Courses
CDA Plus
Our CDA Plus course curriculum is designed to assist candidates in preparing their CDA package, but it has also been
developed to help students be successful in life and their career. In addition to the cored CDA courses we provide training
in life skills, entrepreneurship and career development. We also provide technical support for the course management system,
personal career counseling, and mentoring to our students.
The first step is to assess the past experience and training of the candidate so that we can customize a program for her
or him that will provide them with just the right combination of training and support to help them acquire their
CDA credential.
UNIT 1: Introduction to the Early Childhood Profession
UNIT 2: Ways to Study How Children Develop and Learn
UNIT 3: Ways to set up a Safe, Healthy Environment to Promote Learning
UNIT 4: Positive way to Support Children's Social and Emotional Development
UNIT 5: Steps to Advance Children's Physical and Intellectual Competence
UNIT 6: Keys to Establish Productive Relationships with Families
UNIT 7: Putting it All Together as an Early Childhood Professional
UNIT 8: Preparation for Final Assessment as a Child Development Associate
Professional Resources File
CDA Setting of Your Choice
The CDA by itself is a tool to prepare you to work with children and their parents but our program teaches you in
addition to be successful in your profession while providing tools to assist in other aspects of an individual's
life. This body of knowledge is known as Life Skills. They include personal finances, entrepreneurship, and other
essential self-development skills.
Additional Course Topics
Keyboarding / Typing
Career Success Strategies
Entreprenership
English as a Second Language (ESL)
GED Review
Money Management
Communication Skills
Through surveys recently conducted and our participation in child care conferences and trainings we have discovered
that many of the individuals that start the CDA program, do not complete it. Also, any child care professional with
more than one year of experience should have taken some professional development classes. As a result of our findings,
we have developed a self-assessment tool to help CDA candidates map their progress in the CDA program.
Once the tool is completed and the package sent to us, we will customize an online training program for that
individual to complete their CDA. The tool helps the candidate map their trainings to the 8 CDA core categories, the resource file and
the child care setting of their choice. The assessment is performed at no cost and the components of the training
that are needed will be made available to the candidate at a reduced cost. The price of our complete CDA program is
$650. If as a result of your assessment it is determined that you have completed 60 hours of the required 120 hours,
your cost for our program would be $325. The cost of the program is being broken down into the components that you are
required to complete which include the 8 units, the resource file, and the setting. The cost of each module is $65 and an
additional $50 for all appropriate documentation. The training materials used for the course include the Essential publication
developed by the Council for Professional Recognition (www.cdacouncil.org). You will be given access to the modules that you are required to complete and to all of the supplemental training
materials for one year. You will also be assigned an online instructor/facilitator to help you get through the program. The
facilitator performs many of the duties of a CDA Advisor and Seminar Instructor.
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