HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST TRAINING PACKAGE FOR YOUR CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE® (CDA) CREDENTIAL
The Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential is the most widely-recognized credentials in early childhood education and a great stepping stone for your teacher, director or administrator career! Earning your CDA can be a rigorous but rewarding journey.
One of the key elements of the credential program is the requirement for 120 hours of continued education training. That's where SafeGard Classes Online can help! We offer numerous training packages to meet your needs:
Initial CDA
Earning your initial CDA requires completing 120 hours of early childhood education training, with at least 10 hours in each of the 8 CDA subject areas:
CDA Subject Areas
- Planning a safe and healthy learning environment
- Advancing children's physical and intellectual development
- Supporting children's social and emotional development
- Building productive relationships with families
- Managing an effective program operation
- Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
- Observing and recording children's behavior
- Understanding principles of child development and learning
Additionally, the training needs to be specific to your chosen CDA setting (i.e., infant/toddler, preschool or family child care).
While that might seem intimidating, fret not--we've got you covered! Our 120 hour packages contain at least 80 hours of pre-selected classes with a minimum of 10 hours of training in each of these areas. You can select from 3 different packages, each specific to your CDA setting:
120 hrs: Pre-selected 80 hours + You Choose 40 hours - this option provides the required courses in each of the CDA Subject Areas plus 40 hours of classes that you can choose from our wide range of classes.
120 hrs: Pre-selected for CDA Setting Type - this package contains 120 hours of the best selection of classes to meet both the CDA Subject Area requirements as well as being specific to your chosen setting type.
80 hrs: Pre-selected for 8 CDA Subject Areas - if you already have at least 40 hours of training, you can select this package which offers 10 hours of classes in each of the 8 CDA Subject Areas (total of 80 hours), also specific to your CDA setting type.
120 hrs: Pay As You Go - This is a 3 part package that combines to provide the full 120 hours of early childhood eduction required for the initial CDA. By breaking it into 3 parts of 40 hours each, this allows you to pay as you go and learn at your own pace.
What classes are in the Infant/Toddler 120-hour package?
What classes are in the Preschool 120-hour package?
Renewal CDA
You'll need to renew your CDA every 3 years to keep your skills fresh and stay updated on the latest child development theories and practices.
For the CDA renewal, there are several required steps, including completing 45 hours of early childhood education specific to your CDA setting type. We offer 2 training packages for the renewal:
45 hrs: Pre-selected for CDA Setting Type - this packages has 45 hours of classes chosen specifically for each CDA setting type and to supplement the initial CDA curriculum.
45 hrs: You Choose Classes - if you'd like to select your own classes, this will allow you to customize 45 hours of classes specific to your unique needs. You can choose from a wide range of classes in topics from Autism to Working with Humor.
So, depending on your needs, we've got a package that's best for you. Our CDA Training page has more details about each of these packages. Learn more about available scholarships and discounts as well. Get started growing your career today!
