Questions about CDA

[MommyMuffin]

I was thinking about getting my CDA. I plan on doing family child care for about5 - 8 years and I was wondering what I can use the education for after I am done working at home.

Why are you or have you obtained your CDA? Has is helped your business? What else does a CDA prepare or allow you to do besides work in a child care center?

I was thinking perhaps it would help me be marketable for working in a church setting or has anyone heard of a child life assistant?

[nannyde]

The first thing I would find out if I were you is if there is a market for child care with a CDA. You may want to spend some time researching providers in your area to see if having a CDA affects their business in any measurable financial way.

If it is something you want to do for YOU then no research necessary. If you are doing it to actually make money because of it.. I would STRONGLY suggest you find out if it makes any difference.

[Abigail]

I was thinking about getting my CDA. I plan on doing family child care for about5 - 8 years and I was wondering what I can use the education for after I am done working at home.

Why are you or have you obtained your CDA? Has is helped your business? What else does a CDA prepare or allow you to do besides work in a child care center?

I was thinking perhaps it would help me be marketable for working in a church setting or has anyone heard of a child life assistant?

I'm working on my CDA because all the hours give me credentials to begin my own child care business from home. I currently work for a daycare full time to earn my training hours which is 480 hours within a 5 year period. I'm also taking all the FREE classes I can which is about 60 hours of online training through our child care resource and referral website and I need 120 hours total with emphasis in certain areas for some hours. We currently have a grant that expires in the end of June so every weekend I try to do 10 hours of training so I can make use of the free courses.

I think the CDA courses can help you in general. I just took a course on marketing which could help you in many jobs in the future. If you opened your own small business you would already know the best marketing techniques or if you worked for a company you could help them advertise with your personal experience. KWIM? I also took a two hour course on retirement that focused on IRAs which could help anyone really. I would recommend you look into any free training you can get to start out with. Many of the courses will help you with people skills for most jobs as well. The list is endless what earning a CDA could help you with in the future, it's just a matter of how creative you're going to be with it. As far as increasing your own daycare income, I don't think it's a huge factor. You certainly could use it to your advantage over other providers who don't have any additional training, but it's more of a self-accomplishment for me.

[Blackcat31]

I have my CDA and think it helps me because my state assistance program pays providers with a CDA 15% more for their services versus what they pay a regular licensed provider. 75% of my clients are state paid so for me that 15% adds up. Also all the child care centers and preschools require anyone working in direct contact with the children on a daily basis have a CDA. I also took my CDA for college credit versus training hours and when I went back to school to earn my Bachelors, I was 16 credits ahead and was not required to take several of the beginning college courses since I had my CDA.

My advice would be to contact your local CCR&R and they should be able to tell you in detail the benefits/advantages of having a CDA. My CCR&R website explains really nicely the advantages and it also give links to schools and places to go to earn your CDA.

Oh, and the knowledge and education you get through earning it is IMHO, makes it worth it.