Introduction to CDA Standards 

2.0 Mini Session

CDA Prep 100.2 Childcare Environments and Active Routines 

Standards and Professional Competencies  

Play-based Learning Environments

Professional Development Specialist: Jennifer Edwards-Saul M.Ed

This course is designed for the Child Development Associate who is seeking to take a mini-course while fulfilling the content needed to obtain their CDA. This training will cover topics on childcare settings:  with a focus on program options, schedules and routines, environmental print, classroom design, active engagement, and meaningful interactions. Understanding the role of the early childcare professional will be the foundation of each content unit. The training format and learning expectations will focus on CDA Standards and skills sets to reflect on CDA functional areas; as needed to support the development of resource collections and competency statements.

To understand the role of a childcare professional and how this role relates to regulations, mandates, professional guidelines, and best practices of an established profession.

To be able to plan for diverse learners and to make accommodations for children with special needs. To support play and positive interactions with all children in their care.  To design interventions that support building relationships and social awareness to create a community of learners. 

To discuss the importance of creating environments that support positive interactions. To advocate for the importance of using play as a developmental model when teaching young children.

As a result of the training, interactions, and reflective reading the participants will be able to establish and maintain learning environments that are meaningful to the overall growth and development of all children.  To be able to plan for diverse learners and to make accommodations for children with special needs. 

As the result of the training, interactions, assignments, and reflective reading responses participants will be able to build learning experiences, develop age-appropriate methods to create age-appropriate activities within scheduled routines, use a curriculum and child planning to guide their methodology. 

As a result of this training, the participants will examine one’s role in maintaining a professional commitment and contribution to the early childcare profession. They will examine their strategies for creating play-based learning activities and routines. 

Attendance and Participation: Attendees must register and attend each training session to be awarded the certificate of training. Attendance must be above the 85% rate to be issued a certificate and considered as part of the cohort group. Participation is required to meet the learning objects, are set to meet the training goals. Withdrawal forms are required along with notification of leave of absence from each session. Certificates will only be given to those who are registered, enrolled, and attended the allotted hours. There will be no refunds after registration and enrollment. 

Goals: The CDA candidate will understand early childhood as a professional practice that is guided by mandates, theory, research, and professional organizations that have shape best practices for caring for young children; the CDA candidate will review their practices for planning, organizing, and maintaining environments that are safe, healthy and interactive; the CDA candidate will understand early childhood development and explore how to develop teaching practices for observing,  and recording how children learn and grow; the CDA candidate will examine methods for using data to plan daily interactions to support early childhood development.

Objectives: Use self-reflection to explore their role in a profession that is guided by mandates, standards, theory, and research; to describe the importance of planning, creating and promoting safe, healthy practices, create a professional code of conduct as the foundation for caring for young children; to demonstrate the ability to use observation and assessment to study, plan and report how children learn and grow; to be able to plan creative learning environments, meaningful interactions, and developmental activities; to construct methods for supporting the development of children’s social and emotional competency and design methods for meeting the needs of all children and families; to build and report their efforts for advancing children’s physical and intellectual wellbeing, and to outline a framework for building positive relationships with children families and professional partners.

How To Register For This Class:

1. Click here to fill out the Registration Form.
2. Pay for your class on this page.
3. You will be contacted via email with further instructions.