Get the Home Visitor CDA - post

Get the Home Visitor CDA

How to Obtain the CDA Home Visitor Credential

Who are home visitors?

Home visitors are professionals, usually educators, who enter children's homes to work with parents by managing home visits while establishing close working relationships with the community and other agencies to support the program.

 Minimum requirements include the following (within 3 years of applying):

  • High school diploma, GED, or equivalent;
  • Verbal, reading, and writing fluency in the language of the assessment taken; and
  • A minimum of 480 hours of professional experience in a home visitor program serving families with children birth to 5 years.

Any time prior to applying:

  • Contact the Council for Professional Recognition by calling 1(800)424-4310 or visiting their website to purchase the Home Visitor Competency Standards Book. Applicants are strongly encouraged to purchase the book in order to familiarize themselves with the requirements and the application process.
  • Complete 120 hours of formal early childhood education and principles of adult learning, covering the growth and development of children ages birth to 5 years, with no fewer than 10 training hours in each of the eight Home Visitor CDA subject areas.

CDA® Subject Areas:

  • Promoting health and safety in the home environment
  • Enhancing parents’ skills to advance children’s physical and intellectual development
  • Promoting parents’ use of positive ways to support children’s social and emotional development
  • Understanding family systems and development
  • Managing an effective home visitor program operation
  • Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
  • Working across the child welfare continuum
  • Understanding the principles of child development and learning

DOCUMENTATION

Within 6 months of submitting your application:

  • Prepare your CDA professional portfolio. This is a collection of reference materials related to your work. You’ll find detailed preparation instructions in the purple Home Visitor edition of the CDA® Competency Standards book. Information collection includes, but is not limited to, the following:
    • Family questionnaires
    • Parent observation permission forms
    • CDA Assessor Recommendation
  • Engage a CDA Professional Development (PD) Specialist™ to conduct your CDA Verification Visit® and confirm the availability of the Verification visit. Verification visit requests are made through the CDA Council website through YourCouncil. Your PD Specialist will review your professional portfolio, observe you working with the children, complete a reflective dialogue with you, and submit score recommendations to the Council.
    • To access the Find-a-PD Specialist Tool, log on to YourCouncil using your email address and password, and click on the PDS button located on the left side menu. You are required to have a YourCouncil account prior to finding a PD specialist.

APPLICATION

Submit your application via YourCouncil and process the $425 application fee. If you are completing the paper version of the application, use and submit the form provided in the purple Home Visitor edition of the CDA® Competency Standards book with the $500 assessment fee. Please keep in mind that both application fees are non-refundable. Click here to find out how to submit the application in languages other than English.

FINAL STEPS

Once the application is submitted, a notification will arrive alerting you to schedule the Verification Visit with a PD specialist you have previously identified. During the Verification Visit, the PD specialist will:

  • Review the Professional Portfolio you have prepared;
  • Observe your leading home visit with one family; and
  • Engage in a dialogue with you to discuss areas of strength and growth.

The steps in the Verification process are documented in the application packet. Any questions regarding for the final assessment should be directed toward the CDA Council. You can call the toll-free hotline at 1(800)424-4310 or (202)265-9090 Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST.

Once the Verification Visit is complete, the PD specialist will electronically enter in your results. The Council will review the assessment results before making a final decision. Applicants are awarded their official Child Development Associate® credential through postal mail. If the application is denied, the Council will offer recommendations on where to improve and the next steps to take to earn the credential.

ChildCareEd offers the CDA Home Visitor Credential. 

 

 


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