Navigating Professional Workforce Registries,
Learning Records, and Recognition
Recognizing the importance of system level partnership for efficient recognition of training to meet the CDA® Competency Standards.
An Easier Way for CDA® Applicants to Verify Training Requirements
Early childhood educators who are seeking or want to renew their Child Development Associate® (CDA) credential from the Council for Professional Recognition now have a convenient way to verify their training hours, thanks to a robust partnership with The National Workforce Registry Alliance (NWRA).
NWRA partners with Early Childhood Education (ECE) Professional Registries. The NWRA is the membership home to 44 Early Childhood (ECE) Professional Registries for 44 states, reaching more than 1.8 million providers. The agreement means educators with CDA® credentials can more easily learn about professional development, quality initiatives, opportunities for growth and professional advancement, as well as seamlessly track and report their career progression. Currently, nearly 2 million members of the ECE workforce nationally participate in registries that partner with NWRA, and the goal is to greatly increase the number of CDA-holders represented in the registry.
The agreement also means the Council will improve the recruitment, availability and accessibility of CDA Professional Development (PD) Specialists™, who use their ECE expertise to assess CDA candidates’ competencies and facilitate reflective conversations with the candidates.
The agreement aims to better connect the needs of the ECE sector to the available workforce and, hopefully, help to alleviate current staffing and training shortages.
Key Partnership Benefits
- NEW Council approved CDA transcript for approved state registries.
- Better understanding of where credential support currently exists in states and where additional attention is needed in terms of PD Specialists, renewal support, and existing state services and options.
- Recognition for work conducted by the state registries related to Trainer/Training Approval, tracking, and reporting.
- Validation from a national partner for state registries, demonstrated by the transcript approval seal determined by the state’s tier approval level.
- Credentialing state data exchange and integration.
- Higher Educational Institutions use the new approved CDA-credentialing transcript to support seamless articulation services for educational pathways for CDA credential holders.
Benefits to CDA® Candidates and Credential Holders
- Verified learning records do not require additional approval or revalidation.
- Improved credential holder connectivity to state related support and services.
- Increased access/communication through Registries & The Council, with renewal reminders.
- Support helps professionals successfully retain qualifications and establish a deeper sense of belonging and recognition as a professional in the field
Eligibility
- State is a Member of NWRA
- Record/Transcript has NWRA Elements/Alignment
- State’s Training Approval occurs in the Registry
- Registry Verifies Training Attendance
- Seal of Transcript Recognition
Multi-Tiered Approval
The agreement multi-tiered approval ensures all state registries can benefit from the new agreement.
TIER 1: Registries who have aligned transcripts but do not conduct the Training and Trainer approval have transcripts/records that will be accepted as official documents with further review by the Council. The document is accepted as a valid form of documentation, but the record/transcript’s content is subject to review by the staff of the Council for Professional Recognition.
TIER 2: Registries who conduct the Trainer/Training Approval in their state, have training transcripts/learning record content that will be accepted by the Council with no further review.
Get Involved
- Find out if your state registry is an approved NWRA/Council Partnership member.
- Non-NWRA State Registries: Join NWRA! Apply for transcript recognition. Technical Assistance (TA) support available.
- NWRA State Registry Member: If your state would like to be a part of this partnership, visit the NWRA website to review eligibility requirements and apply today.
- CDA® Candidates and CDA Professional Development Specialists™: Learn more about how this new partnership impacts your professional journey by visiting our Council/NWRA agreement webpage.