Earn your CDA
To work as a Teacher in a licensed California child care center, you need 12 semester units of ECE/child development coursework (including Child Growth & Development, Child/Family/Community, and Program/Curriculum) plus 50 days of supervised experience — or the equivalent step on the Child Development Permit ladder.
Where ChildCareEd directly helps:
- CDA pathway (the biggest accelerator) — ChildCareEd provides the full 120 hours of CDA training online. In California, the CDA qualifies you for the Child Development Associate Teacher Permit and counts as nine semester units toward the 24-unit Permit requirements. Explore: CDA Preschool Credential with Portfolio Review and CDA Infant/Toddler Credential with Portfolio Review
- Annual 15-hour training — ChildCareEd's California Registry-approved courses cover your 15 hours of annual professional development, uploaded to the Workforce Registry when you add your Registry ID.
- Permit renewal — Teacher Permit Renewal Bundle helps meet the 105 hours of professional growth every 5 years.
- Curriculum knowledge — 45-Hour Growth and Development Birth–Age 12 and age-specific methods courses.
Important Note:
California requires certain pre-service trainings that cannot be completed through ChildCareEd, including:
- CDSS Orientation
- EMSA Pediatric CPR/First Aid
- EMSA Preventive Health Practices
