Minimum Education Requirements
Child care licensing regulations require members of the DC early childhood workforce to meet minimum education requirements based on their position. Effective Dec. 20, 2023, a home caregiver can meet the education requirement by meeting any one of the following:
- Child Development Associate (CDA); OR
- State-awarded certificate comparable to a CDA that is approved by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE); OR
- Associate degree (or higher) in early childhood education or a closely related field; OR
- Completion of at least 60 credit hours or an associate degree (or higher) in any subject area with at least 12 credit hours in early childhood education.
More information on the regulations that outline the education requirement for home caregivers can be found here.
Programs and Resources
The following is a list of programs and resources available in the Washington, DC area. This list is neither exhaustive nor an indication of endorsement by OSSE.
|
Organization |
Information on CDA Program |
Program Point of Contact |
|---|---|---|
| University of the District of Columbia-Community College | Workforce Development Program |
Crystal Randall |
| Southeast Children’s Fund | CDA Course |
Kamila Johnson |
| CentroNía | CDA Program Enrollment |
Jennifer Salgado |
| Briya Public Charter School and Mary’s Center | CDA Program | Mau Castro-Trujillo [email protected] (202) 420-7034 |
| American University | CDA Program |
Gabrielle Harris |
Online Resources
OSSE offers free Quorum accounts to all staff at licensed child development facilities in DC. Individuals can complete CDA instructional hours online at quorumlearning.com. The Quorum CDA Guidebook can help guide instruction. This is the fastest way to earn your CDA if you are comfortable with online learning.
For information on opening a Quorum account, contact the ECE Help Desk at [email protected] or (202) 478-5903.
You can track your progress towards earning the CDA through the Quorum CDA Planner, available at quorumlearning.com.