Professional Development Program

CentroNía's Child Development Associate (CDA)

Research in early childhood education clearly shows that a highly qualified staff is one of the strongest predictors of a high quality program serving children. As such, the approach to professional development in the CDA Training Program has been strength-based. Although many individuals who participate in the CDA program face numerous hurdles to succeed, the CentroNía model built on an individual’s assets. In this way, the CDA represents a positive first step towards building a career ladder in early childhood. CentroNía’s CDA Training Program offers every enrolled individual a comprehensive program, based in six cornerstones:

Formal instruction: 120 hours of intensive on-site instruction completed in approximately 4 months (for the intensive - 4 evenings a week program) to 6 months (for the regular - 2 evenings a week or Saturday program). The instruction, the central piece of CentroNía’s CDA Training Program, is based on the curriculum developed by the Council for Professional Recognition and enriched with multiple resources and materials incorporating the latest research in the early care and education field.

Mentoring services: one-on-one guidance provided during the length of the formal instruction and throughout the following years for as long as participants need it in order to accompany the candidate through the preparation for the assessment (including the supervision of the preparation of the Professional Resource File as well as on-site practicum observation and completion of written instrument for the assessment). Follow up services are also available once the candidate receives the CDA Credential in order to support its renewal 3 to 5 years after it is awarded;

Internship program: field placement that enables candidates new to the field to access a nationally accredited early childhood program serving children ages 3 months to five years, where they are able to obtain 480 hours "on-the-job" practical experience (practicum);

Professional development seminars: specialized training to enrich the curriculum required by the Council for Professional Recognition in topics that prepare the candidate to enter the workforce or advance their career.



Only DC training program that provides ain a a multilingual approach – 600 participants have received their CDA accreditation since the program began 6 years ago.

Support services: emergency child care (for their own children during the instruction time - since classes take place during the evening and weekends, the candidates need a safe and caring place for their children so that they can focus on their own learning process); as well as a multitude of social services, such as referrals to counseling, transitional housing, domestic violence support, case management and crisis intervention; and

Bilingual and monolingual services: CentroNía’s CDA Training Program is the only bilingual (English/Spanish) and monolingual Spanish training program in the District of Columbia funded by the Early Care and Education Administration (formerly OECD/Office of Early Childhood Development). The students and graduates from CentroNía’s CDA Training Program speak 17 languages representing 40 countries. Classes take place in Spanish and in English, to prepare candidates who are able to apply for a monolingual Spanish, monolingual English or Bilingual CDA credential.