CDA Courses
About the CDA
The Child Development Associate (CDA) national credentialing program is a professional development opportunity for early educators working in a variety of settings with children ages birth to 5 years old and their families to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities in the early childhood education field.
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CCPN coordinates the process for students to obtain their CDA credential from start to finish. The first step is enrolling in a course to obtain your required 120 hours of training needed before the exam. Additionally, we assist with your portfolio, can provide the setting for your exam, and provide contacts for the verification visit.
Hours earned through courses by CCPN are also able to be used with select colleges for AA or BA degree completion.​
Courses Open for Enrollment
All CDA courses are currently full. If would like to be notified when we are enrolling for new courses: Please let us know using the short form linked here.
All CDA courses are currently full. We will be enrolling for additional courses in the fall of 2026. ​
If you have already been approved for funding by the ECE PDO to take a CDA course: Please save your approval email so that we can enroll you in future courses at a later date.
If you have not been approved by the ECE PDO to take a CDA course: Please fill out our CDA Interest Form so that we can contact you when we are enrolling for future cohorts!
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This section is up to date as of 1/27/2026.
Class Name: CDA FY27 Class 01
*Students will have weekly online meetings with their instructor.*​
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Start Date: Monday, 9/14/2026
End Date: Monday, 4/14/2027
Type: Online
Location: Zoom
Class Times: 6-9pm weekly Monday night meetings.
Course Cost: There are no fees for this course. You will be provided with a Competency Standard Guide in the specialization that you choose. The book will be mailed to your home address.
Deadline to enroll: 9/7/2026 at 5:00pm.
Click to read all course info and policies.​​​
How to Enroll
How to enroll may change when courses are available. Generally: The available courses are funded by the ECE PDO at PHMC (PDO). The PDO sets requirements that potential students must meet in order to be approved for funding to take the course. You must be approved for funding before CCPN can enroll you in a course. ​Make sure to read all requirements for eligibility here before proceeding.
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If you have already been approved for funding by the ECE PDO to take a CDA course: Please save your approval email so that we can enroll you in future courses at a later date.
The available courses are funded by the ECE PDO at PHMC (PDO). The PDO sets requirements that students must meet in order to be approved for funding to take the course. You must be approved for funding before CCPN can enroll you in a course. ​Make sure to read all requirements for eligibility here before proceeding.
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Click the "Apply for Funding" link below. It will take you to the ECE PDO's form to apply for funding for CDA courses. This form does NOT enroll you in a course. The form is to make sure you are eligible to take a CDA course. You must complete the eligibility form before enrolling in the course.
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Create your account on the website by clicking "Register" and enter your information. On the question that asks for your "IHE/PLO partner" make sure to select "Child Care Professionals Network". (You may not be able to take our course if you don't select this option.)
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The PDO may email or call you about additional info/documents they may need. Make sure to answer them so your application is processed quickly.
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When your application is approved, the PDO will email you notifying you of your approval. We (CCPN) will then send you an email asking you to simply confirm which course you want to be enrolled in. Once you respond, you will officially be enrolled in your course!
NOTES:
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If you have questions about the form please direct those questions to pdoeligibility@phmc.org.
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The PDO Eligibility Form may take a week or more to process. Make sure to submit it earlier than the deadline so that you can be approved for funding before the enrollment deadline.
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Enrollment for a class may close earlier than the deadline if it reaches capacity.
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CCPN can offer a $100 bonus to candidates who successfully obtain their CDA credential. This $100 is able to be awarded to you if you complete the course, obtain your credential, and send us a screenshot of your credential uploaded to your PD Registry profile. The full details of how the deposit works are in the Course Policies.
Future Courses
We are enrolling for courses all throughout the year. Courses typically open for enrollment 6-8 weeks before the course begins. If you do not see a course you're interested in, but would like to be notified when we are enrolling for new courses: Please let us know using the short form linked here.
Info for ECE Employers
If you are an early learning program owner/director and would like to arrange a CDA cohort custom for your staff that suits your program's needs, we may be able to arrange a privately-funded CDA cohort for you. We can provide a CDA that is a cohort of just your staff and may be able to do it at your location at times flexible to you. We can accommodate programs that have 10 or more staff who will be enrolled and are located in the Southeast PA region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.) These cohorts would be supported financially by the child care program requesting them. Please contact ccpnpa.org@gmail.com to find out about pricing and please include a few details such as:
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Number of staff who will be enrolled (We generally need a minimum of 10 staff to commit.)
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Your program's address
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The month or time of year you'd like the course to begin
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The modality you'd like the course taught in (online, in-person, hybrid)
Our CDA Benefits
Low Cost
The cost of these courses is reduced by grants. Depending on the course, you may pay very little or nothing to take our CDA courses.
College Credit
Courses can matriculate to college for those pursuing an AA or BA degree in ECE.
Flexible Schedule
Courses are offered as online and face-to-face at a variety of times.
Expert Instructors
Our instructors are PQAS certified and have years of experience teaching.
Tech Support
We have laptops, flash drives, and more to loan to those who need them to complete coursework.
Credential Support
After the course, we can continue helping students with their voucher, portfolio, and exam.
Schedule CDA Exam
Once your CDA class is complete, you are able to schedule to take your CDA exam by clicking here to create a Pearson account and follow the instructions to schedule your exam. CCPN's Testing Center is temporarily closed, but you can search for one close to you on Pearson's site.
Once your CDA class is complete, you are able to schedule to take your CDA exam at our Folsom location! Click here to create a Pearson account and follow the instructions to schedule your exam. When you are prompted to choose a location, search for the following:
1530 4th Ave
Folsom, PA 19033