For more than a year, institutions of higher education, training organizations, and early childhood teachers and directors in the Philadelphia region have been engaged in conversation and collaboration around the topic of early childhood teacher preparation. This paper, an outgrowth of this collaboration, focuses on a national credential called the Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential. It presents information on how local CDA programs differ and suggests how the CDA relates to current and potential educational opportunities as early childhood teachers pursue higher education degrees.
READ MORE about how CDA programs are delivered, the challenges students face and the promising practices presented by these programs.