CDA Certificate Online Curriculum

The child development program curriculum develops your professional childcare competency in alignment with Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ requirements. In this course, you will study child behavior and acquire teaching skills while completing the 120 hours of formal education required to sit for the CDA Credential™ exam.

Orientation

In this course, you’ll examine the goals and values of Ashworth College, time management, creating a realistic weekly and monthly study schedule, the nature and purpose of assessments, how to study effectively to prepare for and take an online examination, and developing the skill sets necessary for success in the twenty-first century.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

Identify the skills needed to be a confident and independent online learner.

Lesson Group 1: Teaching Essentials

In this course, you’ll learn why quality early childhood experiences are invaluable, and you can explore the variety of available childcare positions. You’ll also learn the fundamentals of teaching, including the role of the teacher and appropriate behavior and advocacy in early childhood. You’ll develop professional goals and objectives in accordance with NAEYC.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

Describe the principles of effective advocacy in early childhood.
Describe the fundamentals of teaching and professional behavior within early childhood education.
Explain how young children learn and apply principles of developmental direction to design individual learning experiences.
Identify elements of classroom design, learning center setups, and whole-group activity architectures.
Identify the four stages of child self-regulation and apply positive, authoritative behavior guidance strategies.
Identify the cultural dimensions of families, family dynamics, and diverse household configurations.
Describe how young children develop aesthetic preferences and emotional competence across creative and emotional experiences.
Explain curriculum implementation strategies across the core cognitive, language, physical, and social academic disciplines.
Integrated curriculum structure using best-practice schedule design, thematic units, and child-led projects.

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Program Description

The CDA Credential Prep program is designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge to engage in teaching, guide behavior, perform assessments, and collaborate with families.

CDA Program Objectives

After completing the CDA Credential Prep program, students will be able to:

Recognize the many roles of a teacher and describe the tools they use to enhance teaching skills.
Summarize the role of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and outline the tools it makes available to early childhood professionals.
Apply the essential elements to create meaningful lesson plans that will enrich the learning outcomes of every child.
Describe the evolving definition of family and explain the impact on the classroom.
Identify the requirements necessary to obtain the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ and prepare a plan to meet those requirements.

Nurturing your career path

You’ll gain job skills from every lesson in the Online CDA Prep course and prep for your job search at the same time. The online tools available through the Ashworth College Central Network are integrated into your studies so you’ll be ready to deliver a polished presentation of your qualifications to potential employers. You’ll also be able to revisit the Ashworth College Central Network whenever you need to after you’ve earned your certificate.