Help: Child Development Associate (CDA) Renewal
What is required to renew a CDA credential?
The CDA credential must be renewed every three years. Professional development is one of the requirements, and can be met with 45 clock hours of training in Early Childhood Education and/or Child Development.
Do Continued Early Childhood Education courses count for CDA renewal?
Yes! There are four CDA credential types as shown below with their descriptions:
Preschool | Training content must be specific to preschool-age children (3-5 years old) in a center-based setting. |
Infant-Toddler | Training content must be specific to infants and toddlers (birth-36 months) in a center-based setting. |
Family Child Care | Training content must be specific to children between the ages of birth to 5 years in a family child care setting. |
Home Visitor* | All coursework must be in family systems, adult learning, home visiting, case management, early education, and/or child development, etc. * Although information in some of our ECE courses may be relevant to home visitors, we do not offer a CDA renewal package specific to home visitors at this time. |
As 4.5 CEUs or 45 clock hours are needed for CDA renewal, our CDA renewal packages are conveniently grouped into a five-part series, which includes Part A through Part E. Each part consists of nine hours of self-study content for a total of 45 clock hours.
Coursework can be completed in any order, and registration for only one part at a time is recommended.
CDA Renewal - Infant and Toddler Part A
CDA Renewal - Infant and Toddler Part B
CDA Renewal - Infant and Toddler Part C
CDA Renewal - Infant and Toddler Part D
CDA Renewal - Infant and Toddler Part E
CDA Renewal - Preschool Part A
CDA Renewal - Preschool Part B
CDA Renewal - Preschool Part C
CDA Renewal - Preschool Part D
CDA Renewal - Preschool Part E
CDA Renewal - Family Child Care Part A
CDA Renewal - Family Child Care Part B
CDA Renewal - Family Child Care Part C
CDA Renewal - Family Child Care Part D
CDA Renewal - Family Child Care Part E
How do I find Continued Early Childhood Education courses that count for my CDA renewal type?
Select your CDA renewal package on the CDA renewal page or use the Topic filter in the Course Library.
If your primary interest is renewing the CDA credential rather than obtaining professional development for your registry requirements, select “All States” from the State Approvals menu in the library and select the relevant CDA renewal type from the Topic menu.
If you are seeking courses that meet both your CDA renewal needs and your state registry needs, select your state using the State Approvals filter and select the relevant CDA renewal type with the Topic filter.
How is training verified?
You will receive a certificate of completion for each of the five parts after passing that part’s exam. The certificate of completion lists all of the required elements for CDA renewal documentation. You will NOT receive a final certificate after completing all 45 hours. Instead, you will use the five certificates from the five-part series to verify your training.
Does Continued Early Childhood Education report course completions to the CDA Council?
The individual CDA credential-holder is responsible for training verification with the council when submitting renewal paperwork. More information is available in the renewal guides from the CDA Council. Training agencies like Continued do not report training to the council.
If you have any additional questions, please contact a member of our customer support team at 866-727-1617 or via the Contact Us page.
For general questions regarding the CDA Credential, please visit the Council for Professional Recognition website.