About the Council
We’re all about our early childhood educators, children and stakeholders.
Council for Professional Recognition
For more than four decades, the Council has pivoted to respond to evolving best practices in early childhood education, advances in technology, and the growing diversity of individuals who are pursuing ECE as a career for the betterment of our profession, our educators and our children.
View our 2023 State of the Council Report.
Our Vision
The Council for Professional Recognition envisions a society where all children learn and thrive in environments led by competent, valued early childhood educators.
Our Mission
The Council for Professional Recognition advances career pathways for early childhood educators through high-quality, competency-based credentialing.
Core Values
The Core Values of the Council are the bedrock of our organizational culture, guiding our behaviors, actions, connections and engagements with others. These five principles are not only integral to our distinctiveness but also deeply embedded standards upheld by our staff on a daily basis.
- We Embrace Growth. Striving for continuous improvement, high-quality work, informed decision making, and a commitment to delivering exceptional results.
- We Have Integrity. Demonstrating honesty, ethics, and accountability in all actions and decisions.
- We Are United. Encouraging teamwork, collaboration, and a sense of belonging to achieve shared goals.
- We Communicate Effectively. Promoting open and honest communication, sharing information, and being accountable for actions.
- We Are Respectful. Treating each other with dignity, valuing diverse perspectives, and fostering an inclusive environment.
The Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™
In keeping with our goal to meet the growing need for qualified early child care and education staff, the Council administers the Child Development Associate® (CDA) National Credentialing Program. The CDA® Program is designed to assess and credential early childhood education professionals.
The Council recognizes and credentials professionals who work in all types of early care and education programs, including Head Start, pre-k, infant-toddler, family child care and home visitor programs.
The Council sets policies and procedures for assessment and credentialing, publishes the Competency Standards and other materials used for CDA credentialing, and administers the assessment.
History of the CDA® Credential
In the early 1970s, a group of innovative early childhood educators gathered to find ways to improve the quality of early care and education. The concept for the CDA® Credential was born out of those meetings. It was initially funded by what was then called the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF). After several years of development, the first CDA was awarded in 1975.
A decade later, ACYF entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to create a separate nonprofit organization to administer the CDA Credential. That organization, the Council for Professional Recognition, began administering the CDA on September 1, 1985.
Over 1 million CDA credentials have been issued to date.
Our Executive Team
Our Governing Board
Albert Yeuk Yu Wat
Senior Policy Director
Alliance for Early Success
Washington, DC
Ariel Ford
Division Child Development and Early Education for the Department of Health and Human Services
Raleigh, NC
Carla D. Thompson Payton
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Battle Creek, MI
Dianna Wallace
Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children
Indianapolis, IN
Eric Daniels
Manning and Napier
Rochester, NY
Sandy Baba, Ph.D.
Pacific Oaks College, Graduate School of Human Development
San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Shannon M. Bracamonte
Early Childhood Services Center of the University of New Mexico
Las Cruces, NM
Stacie G. Goffin Ed.D.
Goffin Strategy Group LLC
Boulder, CO
Yolanda Garcia, Ed.D
New Mexico State University