, things are , have to be a little flexible when you have a , a small human with you all the time. So I had an opportunity to come in on a really part-time basis at a , a childcare center in Florida, and I could bring my son with me, and I went, I was there for about three, four months and I just absolutely fell in love with it and ended up going from my like two day a week position, very part-time to , uh, assistant director of the program. I loved it. I taught , um, all different age groups. I think my personal love is with the preschoolers that like three to 5-year-old age range is really where I find my happiness. But , um, I love doing it. And when I was an assistant director, the part that I think I connected with the most was working with our staff, doing career development, talking about, you know, how can we really get to where we wanna be and how can we fill our childcare centers with people who want to be there, who love to be there? I mean, how can we really pour into them , um, and make sure that they're happy doing what they're doing?
Speaker 2:Wow. So were you, were you surprised that you liked it as much as you did? Did you think it was gonna be maybe a temporary thing and then you got there and it just kind of shocked you how happy you were?
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely. Yeah. So when we moved back , um, my husband and I had a, a cinematography business. We had closed it down to move back home. And actually I had ended up going and working as a manager at Starbucks, and I loved working at Starbucks. It was super fast paced . It , there was like a little bit of competitive edge there. Um, and so except for the fact that I had to wake up at three 30 in the morning, I loved that job, <laugh> . But when I, when I was pregnant with my son, coffee became a trigger for morning sickness. And so I had to leave because I could not walk in the building without getting sick. So that was kind of when like everything started to change and I had to really figure out what we were gonna be doing. Um, so totally, absolutely thought it was gonna be, you know, temporary. This is just until I can go back to Starbucks. Um, but I never ended up going back. I just, I think having, learning about how tiny humans , brains develop while you have your own at home and you get to watch it all happen, it was just something that, like, for me, it clicked. My brain loves it, my heart loves it. And then, you know, I tell people my, my son was like my, you know, I was learning while he was growing. And my daughter, I joke that she was just my experiment at home, that I had her and everything that she was doing, I was like, oh, okay, I'm gonna, you know, write this down, make a, make a note about this because this is developmentally appropriate or this isn't. And so I was a little bit more informed , uh, for better or worse
Speaker 2:<laugh>. It kind of sounds like it does tie in with anthropology though. Like, like you could use that as your base for a lot of the things that you were learning. So that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3:Definitely that human development piece. Yeah. All ties together.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. So let's shift to today , um, Samantha's here to specifically talk about the CDA. And this is a big thing in ECE right now , um, getting credentialed, getting that training. Um, childcare centers are searching so hard for employees who have this families want this. Um, can you give us an overview of what the CDA is?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. Um, so the CDA is the child development associate credential. It is the most recognized credential in ECE or early childhood. Um, and I believe the, the phrase that they use is, it's the next best step or the first best step when you go into working in ECE. Um, it's really a collection of on the job , really practical experience, connecting it with a more formal education side of the training. And so it's bringing those two worlds together, which really yields just these incredibly fantastic results. You know, you can learn all day about theory, but if you don't know what applying that theory is, like, there's still a bit of a disconnect and the other way around too. So when we take both those sides and put them together, which is what the CDA does, we really make sure that the teachers who have this credential leave with some really practical knowledge of how to apply that theory in their classrooms.
Speaker 2:Okay. And before we, we get into the nitty gritty, the step-by-step, what it is , um, let's dig in about why this certification stands out among all the other certifications out there , um, both for centers and for the employee who's earning it. So can we, can we start with how the employee benefits from this, this training?
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure. So I kind of already talked about how we're taking like the theory and the practical side and putting them together. Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> . Um , so really you're getting like two sides of an education at one time. Um, but beyond that even, it's something that is gonna help you advance your career. Like I said, it's super well recognized. It's actually internationally recognized now. So, oh , um, when you go to apply for a position, most people in early childhood are gonna know the CDA, recognize it and understand how much work went into getting that certificate. So advancing careers, you know, some , uh, centers, some childcare centers, some accreditations require CDAs from their lead teachers, especially in hire . Um , so things like Head Start , you're gonna be able to meet those job requirements if you're applying at a center , uh, where that's required. It also is just a way to really say like, Hey, I am here for early childhood. This is what I wanna do. This is my career, this is where I wanna be. Um, like I said, it's not, and it's not a short process. There's definitely work that goes into it. So, you know, it's not something that somebody who isn't serious about working in this field is gonna do and then just kind of piece out. Um , gotcha . And then you said like parents , right? Parents know and recognize the CDA as well, and it gives them a bit of a peace of mind when they go into a classroom knowing that they're, the teacher who is with their students has this really practical knowledge and understanding of what development and observation and all of those things that the CDA covers, well , that's happening in their classroom, right? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And I think from a personal standpoint, it's just a great way to increase your confidence overall. Like, you know, when you're talking about going into ECE, someone like me who I had no background in childhood in any or teaching or anything like that, to be able to come in and feel like I could say like, Hey, I've done this work. I've really put that time in, I've learned things and now I have something to show for it. I think it's just a really good way to feel like you have, you know, some really good grounding underneath you.
Speaker 2:And that has, like, that has to set your resume apart from other applicants, right? I mean Mm-Hmm . <affirmative> the percentage of people who have it, that's surely gonna move 'em to the top, top of the pile, I would think.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. You know, when I was doing hires the CDA speaks volumes, so, you know, they may have a, a certification that is maybe a little less recognizable. And not to say that that is not a wonderful and amazing thing Mm-Hmm , <affirmative> , but I think with how widely recognized the CDA is, it definitely , uh, is a, what's the word I'm looking for? It's definitely something to be seen on a resume. It's, it's noticeable when that comes across your desk.
Speaker 2:And you talked about that , you know, that families are gonna love knowing their children, they're getting a teacher with this level of training. How, how else can a center benefit from having their teachers be CDA credentialed?
Speaker 3:Sure. So on a , on a really high level, you're talking about having , uh, just teachers in your center who are really equipped for so many different types of situations. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> , you know, the CDA covers so much, they're learning so much , um, that you really are , can be confident that you have teachers who are able to handle, you know, if there's a behavioral challenge in their classroom, that they're gonna know what to do with that if they have an emergency happen in their classroom, which I've been there, right? Like yeah . That they can handle, that they know what to do. Um, all of those things are covered under the CDA. So I think there's a certain piece of mind from like a director standpoint as a whole, knowing that you have that level of credentialed teacher in your classroom on a more like , oh, sorry, go ahead. Oh,
Speaker 2:No. And, and using that in marketing too, I would think, right?
Speaker 3:Oh, for sure.
Speaker 2:Okay. I'm sorry, did I cut you off? Did you wanna finish your thought before I just start jumping in there, <laugh> ?
Speaker 3:No, you're good. I was gonna say on a , on a , on a more minute level, uhhuh , some states require a certain amount of credentials per students . And so this is also something that for most states is gonna cover that requirement. For example, I worked in Florida for many years. We had to have so many staff credentials per students, and so CDAs were our way of making sure that we were hitting those numbers for our staff credentials. Um , it's just one of the ways, but it is another way that, you know, the whole center benefits from having , uh, teachers who have CDAs.
Speaker 2:Okay. So let's move on to getting a CDA. It sounds like there's a few steps. Can you, can you walk us through each one?
Speaker 3:Sure. So the CDA has four main parts and then an application. Um, so the application is generally pretty easy. You can do it online, which we love. Um, so that's when people normally see that fee that comes with the CDA, that's when that would, you know, they would pay that. Um, and then other than that, the application's quite easy. So that's kind of an easy check mark on the list of things that you've gotta do. The next part would be your training. Um, so this is training and experience. You have to have both. So there's a requirement for number of hours you've spent working with children in a particular age group. Um , I believe that's 480 hours within the last three years. Um, and then the training piece is 120 hours of training taken within the last five years. So there's a little bit of, you know , wiggle room if you're not able to sit down and do the whole thing at once. But it is really beneficial to find somewhere where you can get a program for the CDA that's laid out specifically for it. So many places with professional development like us have a pa a bundle, a package that you can purchase that is strictly for the CDA and make sure that you cover all of those requirements.
Speaker 2:So how long does it , um, one , let me jump in quick there. How long does it take most people to get the CDA? I mean, I know everybody's different and it takes people, people's lives get in the way, <laugh>, but is there a typical time period it takes to get it done?
Speaker 3:I would say that most , uh, most do it in about a year. Okay. When you purchase those bundles, typically you have access for a year. So the training piece, most people finish within a year, and I always say it's really, really beneficial to do the other two parts that you can while you're doing the training. Okay. Um , so those are kind of the next two parts that we'll talk about, which are the portfolio. And the portfolio is a physical or digital collection of artifacts that you've collected while you're doing your training and competency statements that you write. And which ties into the third part, which is your verification visit , um, which includes an observation. So a PD specialist from the Council for Professional Recognition there, who gives the CDA credential out. Uh, they would send a PD specialist, they'd come and observe you in the, the classroom , um, and they work with you. You have a little meeting with them, they look at your portfolio and you talk about, you know, how overall your classroom's looking and what does that look like and what are maybe some changes you can make. And what , even if there are changes in that that you talk about with them, that doesn't necessarily mean you're not going to get your CDA. It's just an opportunity to hear a different point of view from someone, which is always a really valuable thing, I think. Um, and a lot of PD specialists were early educators, so it's really like a sharing of knowledge between experts, right? You've, you are an expert in your classroom, but sometimes it's great to have a another set of eyes come in and say, Hey, I loved how you did this. Here's another idea of how you could do that. Or Here's how we could like, you know, make that transition a little bit easier. You know, those , sometimes those small things make all the difference.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah. Those little tips of something you've never even thought to consider. Yeah,
Speaker 3:Right. Exactly. So then the last part of the CDA is your exam, which is a physical exam. Okay . Um, so you go, you book a time, you take your exam, and after that, all of that information that has now been collected goes back to the Council for Professional Recognition. Okay . And they make a decision on, on your CDA certificate, so it would come directly from them.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay. And what are the biggest hurdles for a childcare center employee who is working toward this certification?
Speaker 3:Sure. Yeah. I would say there's probably two. Okay . Um , and they're, I mean, they're probably the ones you'd guess, right? Time and money <laugh>. Yes. So yes , the CDA, the cost for the CDA typically is in two parts. The first cost is gonna be the training costs . So you're paying for that bundle or those courses, however you're managing to collect those certified education units or CEUs for that training. Um, and then you also have to pay the application fee to the council for professional recognition. And that covers things like your exam that covers the professional development specialist who's coming out and doing the observation, all those things. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So the money piece is kind of the first hurdle. And there are some ways around this . Many states have scholarships you can use. Sometimes the centers will cover it for the teachers. Again, if it's like they need that for a licensing, you know, need, they will help pay for that cost. Um, and the second one is time. Like I said, that 120 hours of training is a lot of training to do, especially if you only have a year to do it. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> . Uh, so finding the times where we can support staff who are working towards their CDA and helping them find, you know, how can we be able to fill a spot in your classroom for 25 minutes or 30 minutes so that you can come in and work towards a course here and there. Those little bits of time, time, those little chunks go a long way towards helping with that. But, you know, the, the ability to pay the cost and then also find the time to take those courses, those are probably the two biggest hurdles we see.
Speaker 2:Do you think that people look at those things right away and they just say, oh, it's, it's too much. I can't do it. People who would, who would do great at it and could do it, but it's just kind of a daunting prospect. Do you , do you hear that very often?
Speaker 3:Oh, for sure. Yeah. Okay . I mean , uh, one of the big things that I hear when we're talking about the CDAs, I just don't have the time. Uh, I think there's that, it's so hard already to find time outside your classroom, and so many educators are going from working with students all day, 40 hours a week to home where they're still responsible for, you know, their families and they have things they have to do and they get home. And so finding ways to help those educators find extra time in their day or meet them where they're at and give them opportunities to fulfill those needs while maybe they can't sit down and be in front of a computer , uh, is also something that I think, you know, professional development companies and organizations can do more of to help fill that gap a little bit.
Speaker 2:And this, this touches on the next thing. You, you talked about, you know, carving out some time , um, that directors and center owners can do that to support their employees as they work through the process. Is there anything else as far as a support system or anything else that can be done to help them push through this and, and achieve that goal?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so when we were, when , when we, when I <laugh> was working in a center Yeah . Um, it was so helpful to have people who had been there and done the CDA before to kind of help mentor you through the process. Okay . One of the things that we've found is that there's not a ton of support in the process of actually going through the CDA. And so if there are people who can, you know, lend a little bit of wisdom or even just like encouragement through the process, if you have staff going through this, celebrate them as they hit those milestones. Don't wait till the very end, you know, the , the end is great, it's fun. You get a certificate, you can say, I can add this to my resume. All those things. But mm-Hmm . <affirmative> it is a long process. You know, most states require anywhere from, you know, 10 to 30 hours a year, and then all of a sudden you're being asked to do 120 hours in a year, and it's a lot. So , mm-Hmm. <affirmative> encouragement goes a long way. Tell them they're doing a good job, cheer them on as they go, help them, you know, help them through those struggles or those times where they're like, oh , this is too much. I don't think I can do it. You know, just having people in your corner goes such a long way during a hard and long process.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes. No doubt. So this brings us to the CDA pathway, which you mentioned before. Um, how does this work?
Speaker 3:Sure. So one of the things that we have strived to do at ProCare is with the ProCare professional development, we will have a CDA pathway laid out. We talked about those bundles. So this is our version of the , that Uhhuh <affirmative> . So when you come to do your CDA with us, instead of having one really long CDA course, we have actually taken that and we've broken it down into 10 pathway courses. And this is kind of the bread and butter of the CDA course for us. We, we talked about how there's not a lot of support in some places we find a lot of people who are doing this on their own or they're trying to get a job in ECE, and this is like, they are trying to take this big first step to meet those requirements. And so they don't have people right there to kind of go, Ooh , this is what I did when I did mine, or I can help you, or Here's where you go next. So we built that into our pathway. So when you begin your CDA with us, you have an introduction course. That introduction course walks you through what the CDA is, how it benefits you, and then what to expect from the whole process. It also sets you up by telling you things like what materials do you need to collect right now? Um, and so each of our Pathway courses, we have our intro course at the end, we have a capstone course that gives you all your next steps, where to go, how to get there because you transition from your training then to doing things on the CDA council website. Okay . And so we kind of coach and walk them through that process in that course. And the eight courses in the middle are courses on each subject area that's required of your training. So each one covers that subject area, but also gives them information on what they need to collect for their portfolio. So they can do that during those classes. They , uh, we talk about the competency statement, so they know what's coming in terms of what to write for, that they can kind of be thinking about it as they're taking those courses. And then it gives them some practical advice and things like how to find where this is in your required material book. Uh, here's things to look for or stand out with, and then gives them exactly what courses they need to take to fulfill the requirement for that subject area. So we're really handholding and walking you through it so that at every step of the way you feel like you know exactly what's coming next and you're confident in getting it done and moving on to the next piece.
Speaker 2:Okay. Great. Well, that was everything that I had. Is there anything I didn't ask that I should have or that you think people should know about the CDA in general or the pathway specifically?
Speaker 3:I mean, I am really passionate about this Uhhuh , the CDA Pathway project was kind of my, my baby. I tell people it's my third child <laugh> . Um, I did my CDA and it was really a turning point for me gaining all of this knowledge and understanding so much more about early childhood. Um, but I felt really kind of disjointed and a little confused about the process as I was going through it. Um , because of that, I ended up having to do some stuff twice and the process. And so when I set out to make this pathway that was really a personal piece of it for me was that we really wanted everyone who takes it to feel supported throughout the process, even if they don't have a physical person to do that, that they know they can reach out to us anytime they have access to both my email and the emails of our instructors. So if they have questions about the course, we're there for them. Um, and we give them resources outside of just us to like, to the CDA council and things like that. So really for me, I think just saying like, this is, I , this is my great love. I love the CDA, I think that it's so, such a wonderful stepping stone for early educators, and it's something that I really hope we at, you know, ProCare professional development have helped to make more accessible for teachers and early educators everywhere. You know, one of the things that I'm really, really proud of that we've done is that we have courses that count towards our CDA that are in podcast form. They can earn their CEOs by listening to a podcast and going to take a short quiz. And for me that, again, really personal, my mom used to drive an hour each way to her center, and she always used to say she wished that she could have some of her professional development she could do while she was driving, but we also should not be on our phones, <laugh> <laugh> taking professional development courses in the car. Um, and so we set out to, you know, again, really meet the educators where they're at. So if you have, you know, baseball practice and you're with your kids at baseball practice, but you have to be there, but you don't necessarily have to participate, you can be listening to that podcaster if you're driving in your car, things like that. Um, it's not gonna get you through the whole process, but it'll get you a good amount of the way there. And , um, you know, those things I think we're really working hard to do. And my message to everybody listening is just, if you have things that you want, things you're looking for, please let us know, because we rely on the early educators out there, the, the boots on the ground, so to speak. Tell us what they're looking for, what's happening in ECE, what do you wanna see next so that we can, we can again meet you where you are and, and give you guys what you are looking for.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much, Samantha, for all this, this is really good information. Um, could you share where , um, listeners can find out more about ProCare Professional Development website? Any, any info you have?
Speaker 3:Absolutely. So right now, they can go to burleson education.com and that's gonna be where our professional development is hosted as of today. Um , okay . In the future, we'll have a redirect there. They'll be able to access it through the ProCare website. Um, so coming soon still in the process, but we're getting there.
Speaker 2:All right . Well, thanks again for your time and thank you to all of our listeners. Um, thank you for the vital work that you do every day . For those of you who are in ECE, especially coming from a working mom, we couldn't do it without you. Um, please stay tuned for our next podcast , um, that will be in December. Um, and we'll see you next time. Thanks. Bye.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Childcare Business Podcast. To get more insights on ways to succeed in your childcare business, make sure to hit subscribe in your podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you want even more childcare , business tips, tricks, and strategies, head over to our resource center@procaresoftware.com. Until next time.