CDA Home Visitor Training

To earn the Home Visitor Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™, candidates must meet the CDA Council’s requirements for the Home Visitor setting.

Candidates must have a high school diploma or GED and complete 120 hours of formal early childhood education and principles of adult learning. The training must focus on the growth and development of children from birth to age 5 and must include at least 10 hours in each of the 8 Home Visitor CDA Subject Areas.

The 8 Home Visitor CDA Subject Areas are:

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

Candidates must also complete 480 hours of experience in a Home Visitor program serving families with children ages birth to 5. These hours must be completed within 3 years of submitting the CDA application.

Before applying, candidates must prepare a CDA Professional Portfolio and select a Home Visitor CDA Professional Development Specialist to complete the CDA Verification Visit. During the verification process, the PD Specialist reviews the candidate’s portfolio, observes the candidate’s work, completes a reflective dialogue, and submits recommendations to the CDA Council.

ChildCareEd’s CDA Home Visitor training helps candidates meet the 120-hour education requirement for the Home Visitor CDA by covering the required subject areas in a flexible online format.