CDA York County Presents
• A new look to our CDA Program
• 3 Ways to Build your
Training Portfolio
Susan Carroll
CDA Program Director
• CDA York County is now offering 3 ways to earn your CDA Credential!
Model A= Traditional nine-month program earning 120 documented training
hours, fulfilling 480 hours of field experience, building your professional
portfolio, and understanding the verification process to meet CDA 2.0
standards. One location, one instructor.
Model B= Sequence of modules where you can take a class or a series of
classes based on your need. Each class is worth 3 documented training hours
and each module is worth 12 documented training hours. Let’s say the family
module was held every Tuesday the month of November. You could send
your staff to this module. One location, one instructor.
Model C= We bring the training to you! Does your staff need a refresher
class in Family Relationships? We will come to your center and bring
the training to you.
• Each completed module is worth 12 documented training hours that can be put
toward earning your yearly training or CDA hours. One class is worth 3
documented training hours.
• The cost of a whole module is $200.00 per person. Take one course at a time out
of each module and the cost is $55.00 per person. Take the whole
course and save 10% for a total cost of $1,800.
Module I
Maintain a Safe, Healthy Learning Environment
Session 1: Safety: Ensuring children are safe in your environment. This includes
knowledge on how to prevent and reduce injuries, handle emergencies, set-up a safe
environment and the importance of being a mandated reporter.
Session 2: Healthy: Promoting a healthy environment for children involves best
practice in encouraging healthy habits for life. This includes nutritious meals, family
style dining, dental hygiene, and childhood illnesses.
Session 3: Childhood Obesity: Discussing this epidemic and what are some
strategies we could do which could have a impact. Video: Weight of the Nation
Session 4: Learning Environment: Understanding space, relationships, materials and
routines as resources for constructing an environment for success.
Outcome= A safe, healthy environment that is organized allows the teacher to spend
more time to observe and interact in positive ways. Routines, schedules and
smooth transitions create a comfortable atmosphere helping children feel safe,
secure and know the routines. That means less work for the teachers!
Module ll
Understanding Child Development and Theorists who impacted the field
Session 1: Theory: Taking a look into 5 major theorists and how they are intertwined
In the foundation of best practice. Video= Development of Theorists I
Session 2: Infant Development: Understanding brain research and development
which is crucial in the first years of life. Video=The effects of brain development
when trauma is involved.
Session 3: Toddler Development: Overview of the challenges working with this age
group and how your role as a teacher impacts their daily lives. Video=Time for Toddler
Session 4: Preschool Development: Looking at all aspects of the preschool child and
what their growing mind and bodies need for success. Video=Creative Curriculum
Outcome= Teachers who understand the theory behind best practice are more likely
to meet each child’s individual needs, ensuring a healthy development. It is
Important to remember that all areas of development are connected.
Module lll
Physical and Intellectual Development
Session 1: Physical: Physical development is an essential part of the whole child. This
Includes using large and small muscles, coordinating movement and using the senses.
Recognizing and respecting the differences in individual rates of development.
Looking at ways to bring the inside environment outside.
Session 2: Learning through Play: Understanding the various stages of play. What
your role is as a teacher to build children’s play. Dissecting the debate on why
learning through play can be a tough sell to parents/educators.
Session 3: Circle Time made Simple: A workshop designed to explore a variety of
props teachers can use to help them make circle time less stressful and interactive for
children. Remember learning to count doesn’t have to come from a calendar!
Please bring your favorite circle time activity.
Session 4: Process vs. Product: A workshop designed to help understand why
“project” art is not considered best practice. By offering an open ended art area
with a variety of art media, imagination will come from the children not the teachers.
Outcome= Children who have positive experiences with physical activities tend to
have a positive sense of self and develop healthy life long habits.
Module lV
Supporting Social and Emotional Development
Session 1: Self: Accepting each child as an individual and providing the physical
and emotional security it takes to encourage children’s independence and self
esteem. Helping children learn about themselves and others.
Session 2: Social: Helping children strengthen and secure positive relationships
with their peers and adults. The importance of small and large group activities.
Session 3: Temperaments: Viewing each child as an individual and understanding
how temperaments are an important gage when planning and guiding each child.
Addressing the three areas of temperaments; Fearful, Feisty and Flexible.
Session 4: Guidance: By providing a supportive environment, children can begin to
understand and learn acceptable behaviors. Understanding the difference between
Discipline vs. Punishment and why Time Outs are so 1990’s and don’t work.
Outcome= Children who learn to solve problems through conflict resolution help
them to be assertive, confident and a role model to others. Social/Emotional
Skills are the number one success of kindergarten.
Module V
Positive and Productive Relationships with Families
Session 1: Gaining Awareness: Understanding yourself and how
you view the definition of family, will help support the diverse
families you work with.
Session 2: What is your role?: How to include families and form
partnerships within the community of the classroom.
Session 3: Diversity: Taking a closer look at individual families,
getting to know their traditions, cultures and how to respect
individuality and differences.
Session 4: Forming Partnerships: Video /Building Bridges.
Communicating effectively to encourage dialogue.
Outcome= When staff build positive, meaningful relationships with families, it
encourages their involvement in the program and supports the child’s relationship
with their family. It is also is essential to the child‘s success. The center benefits also
with in the community, establishing standards of quality.
Module Vl
Program Management and Professionalism
Session 1: What does quality care look like?: Taking a look at what it really takes to
be a “quality” center. Understanding the benefits of a “quality center” and what it
provides to children, families and staff. Making improvements.
Session 2: Teamwork: How to successfully work as a team. Understanding
strategies that will work and be beneficial for everyone. How to have a successful
staff meeting.
Session 3: Professionalism: What it takes to become a professional early childhood
educator. The difference between a professional and a non-professional.
Resume Building.
Session 4: Program Management: Understanding policies and procedures. Taking
a look at the center as a whole and how it wants to operate. Looking at common
dilemmas in the Early Childhood field and determining if they are ethical or moral
dilemmas.
Outcome= The benefits or running a quality program with professional staff will
prove in the long run to have less staff turn over, which will lead to a more
productive staff.
Module Vll
Emergent Literacy
Session 1: Communication: Exploring verbal and non verbal cues to communicate.
What body language says about us. Video: Babies. Because of cultural differences
and communication styles, do you think it affected the child’s development?
Session 2: Language: Understand your knowledge of child development to support
language development. Understanding the root of language and how phonological
awareness promotes early literacy.
Session 3: Story Extenders with Flannels: This is a interactive class where student’s
bring in their favorite book they read to children. They are asked to share their story
in class. They will also be making a flannel board to that story. Materials provided.
Session 4: Creating a rich literacy environment: We will be exploring, planning and
creating what children need to extend his language learning in the environment. We
will be looking at all interest areas.
Outcome= Early literacy in children will give them the head start they need to be
successful and life long learners.
“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you
learn, the more places you'll go.”
- Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"
Module Vlll
Being a Manager, What does it take?
Session 1: Who Moved My Cheese?: Based on the book by Dr. Spencer Johnson, this
Journey makes us take a look at change in our life and work, and how we approach
the writing on the wall.
Session 2: Attitude Reflects Leadership: Taking a deeper look on how to sustain or
Rebuild staff committed to working together to ensure quality.
Session 3: Management vs. Leadership: Which style reflects the people you work
with? These two terms are very similar but produce a very different outcome of
staff productivity.
Session 4: Understanding your staff: Recognizing staff burnout and what strategies
you can take to reduce it.
Outcome= Recognizing needs and goals through reflection of change will generate
enthusiasm, producing positive changes within the center.
Module IX
Variety of Classes
Session 1: Observations: An in-depth look at how to observe children, why it is
important and how to incorporate them into your curriculum.
Session 2: Curriculum Building: Using the Creative Curriculum template to build a
curriculum supporting best practice and individual children. Make less work for
yourself and increase children’s learning by offering a story, art experiences and songs
more than once in your curriculum.
Session 3: Special Needs: Understanding the practices of the ADA. Video: Fat City.
Discussion following.
Session 4: Autism: Video: Talking back to Autism. Using the book The Golden Hat to
help students understand the struggles of how children and families feel when
locked inside a mind they cannot control.
Outcome= The more you know the more you grow. Informative topics for teachers
to use in their daily work with children.
Module X
Putting it all together
Session 1: Competency Goals 1-3: Introducing the set up of the competency goals
complying with the Council of Professional Recognitions standards. We will be
writing the first one in class. Please bring a laptop if available to these sessions.
Session 2: Competency Goals 3-6: A continuation of Session 1.
Session 3: Collecting Resources: Using class to research, write and collect half of the
necessary resources.
Session 4: Collecting Resources: A continuation of Session 3. Reviewing what the
R.O.R visit will look like. Taking a practice test. Understanding when to distribute the
Family survey questions, and what the review and reflection piece will look like.
Outcome= Having staff hold a minimum of their CDA credential may increase your
rating on the QRS system under professional development. Increasing knowledge
of staff in best practice supports NAEYC requirements.