CDA Policies

CDA COURSE POLICIES AND INFORMATION

Updated 1/24/2025

The following policies and information apply to Child Development Associate (CDA) coursework. Students who have successfully enrolled in a course are referred to as “Candidates” because they are in the process of obtaining their CDA credential but have not obtained it yet. Candidates who complete this course will have the knowledge they need for the CDA Assessment, as well as 120 clock hours completed. Successful candidates of the course will then proceed to do their CDA Assessment and Observation before receiving their CDA Credential. The Assessment and Observation are separate from the course, but instructors will give guidance about how they work during the course.

GENERAL ENROLLMENT AND COURSE POLICIES AND INFO:

Courses may be in one of three “modalities” which refers to the location the sessions will take place at:

In-Person: The course is instructed at a physical location. The location will be listed on the specific course page. Candidates are expected to attend class in person at that location.
Online: The course is instructed via online sessions, generally on Zoom. The location will be listed as “online” on the course page. Candidates are expected to download Zoom and have basic familiarity with Zoom before the course begins. Instructors will be flexible if a candidate is still learning how to use Zoom. Candidates are expected to log into the Zoom meeting at the scheduled times.
Hybrid: The course may be instructed with a mix of in-person and online sessions. The details will be on the course page. Candidates are expected to attend sessions as outlined by the instructor.

Courses may be in one of two “paces” which refers to the length of the course and what the candidate’s expectation for the workload should be:

Standard: Standard courses will be instructed over a period of about 30 weeks. They will generally meet in sessions once per week. The workload of a course will be distributed normally over the duration of the course.
Accelerated: Accelerated courses will be instructed over a period less than 30 weeks. They may meet more than once per week. Candidates should expect a heavier workload required to complete the course in a shorter period of time. Candidates should not commit to an accelerated course if they do not think they can commit to a higher workload.

Enrollment in certain courses may be specific to your geographic location. This means that candidates may be required to work or live in a particular location (such as a certain county or within a certain ZIP code) in order to be eligible for that particular course. If this applies, it will be listed on the course’s page online. These requirements may be because of requirements CCPN has to follow in order to provide funded coursework.

PRE-ENROLLMENT POLICIES AND INFO:

PDO-Funded Courses Eligibility Requirements

The following applies to courses funded by the ECE PDO at PHMC (PDO). To be eligible for PDO funding, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Residency: You must be a Pennsylvania resident.
Employment: You must be a current employee at a certified childcare program for a minimum of 3 months. If you are newly hired, you must demonstrate a 6-month employment history in childcare.
Work Hours: You must work a minimum of 25 hours per week directly in a certified child care program.
Salary Limits: Your salary can not exceed $21.63 per hour if you are a child care teacher, assistant teacher, or aide and can not exceed $25.00 per hour if you are a childcare director.
Educational Goals: You are interested in pursuing coursework at a participating college leading to an Associate (AA) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential.
Academic Performance: Maintain a GPA and course grades that meet transfer requirements. A personalized plan will be developed for participants who do not meet these requirements.

Eligibility requirements are available at: https://ecepdo.phmc.org/programs

Course Fees

Fees for courses are listed on the course page and are due at the time the student is enrolling for the course. There may be a fee for taking a course. Different courses may have different fees, or may not have one at all. The fee includes the books you will receive and administration for the course. The fee does NOT include the CDA Assessment fee of $425 (it can be covered by a grant. Read the "CDA Assessment & Fees" section below) or any additional fees the student chooses to incur while taking the course. Any fees for the course are non-refundable except in the case that the course is cancelled.

If there is a “refundable deposit” instead of, or in addition to, a fee: the terms of the deposit are not the same as the fee. They are outlined below.

Course Refundable Deposit

If enrollment for a course includes a “refundable deposit”, then the deposit would be due at the time of enrolling for the course. The purpose of the deposit is to hold your spot and encourage students to make a serious effort to complete the course. Your spot in the course is not guaranteed without this deposit. The deposit will be refunded back to you after you have done all of the following three things:

Successfully completed the CDA course and all assignments, projects, and portfolio your course requires.
Successfully obtained your CDA credential and uploaded your credential to your PD Registry profile.
Shared a screenshot with CCPN as proof you have obtained your credential within 6 months after the date of your final class.

After you have done the above three things, you will be refunded the $100 deposit.

You will not be refunded the $100 for any other reason, including but not limited to if:

You do not begin the course after you have already given your deposit, even if the course has not started yet.
You drop out of the course before it is over for any reason.
Your instructor withdraws you from the course due to missing three classes, low grade, late assignments, disrupting class, not responding to instructor's emails, etc.
You obtain your CDA credential more than 6 months after the date of your final class or do not obtain it at all.
You borrow any materials from CCPN, such as a laptop, but do not return them by the specified time.

CDA Obtainment Bonus

CCPN can offer a "CDA obtainment bonus" to reward students for successfully obtaining their CDA credential. The bonus will be awarded to you after you have done all of the following three things:

Successfully completed the CDA course and all assignments, projects, and portfolio your course requires.
Successfully obtained your CDA credential and uploaded your credential to your PD Registry profile.
Shared a screenshot with CCPN as proof you have obtained your credential within 6 months after the date of your final class.

After you have done the above three things, you will be awarded the $100 bonus.

You will not be awarded the $100 bonus for any other reason, including but not limited to if:

You do not begin the course after you have already enrolled, even if the course has not started yet.
You drop out of the course before it is over for any reason.
Your instructor withdraws you from the course due to missing three classes, low grade, late assignments, disrupting class, not responding to instructor's emails, etc.
You obtain your CDA credential more than 6 months after the date of your final class or do not obtain it at all.
You borrow any materials from CCPN, such as a laptop, but do not return them by the specified time.

DURING THE COURSE POLICIES AND INFO:

Attendance

Candidates are expected to attend all classes on time and remain for the full duration of the class. Candidates may be considered "absent" if they are not on time or do not attend a class at all. Candidates absent for more than 3 classes will be dropped from the course and will not receive credit and will not receive a refund of the fees. What is considered acceptable attendance for self-paced courses is at the discretion of the instructor. Instructors may be flexible if a candidate notifies the instructor of an expected absence in advance.

Participation

Candidates are expected to participate in class discussions, answer instructor’s questions, and respond to instructor emails/phone calls in a timely manner. Instructors may have specific requirements for participation for their course. It is at the instructor’s discretion to decide if a candidate is adequately participating in the course or not.

Instructor Assistance

As the course progresses, your instructor will guide you through the portfolio process, voucher application process, and will communicate updates from the CDA council on testing and verification visits (observations).

AFTER THE COURSE POLICIES AND INFO:

Course Credit

All candidates who successfully complete the course and return all borrowed CCPN materials will receive 120 clock hours of professional education covering the eight CDA Subject Areas on the PA PD Registry. Candidates who do not supply a valid PA Keys Registry ID # at the time of enrollment may not receive credit for the course. Candidates will be able to log in to their PD Registry account and view their hours once the course is complete. Any pending payments, assignments, missing information, laptops that need to be returned, etc. from the candidate may delay the candidate from receiving their hours.

CDA Assessment & Fees

In order to complete the CDA assessment after the course, please note the following (these requirements are set by the CDA Council, not CCPN):

You must have a high school diploma or be a high school junior or senior in an early education/child development Career and Technical Program
Any time before you apply for the CDA assessment: Complete 120 clock hours of professional education covering the eight CDA Subject Areas (This requirement is satisfied upon completion of the course.)
Within 3 years before you apply for the CDA assessment: Obtain 480 hours of experience working with young children.
Within 6 months before you apply for the CDA assessment: Prepare a CDA Professional Portfolio according to the requirements outlined in the CDA Competency Standards book. (This requirement is satisfied by completing the binder during the course.)
Upon successful completion of the course the CDA Council charges a $425.00 assessment fee. (This is separate from the fees to take the CDA Course. This fee is charged by the CDA Council, not CCPN.) It can be covered with a voucher (grant) for candidates employed at STAR 1 or higher programs. Your instructor will guide you through the voucher process toward the end of the course.

Relevant Clearances & Additional Trainings

There may be additional requirements for working in the ECE field after your time in the CDA course. These requirements change as federal, state, and local regulations change and compliance with them are all separate from the CDA course. All candidates must be able to successfully obtain criminal record, child abuse, FBI clearances, complete mandated reporter child abuse training, and pediatric first aid and CPR. CDA instructors will give guidance, but it is ultimately the candidate’s responsibility to know what these requirements are and if they are able to meet these requirements in order to work in the ECE field.

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