If you are looking for grants for opening daycare centers in Missouri, you are in luck. In Missouri, there are various financial assistance programs available to help daycare owners manage their business.  In this article, we will discuss some of the programs and grants for opening a daycare center that are available to Missouri residents, and how to apply for them.

What Grants are Available for Opening a Daycare Center in Missouri?

There are many grants available for opening a daycare center in Missouri. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services offers a Child Care Grant Program that provides financial assistance to child care providers who meet the requirements set by the state. The program is designed to help low-income families afford quality child care.

In addition, the Missouri Department of Economic Development offers a Child Care Facility Development Grant Program that provides financial assistance to businesses that want to open or expand a child care center. The program is designed to create or expand child care facilities that will serve low-income and working families.

There are also many private grants available for daycare centers. The Missouri Child Care Association offers a variety of grants to members, and the Missouri Department of Social Services offers a Child Care Resource and Referral Grant Program that provides financial assistance to families who are looking for child care.

So, there are many grants available for daycare centers in Missouri. If you are interested in opening a daycare center, be sure to research the different grants available and see which ones you qualify for.

What are the Eligibility Requirements to Obtain Grants for Daycare Centers?

You’ve decided that you want to apply for a grant to help fund your business, but what are the eligibility requirements for each type of grant?  What paperwork must you have at the ready before you begin your application?

The eligibility requirements for each type of grant vary, so it’s important to do your research before applying. 

For example, some grants are only available to businesses in specific industries, while others are open to businesses of all sizes.

In general, you’ll usually need to meet the following eligibility requirements to be considered for a grant:

• You must be a legal resident of the United States.
• You must be a business owner or entrepreneur.
• Your business must be in operation for at least one year.
• Your business must be profitable.
• Your business must have a good credit score.
• Your business must be in compliance with all state and federal regulations.

There are many ways to apply for a grant, but the most common way is to submit a proposal to the grant-making organization. 

The proposal should include a cover letter, table of contents, project description, budget, and resumes of the project team.

What Programs and Grants for Opening a Daycare Center are Available to me?

Financial assistance can come in the form of grants, loans, or tax credits.

Grants are a type of financial assistance that does not have to be paid back. This makes them a great option for those who are starting a daycare. Grants are available from a variety of sources, including the government and private organizations.

Loans are another option for financial assistance. They typically must be paid back, but they can be a great way to get started with your daycare. There are a variety of loan options available, so be sure to explore them all.

Tax credits are another great way to get financial assistance for your daycare center. They can help reduce the amount of taxes you owe, which can be a great help with your start-up costs. 

There are a variety of tax credits available, so be sure to research the ones that are best for you.

All these options can help you get started with your daycare. Be sure to research all your options and find the best one for you.

To learn more about the grants available to open a daycare center in Missouri, visit the website of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. There you can find a list of all the grants available, along with their eligibility requirements and application forms.

• The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services offers a Child Care Grant Program that provides financial assistance to child care providers who meet the requirements set by the state. The program is designed to help low-income families afford quality child care.
• The Missouri Department of Economic Development offers a Child Care Facility Development Grant Program that provides financial assistance to businesses that want to open or expand a child care center. The program is designed to create or expand child care facilities. 
• The Missouri Child Care Association offers a variety of grants to members.
• The Missouri Department of Social Services offers a Child Care Resource and Referral Grant Program that provides financial assistance to families who are looking for child care.

Some additional grant opportunities not outlined above include: 

The Childcare Development Fund

The Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) is a federal and state partnership program authorized under the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and administered by states, territories and tribes with funding and support from the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Child Care. 

States use the CCDF to invest in quality to benefit more children by building the skills and qualifications of the teacher workforce, supporting child care programs to achieve higher standards, and providing consumer education to help parents select child care that meets their families’ needs.

This grant provides up to $50,000 for the development or improvement of a child care facility. The grant can be used for the purchase of property, renovation of facilities, equipment, and other costs associated with starting or expanding a daycare center.

The Innovation Startup

This grant for opening a daycare opportunity allows for increased access to child care in partnership with a business or community partner. 

The amount of funding is dependent upon the facility capacity, traditional and/or non-traditional hours of operation, and a commitment in matching funds or in-kind contributions to support the new child care program. 

To be eligible, the child care program must plan to operate in a location where no other child care providers were licensed as of Dec. 1, 2022. The applicant must not have previously operated a child care program there either.

Preference will be given to rural communities and child care deserts.

Once awarded, payments will be made to the child care provider based on the matching funds or in-kind contributions from the business or community partner and three required licensing activities: 

• completing the initial inspection
• obtaining a child care license
• completing the post-licensing inspection

Deadline to apply for the Innovation Grant to Start-up a New Child Care Program is May 31, 2023.  If awarded, the provider must become a licensed child care program with children enrolled by March 31, 2024.

What Are the Benefits of Receiving Grants for Opening a Daycare Center?

There are many benefits to receiving a grant. One of the biggest benefits is that you will have extra money to spend on your business. This extra money can be used to pay for advertising, marketing, and other costs associated with running your business. 

Additionally, grants can help you to establish your business credit. When you receive a grant, the grant issuer will often report the grant to the major credit reporting agencies. This will help to build your business credit history and make it easier to borrow money in the future. Finally, grants can help you to qualify for other types of financing. By demonstrating that you have received outside financing, you can show that your business is worthy of investment.

How Do You Apply for Financial Assistance to Open a Daycare in Missouri?

To apply for financial assistance to open a daycare in Missouri, you will need to complete the Daycare Financial Assistance Application. This application can be found on the Department of Social Services website. 

The application will ask for information about your business, such as your name, address, and contact information. It will also ask for information about your daycare, such as the ages of the children you plan to care for and the hours of operation.

The application will require you to provide proof of your income and assets. This can include bank statements, tax returns, and business licenses.

Once you have completed the application, you will need to submit it to the Department of Social Services. 

The Department will review your application and will let you know if you are eligible for financial assistance. If you would like to receive direct assistance from Child Care Aware^® of Missouri, reach out to us today! 

Education is expensive, but it’s also crucial to your personal and professional development, especially in the child care field. Teaching in Missouri is a highly complicated field, especially when it comes to early childhood education. As such, you need all the knowledge and help you can get to do the job effectively. A T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant can be a helpful tool to get you the education and career advancement you’re looking for.

Here, we’re answering the core questions people have before they apply for these scholarships. Read through them to see if a T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant might be a good fit for you. If so, we’ll have some guidance on how to apply at the end. 

What is a T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant?

A T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant is a scholarship program for early childhood professionals and those teaching in Missouri. The recipient, their sponsoring employer, and the T.E.A.C.H. Missouri organization make an agreement. Each party is responsible for different things: 

• The recipient attends college courses, working toward a certification, degree, or simply further education. They are responsible for a portion of the costs associated with these classes, like books. Further, they promise to continue working in the field or at their sponsoring program for a certain amount of time after completing the terms of the contract. 
• T.E.A.C.H. Missouri covers a larger share of those expenses. To help cover travel costs getting to and from class, T.E.A.C.H. Missouri also offers a $55 accessibility stipend for recipients. Once the recipient completes the terms of the contract, the organization will also give them a $450 bonus. 
• The sponsoring employer also pays for a portion of the cost of tuition and books. There are other benefits the employer might provide to the recipient, which vary between programs. The options include paid time off to study for class, a bonus upon completing the classes specified in the contract, and a raise. Each contract specifies what exactly is expected of the sponsoring employer.

There are a lot of scholarships under the T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant umbrella. They are:

• Entry Associate Degree Scholarship
• Associate Degree Scholarship
• Pre-Certification Scholarships
• Student Teaching Scholarship
• Bachelor Degree Scholarship
• CDA Scholarship

We’ve already written pretty extensively about the CDA T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant, so we won’t go into depth about that one here. Instead, we’ll expand on each of the other types of scholarships that can help you toward your goal of better teaching in Missouri in the following sections.

Entry Associate Degree Scholarship

This program is ideal for those who’d like to take a few classes in early childhood education at a two-year college. It’s meant for early childhood education or early childhood special education classes only. 

One key difference between this scholarship and the one we will discuss in the next section is that this can only be used for one year. It’s a good fit for people who are looking to earn some credits but are not necessarily pursuing a degree, or aren’t yet sure if they want to earn a degree. If you do decide you want to go for an associate degree, the Entry Associate Degree Scholarship is not renewable, but you can apply for the regular Associate Degree Scholarship. If you don’t, then you’ll just have a better education for teaching in Missouri. 

Associate Degree Scholarship

Once you’ve completed your first year of an associate program, this scholarship could be a good fit. It can be maintained for as many years as it takes to earn a degree. Another key difference between this T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant and the previous one we detailed is that it can be used toward all the classes required for a degree, not just ones specific to early childhood education.

Pre-Certification Scholarships

Within this category of T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grants, there are two different options that might be a good fit for your needs. One of them is for those with one semester before their student teaching in Missouri begins, and the other is for those who have two semesters. Pretty straight forward. 

If you’re pursuing a bachelor’s degree and are coming up on your student teaching requirement, definitely give this scholarship some consideration. Use the specificity to your advantage.

Student Teaching Scholarship

If you only have one semester of student teaching in Missouri left before earning your degree, then this scholarship could be a perfect fit for you. In fact, it’s tailored specifically for people who need to fulfill their student teaching requirement. The next scholarship on this list helps more broadly with a bachelor’s degree, but this one is only for the portion of those programs that’s student teaching in Missouri.

Bachelor Degree Scholarship

If none of the other scholarships for working toward a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or early childhood special education make sense for you, then this scholarship might be the best fit. Do consider the other options, though, if you are approaching your student teaching in Missouri. You want to find the one that’s most specific to your situation.

It’s also worth noting that T.E.A.C.H. Missouri prefers that you take your general education classes at a two-year institution before completing your bachelor’s degree at a four-year college or university. It’s possible to take all of your courses at a four-year institution; just make sure you discuss this option with your Scholarship Counselor. 

Who is eligible for a T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant?

The requirements for an applicant are pretty specific. Teachers, directors, assistants, on-site owners, and family group or home child care staff might be eligible, but they have to fit more criteria. 

First, they should want to earn college credit in the early childhood field, either toward a CDA, an associate degree, or a bachelor’s degree. Second, they need to do daily work with children under 5 in a licensed or license-exempt child care program. This needs to total at least 30 hours per week working directly with children, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be teaching in Missouri — assistants, directors, and owners also count. Third, they must be at least 18 years old and have already graduated from high school or earned a GED. Fourth, their income needs to be under $20 per hour if they are a teacher or assistant and under $25 per hour if they are a director or owner of a program. And lastly, it probably goes without saying, but they need to be authorized to work in the U.S.

Keep in mind that because the T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grants are partnerships between the applicant, their sponsoring employer, and the T.E.A.C.H. Missouri organization, so part of that eligibility includes your employer agreeing to their part of the arrangement.

What is the sponsoring employer responsible for?

The different kinds of scholarships each have their own set of responsibilities for the sponsoring employer. We’ll get into the specifics for each one in a little bit, but there are some things they all have in common. Generally, they are responsible for some portion of the program’s cost for tuition and books. The exact amount will depend on a variety of factors. 

Paid time off is also included in some of the scholarship agreements. This stipulation is meant to accommodate situations like class time being during the work day, and sponsors usually only allow paid time off during weeks when the T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant recipient is in class or has assignments due. 

Other scholarships stipulate that a certain amount of paid time off per week is dedicated to studying or preparing for class. These hours can come in the form of leaving early, arriving late, or taking a planned break during the day. It’s important for the sponsoring employer and the T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant recipient to work out a schedule they can agree on. Since early childhood teaching in Missouri requires a certain number of professionals to be with the children, taking one teacher out to go study could cause problems if it’s not accounted for early on.

Most of this has been directed toward those who are teachers, directors, or otherwise an employee. Know that if you own a family child care home or center, then you will need to act as your own sponsor. So, you’ll have double the responsibilities, just in different areas.

Where can I take classes?

Take a look at the list of approved two- and four-year institutions here. There are lots of colleges and universities all over the state where you can further your career of early childhood teaching in Missouri. It might be a good idea to make sure there’s an approved institution near you before you dive deeper into the scholarships. 

I think I’m eligible. Now what?

Before you apply for a T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant, you need to apply for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is so the program can use its funds in the most effective ways.

Choosing the right scholarship program for your goals is a key step. Consider your ultimate career goals and the education you need to get there. And if you’ve already completed part of a degree program, make sure you’re applying for the scholarship that will meet you where you’re at. Don’t count yourself out just because you’re not starting out your journey toward teaching in Missouri! People at many stages can find great scholarships through T.E.A.C.H. Missouri. If you’re still not sure, check out the scholarship selector tool. It’s a brief quiz that can help you find the right T.E.A.C.H. scholarship for you.

Scholarship Counselors are also available to help you navigate the whole process. Child care is an incredibly complicated industry, and the T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grants can be equally tricky to navigate if you’re not sure what you’re doing. A Scholarship Counselor should be able to answer any remaining questions you have, get you on the right track, and offer any other guidance on the process that you might need. If they don’t have the help you need, they can surely point you in the right direction.

After You’ve Applied

There is a continuous waiting list for T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grants, and everyone eligible who completes the application gets added to this list. How many people are granted scholarships every semester depends on the availability of funds. Whether or not there are funds available for you, you’ll get a call a month and a half before the semester begins. You can stay on the waiting list for up to 12 months, and you can apply again after that time period to get back on it. 

You’re required to submit your FAFSA before you apply for one of these scholarships for teaching in Missouri, and you should continue exploring any other financial options after you apply, too.  

Find the right T.E.A.C.H. Missouri grant for you.

Endeavoring to get better at teaching in Missouri is a great goal, and now you’ve got some promising places to start looking for help toward that goal. Any of these choices for a scholarship might be the right fit for your needs; you just need to narrow down what your goals are.

A good place to start is to decide whether you’d like to earn a degree or a credential. If you’re only looking to take a class or two for your own development, that will considerably narrow your scholarship options for teaching in Missouri. Follow all the advice we’ve laid out here, contact Child Care Aware^® of Missouri if you have any further questions, and ultimately, apply for a scholarship that’s going to make a big difference in your professional life.

You’ve likely heard of the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential and may be wondering “what is the CDA credential?”, and how it can potentially benefit your career in child care?

The CDA credential is a nationally recognized early childhood education credential that can open doors to new job opportunities and career growth. In this blog post, we’ll discuss “what is a CDA license” and answer some of your most frequently asked questions about the credential.

We hope this post will leave you feeling informed and confident in your decision to pursue obtaining your CDA license!

What Is CDA Certification and What Does It Stand For?

A CDA certification, or CDA license, is a credential that demonstrates an individual’s competency in childcare.

The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential is issued by the Council for Professional Recognition and is recognized across the United States as an early childhood education certificate.

To earn this credential individuals are required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills through coursework, professional experience, and a professional portfolio.

This national credential can open career advancement possibilities in many childcare centers as it reflects what individuals have learned and practiced so far in their field. It provides validation of what professional qualities they possess which can be very helpful when applying for jobs or promotions.

A CDA license can also prepare individuals to work in other roles such as a preschool teacher or special educator.  Having a CDA certification is recommended for anyone looking to break into the world of early childhood education or further advance their career.

What is CDA certification? What is Required to Obtain Your CDA Licensure

Having a CDA certification in early childhood education helps to ensure a continuity of care when it comes to working with children across the thousands of certified professionals.

It’s important to remember what a CDA certification is: a credential that recognizes the educational achievements as well as knowledge attained through work experience in early childhood education.

The CDA typically requires completion of a course from an accredited college or university, at least three semesters (or 480 hours) of classroom instruction, and supervised experience in practicum settings prior to getting your certification, the Council for Professional Recognition will review your qualifications and ensure you meet the standards needed to have your CDA license.

Applicants must also have at least 120 hours of formal education specific to a field within Child Development and have experience in an early childhood setting working directly with children. Additionally, applicants must apply for the CDA candidacy, take part in a one-time verification Visit, complete the reflective statement, and then attend follow-up visits.

Generally, this entire process can take up to 2 years in duration depending on what is required by each individual’s credentials.

Eligible Professional Work Experience

Paid or volunteer hours.  These must be completed prior to you submitting your initial CDA application.

Non-Eligible Work Experience Hours

Babysitting, before and after school programs, Sunday school programs and drop-in programs are not eligible settings where a candidate can prove his or her competence around the Competency Standards and experience hours in these settings, and therefore will not be counted towards the 480 hours of experience.

Achieving this credential offers many benefits such as job recognition, increased wages, and potential career advancement opportunities.  By acquiring this license, those in the field can demonstrate their commitment to professionalism in their field and enhance the level of trust they have with employers, while simultaneously demonstrating a commitment to their own professional development.

What is a CDA License? How to Ensure Your Training Hours are Accepted

All training must have been taken under the auspices of an early childhood training agency that has expertise in teacher preparation. Official documentation of the training must be provided in the form of a certificate, letter on official letterhead or a college transcript.

Training documentation should include the following: Training agency’s name and address (seal/logo), Candidate’s name, date of the training session(s), content area, number of hours successfully completed, and an authorized signature.

How do I convert my clock hours into training hours?
Please use the following formulas to convert your clock hours to training hours:1 CEU = 10 clock hours
1 Semester Credit = 15 clock hours
1 Quarter Credit = 10 clock hours
1 DHS Credit = 1 clock hour
1 Unit = 1 clock hour

To be eligible to apply for your first CDA, you need:12 CEUs = 120 clock hours
8 Semester Credits = 120 clock hours
12 Quarter Credits = 120 clock hours

What is CDA Certification? Maintaining Your Credentialing

After obtaining the CDA certification, it must be renewed every three years by completing professional development activities such as workshops, college courses or conferences.  It is to be noted that this renewal was every five years, up until November 2022, where it was changed to a three-year renewal period.

Why Was it Changed from Three to Five Year Renewal Periods?

After doing a study of industry standards for credential and certification renewals, the Council concluded three years is an efficient amount of time to reevaluate the continued professional development and performance of early educators. The early care and education profession is very delicate, and it is imperative for early educators to stay up to date with the latest theories, research/studies, appropriate practices, and latest trends in the early childhood education field. The continuous professional development of CDA Credential holders is a must to ensure the quality of care and education provided to our nation’s youngest children.

Upon renewal, you will need to show proof of ongoing contacts with teachers or specialists in the early childhood field. To apply online or to view more information on renewals, you can find downloadable materials and applications on cdacouncil.org.

What is a CDA Certification? Are There Ways to Obtain Financial Assistance?

Child Care Aware^® of Missouri is a helpful resource for those seeking financial aid to complete your CDA certification. Child Care Aware^® of Missouri offers a range of resources such as financial assistance, tuition grants, and online training material.

Through Child Care Aware’s Financial Support Program, families can apply for tuition assistance or grants to help cover the cost of tuition and registration fees associated with pursuing their CDA certification.

For example, the Child Care Professional Student Tuition Grant is offered to those who are enrolled in an accredited Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) program. This grant offers up to $500 in tuition assistance that can be used towards CDA coursework and expenses related to the credentialing process.

Families can also apply for the Early Childhood Professional Tuition Grant which provides up to $500 in financial support for those enrolled in courses that meet requirements established by the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, or Missouri Division of Professional Regulation.

In addition to tuition grants and other forms of financial assistance, Child Care Aware^® of Missouri also provides online training materials which focus on topics such as child development basics, health and safety practices, cultural awareness and appreciation, positive guidance techniques for young children with challenging behaviors, teaching methods for early learning activities, and much more.

The online interactive lessons offer students an opportunity to learn at their own pace while deepening their knowledge base around key concepts related to early childhood education. Furthermore, these training materials provide individuals with insight into best practices when caring for young children as well as information regarding professional development opportunities offered through local organizations, universities, and vocational schools.

We encourage you to utilize the Child Care Aware^® of Missouri resource available to those seeking financial aid or additional educational resources in order to complete their Child Development Associate Certification.

Whether it’s applying for a tuition grant or brushing up on foundational concepts related to early childhood education- there are plenty of helpful tools available through Child Care Aware^® of Missouri that can assist individuals in reaching their professional goals within the field of child care services.

What is a CDA Certification? Wrapping up and The Process A-Z

In Missouri, obtaining a Child Development Associate (CDA) is an important step for those interested in pursuing a career in early childhood education. Here are some helpful tips to make sure you have the best chance of obtaining your CDA:

First, make sure you understand the requirements. The CDA credential has specific educational, training and work experience requirements that vary from state to state. In Missouri, applicants must have at least 120 hours of training in early care and education topics and 480 hours of documented experience teaching or providing direct services working with children ages birth through five years old. Additionally, applicants will need to meet any age-specific requirements that may apply to their program or employer.

Second, research the various types of CDA programs available in Missouri. There are programs offered through universities and community colleges, as well as online courses and workshops sponsored by non-profits or state agencies. Each program will have its own curriculum and timeframe for completion so it’s important to find one that works best for you and matches your goals.

Third, once you’ve chosen a program it’s time to get started on the application process. You’ll need to fill out an application form which includes personal information such as address, contact information, educational background, and work experience. You may also be asked to provide letters of recommendation from employers or teachers who can vouch for your skills and character.

Fourth, once your application materials are submitted it’s time to take the assessment test that is part of the CDA credential evaluation process. This test covers general early childhood knowledge as well as key topics related to child development such as health safety nutrition and guidance techniques for working with young children. It’s important to prepare beforehand by reviewing study guides available online or provided by your chosen certification program provider before taking the test itself.

Finally after submitting all application materials taking the assessment test and passing it with a score of at least 80 percent you will need to complete a professional portfolio demonstrating your knowledge skills work experiences observations lesson plans etc related to caring for young children once this is finished you should receive notification within two months if you passed or not.  Once approved you will become a nationally certified Child Development Associate enabling you to pursue a career in early childhood education in Missouri!

The CDA credential is a great way to set yourself apart from other candidates when you are applying for jobs in the field of early childhood education. It shows that you have taken the initiative to obtain additional training and that you are committed to providing high-quality care to children. The process of obtaining your CDA credential can take anywhere from several months to a year, but it is well worth the effort.

Once you have obtained your CDA credential, you will need to renew it every three years by completing professional development activities and submitting a portfolio documenting your work with children. There are many benefits to having a CDA credential, including improved job prospects, increased self-confidence, and recognition by peers as being a leader in the field of early childhood education.

If you are interested in pursuing your own CDA credential, reach out to the friendly staff at Child Care Aware^® of Missouri for further information on your journey!

A Child Care Development Associate Credential (or CDA) is awarded by a national organization called the Council for Professional Recognition sponsors.  This prestigious certification is recognized worldwide, and proves you have the skills, knowledge, and experience to be a successful early childhood care provider.

One of the biggest questions for those seeking this certificate is, “How long does it take to get a CDA credential?”, and for good reason.

As an adult, the thought of going back to a fulltime schooling program, on top of your job and other responsibilities can seem like an overwhelming task, however, it doesn’t need to be!

The short answer to “how long does it take to get a CDA credential?” is that a CDA is accepted as the equivalent of 12 months (or 480 hours) of teaching experience in an early childhood education setting, plus six college semester hours in child-related courses.

The long answer is a bit more complex, and that’s what we will be discussing in this article.

We will dive into what factors can affect the answer to “how long does it take to get a CDA credential?”, such as scheduling, taking your exam, and preparing for your exam, so that you can find the quickest, most straightforward path to receiving your certification.

How Long Does It Take to Get a CDA Credential?  –  Your First Steps

Before you start the process for receiving your CDA, there are some pre-requisites you should be familiar with.  Firstly, your training depends on which track you’re choosing, these include:

• Center-Based Preschool
• Center-Based Infant-Toddler
• Family Child Care
• Home Visitor

No matter which track you choose, it will cover eight different areas of education that you must be acutely familiar with before applying for your CDA.

These include:

• Planning a safe and healthy learning environment for the children
• Advancing the children’s physical and intellectual development
• Supporting the social and emotional development of the children
• Building productive relationships with the children’s families
• Managing an effective program operation.
• Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
• Observing and recording children’s behavior.
• Understanding the principles of child development and learning.

While slight variations exist between the chosen programs, the answer to “how long does it take to get a CDA certificate?” remains about the same in most instances.

Prerequisites for your exam include a high school diploma, GED, or upperclassman status in high school.  Additionally, as previously discussed 480 teaching hours, plus six college semester hours in early-childhood education related courses.

Finally, those aspiring to receive their CDA must complete the family questionnaires and portfolio on the CDA website.

You can locate step-by-step information on the Child Care Aware^® of Missouri website which will help you with completing your questionnaires and your CDA portfolio.

Depending on how quickly you can prepare for and pass your exam, earning your CDA credential could take anywhere from a few months to a year or more, however, this time investment is often worth it in the long run, as a CDA credential can help you gain greater recognition and credibility as an early childhood educator.

How Long Does It Take to Get a CDA Credential? – Potential Causes of Delay

One potential reason it could take you longer to get your CDA credential than the average is due to the number of required hours of professional development (PD) you require for credentialing in Missouri.

To qualify for the CDA credential, candidates must complete at least 120 hours of professional development.  While there are several ways to meet this requirement, many candidates choose to attend workshops and training sessions offered by the Council for Professional Recognition.

These workshops can be located all over the country but may require travel and time away from work or home.  These will also help you in maintaining your CDA credentialing after passing your CDA exam.

Another reason why your question “How long does it take to get a CDA credential?” may be longer than the average length of time to receive a CDA credential in Missouri is due to the state’s process for approving early childhood educator (ECE) programs.

Currently, there is only one program that has been approved by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This means that aspiring CDA holders in Missouri may have to wait until additional programs are approved before they can begin their coursework.

A final reason as to why the answer to “How long does it take to get a CDA credential?” could be longer than expected in Missouri is because of the state’s stringent requirements for teacher certification.  To become a CDA holder in Missouri, candidates must also be certified teachers. This process can take time and includes meeting a variety of requirements such as passing a licensing exam and completing a preparation program.

How Long Does It Take to Get a CDA Credential – Obtaining the Necessary Training Hours

Whether you are just starting out on your path to earning your CDA credential, or you are already well on your way and looking for additional resources to help you achieve this goal, there are many options available to help make the process as streamlined and efficient as possible.

If you are ready to take the next step towards becoming a highly qualified child care provider, be sure to do your research and find the right program for your unique needs and goals.  Even though program lengths tend to remain about the same, each has it’s own unique caveats, and you should familiarize yourself with them prior to scheduling your examination.

For example, some individuals choose to pursue an online CDA training program, while others choose to enroll in longer-term on-site or in-person courses. Additionally, you may be able to earn some of your required hours through volunteer work or professional development workshops offered by local child care centers.

Other ways to obtain your necessary training hours include taking online courses, participating in workshops and conferences, and working with experienced educators who can provide guidance and support. Also, by staying up to date on the latest research and trends in early childhood education can help ensure that you are able to maintain your CDA credential over time.

Once you’ve completed the training, you’ll need to submit your application to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.  The application should include your fee and documentation of your training.

How Long Does It Take to Get a CDA Credential? Scheduling, Sitting, and Passing Your Exam

Once your application is approved, you’ll be able to take the CDA exam.  The exam has two parts: a written portion and an oral portion.  You must pass both parts to earn your credential.

Depending on how many candidates there are in your area, it may take several weeks or months before you receive confirmation of a testing date, so you should prepare yourself for the potentially scheduling delay and proceed accordingly.

Once your test appointment has been confirmed, you will need to prepare for your exam by reviewing the CDA competency standards and exam content outlines.

These materials provide important information about how the questions on the exam are structured, and how your answers will be evaluated.  In addition to studying these materials, you should also make sure that you arrive at least 30 minutes early on the day of the exam.

This will give you time to check in with the testing site staff, familiarize yourself with how to use any testing equipment or technology that is being used, and ensure that everything is in order before your scheduled start time.

Remember, the CDA credentialing exam is prestigious for a reason.  If you do not pass your exam on the first go, it’s important to remember that many people before you have had the same thing happen but have gone on to receive their credentialing after trying again.  It’s important not to lose hope, and to keep your end goal in your focus.

After you’ve passed the exam, you’ll receive your CDA credential in the mail.

How Long Does It Take to Get a CDA Credential? – What Happens After Passing Your Exam

After you have sat, and successfully passed your CDA examination, your question of “How long does it take to get a CDA credential” has for the most part, been answered, congratulations!

However, there is some wiggle room in the definition of “CDA certified.”

Some people may view CDA certification as a matter of simply passing the credentialing exam, while others may see it as a more holistic process that also includes completing training and professional development activities.

In general, however, it is generally accepted that those who pass their CDA credentialing exams have demonstrated the knowledge and skills necessary to work in early childhood education settings. As such, earning your CDA credential can be an important step toward building a successful career in this field.

How Long Does it Take to Get a CDA Credential? – Maintaining Your Credentialing

To maintain your CDA credential after passing your exam, it is important to continuously invest in your professional development. This may include enrolling in ongoing training programs or workshops, participating in professional networking groups, and keeping up with the latest research and trends in early childhood education.

Additionally, you may need to submit an annual renewal application or pass specific skill assessments as part of your ongoing certification requirements.

Whatever approach you take, staying up to date on best practices and continuing to grow as a professional will help ensure that you remain a valuable asset to any early childhood education setting.

How Long Does it Take to Get a CDA Credential? – Is it Worth the Time and Investment?

It can take anywhere from several months to a year or more to obtain your CDA credential, depending on how quickly you are able to complete the various requirements.

This may include enrolling in relevant training programs, sitting for and passing the CDA exam, participating in professional networking activities, and demonstrating continued commitment to professional growth and development.  That said, investing time and effort into earning your CDA credential is going to be worth it in the long run.  Not only does it help demonstrate your expertise as an early childhood educator, but it can also open new opportunities for advancement and higher salaries in this field.

Additionally, having a CDA credential often makes you more attractive as a job candidate, which can give you an edge over other candidates in a competitive job market. Overall, earning your CDA credential, despite how long it can take, is an important step toward building a successful career in early childhood education.

So, if you’re asking yourself currently, “how long does it take to get a CDA credential?” you may want to instead ask yourself, “Will the time I spend earning this credential benefit me, my students, and my community?”  That question will likely lead you to a more personalized answer on if sitting going through the process of CDA credentialing is for you or not.

If the answer to “how long does it take to get a CDA credential” seems a bit intimidating, remind yourself that if this is your life’s work, you’ll be going through the necessary trainings anyway, why not put them towards moving your career forward to the next level while at the same time bettering the guidance and teaching you can deliver to your students?

If you have more questions about sitting your CDA credentialing exam, or still want to ask more about “how long does it take to get a CDA credential?” the team at Child Care Aware^® of Missouri are here to assist you.  Feel free to reach out to us with any question, and we will happily point you in the right direction to get you started on your path to CDA credentialing.

Are you a parent, teacher, or daycare center owner looking to receive a grant for daycare in Missouri?

Are you looking to apply for daycare center grants but aren’t sure where to start?

Not to worry!  Child Care Aware^® of Missouri is here to get you on the right track to obtaining the daycare center grant you need so your children can get the best education possible from an early age.

Applying for and receiving daycare center grants can be a confusing, and oftentimes daunting task. We aim to help you to understand the ins and outs of what receiving grants for daycare entails, in the hopes that you will be more likely to try to receive assistance for you and your family, if it’s needed.

Whether you are a parent, guardian, or an educator looking for more information on how daycare center grants work, this article will guide you through the steps necessary to receive grants for daycare in Missouri through the CCDBG and CCDF.

Daycare Center Grants – Explaining the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act and the Child Care Development Fund

Daycare center grants are funds set aside by the government to help owners of daycare centers pay for the costs associated with running their businesses.

One of the main grants for daycare opportunities in Missouri is the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, which is a law which authorizes the Child Care and Development Fund program.

To put it simply, The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG) is the law, and the Child Care and Development Fund is the program.

CCDF is administered by states territories and tribes, and outlines how federal funds will be used to provide financial assistance to low-income families for them to access child care at an affordable rate.

States also use CCDF to invest in improving the quality of the teacher workforce and supporting child care programs to achieve higher standards in early childhood education.

CCDF also provides consumer education to parents regarding grants for daycare and the childcare that will fit their child’s needs.

How are Daycare Center Grant Funds Allocated?

In 2016, it was decided that states and territories would be required to outline how they planned to use Child Care and Development Fund money to support child care policies and provide daycare center grants.

States can submit a three-year state plan to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

These three-year state plans act as an official application for federal CCDBG funds, outline how states will remain in compliance will all rules and regulations under federal law, and serve as a guide document for longer-term planning, as well as a vehicle for data collection.

It is the development of this plan that gives parents, guardians, caregivers, and teachers an opportunity for collaborating and brainstorming together on how best to utilize the daycare center grant money allocated to them federally.  It is this money which will provide for teacher education, grants for daycare, and other initiatives to better their school systems.

Key Sections of the CCDF State Plan Form for Daycare Center Grants

State plans for the allocation of daycare center grants and other federally applicable funds are divided into eight sections that contain various subparts.

Instead of looking at these sections as separate entities, it is recommended that they are looked at as smaller parts of a whole, larger, integrated plan on how to best allocate grants for daycare and other federal funds.

Section 1: Define Leadership and Coordination

This section is where states must identify the logistics of planning and carrying out the CCDF program.

This section will also ask which stakeholders were consulted to create the plan, and the identification of how the maintenance of effort funds are being used.

Plans must include how public-private partnerships are encouraging coordination efforts between Child Care Resource and Referral agencies as well as a description on disaster preparedness efforts.

Section 2: Promote Family Outreach and Consumer Education

States must outline how they will provide outreach to families eligible for grants for daycare, as well as how they plan to assist those families in accessing the high-quality care they deserve.

This section will also outline other financial assistance programs and daycare center grants that families may apply for.

It is here where states will also supply best practices on children’s development and resources on developmental screenings for children.

Section 3: Provide Stable Financial Assistance to Families

States must identify eligibility criteria for daycare center grants, and other child care assistance subsidies and how they plan to increase access for vulnerable children and families, such as those with disabilities or who are currently homeless.

States have quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to establishing a range of policies. These policies include:

• Family income thresholds to receive daycare center grants
• Defining what a family unit is regarding receiving grants for daycare.
• Qualifying activities for eligibility (such as minimum work hours)
• Maximum age limits for daycare center grants
• Family contribution payments or copays due when eligible for grants for daycare.

Section 4: Ensure Equal Access for Low-Income Children

Plans must outline strategies which will be implemented to improve and increase the supply of quality child care services in underserved areas. These plans should also promote parents having a choice in their child’s education and ensure equal access to programs comparable to those of non-CCDF families, with the aid of grants for daycare.

This section will also outline provider pay rates which enable them to meet health, safety, quality, and staffing requirements as outlined under CCDF.

Section 5: Establish Health and Safety Standards and Monitoring

States are required to certify that there are health and safety standards, training, and protocols in place that are appropriate for the provider setting and the age of the children being served.

States must address standards for background checks, child-to-staff ratios, group sizes, and required qualifications and trainings for all child care staff.

Section 6: Recruit and Retain Qualified, Effective Childhood Education Workforce

State plans must describe the training, professional development, and post-secondary education requirements for staff.

Plans must include how the state will strengthen provider business skills that will help expand supply and improve the quality of early learning and development programs.

Section 7: Support Continuous Quality Improvements

Reporting on quality improvement activities and findings that are part of statewide needs assessments is required.

In addition to outlining the quality improvement activities that are in place, states must report on whether they have adopted a quality rating and improvement system in addition to any financial incentives or daycare center grants they offer to improve the quality and supply of infant and toddler care.

Section 8: Ensure Program Integrity and Accountability

In the final section, states must describe which effective internal controls are in place to ensure accountability and integrity while maintaining continuous service. This includes the ways the state plans to address reducing fraud, waste, and abuse, including program violations and administrative errors.

The entire application for CCDF funds for daycare center grants, school enrichment, and the support of low-income families attaining high-quality childcare can be found here.

Eligibility Requirements as per the CCDF Application to Receive Daycare Center Grant Opportunities

Section 3 of the document that we have outlined throughout this article discusses the eligibility criteria of families seeking out grants for daycare or other childcare assistance.

The eligibility for children and families for the year of 2022-2023 to receive grants for daycare are as follows:

• Children must be younger than the age of 13
• Children must reside with a family whose income is less than 85% of the state median income for a family of the same size
• Family’s assets must not exceed $1,000,000
• Children must reside with parent or caregivers who are attending job training or are employed.
• Are a child requiring protective services and resides with parents not described in this section.

These are the basic requirements set by the federal government, but the state or territory does have some room for slight customizations.

Family Contributions to Payments in Conjunction with Grants for Daycare

Even if a family is eligible for a daycare center grant, they may still have some type of payment contribution or copay due to their annual earnings.

This copay that is due in addition to the daycare center grant payment varies based on the size and income of the family, with each family’s contribution calculated to ensure it is not a barrier to those children receiving CCDF daycare center grants.

To help families transition off child care assistance, co-pay amounts may be gradually adjusted for families determined to be eligible under a graduated phase-out of receiving grants for daycare.

Access to Daycare Center Grants for Children with Special Needs

Special priority is given for daycare center grants to children with special needs, in families with extremely low-incomes, or who are experiencing homelessness.

The prioritization of CCDF grants for daycare is not limited to eligibility determination. Other ways to give priority can include the establishment of a waiting list or the ranking of eligible family’s priority order to be served.

Other Important Points to Note About Receiving Grants for Daycare through the CCDF

Though these rules and regulations may seem stringent, there are checks and balances put in place to ensure the continuity of financial assistance going to families in need.

For working families, regardless of changes in income, your CCDF daycare center grants may not be terminated during the minimum 12-month period if a family has an increase in income that exceeds the states income eligibility threshold, but not the federal threshold of 85% of the state’s median income.

Also, financial assistance with daycare center grants may not be terminated prior to the end of the minimum 12-month period if the family experiences a temporary job loss or change in participation in training or educational activity. It is also noted that a temporary change cannot have a set time limit, for example, 60 days.

If Discontinuation of CCDF Funds Does Occur – What You’re Entitled to, and How to Reclaim Your Grants for Daycare

While the option is there for the state to discontinue assistance from a non-temporary loss of work or cessation of attendance at a job training or educational program (also known as the parent’s “eligible activity”) but is not required to discontinue the grants for daycare.

If the decision is made to discontinue to financial assistance, it is required that the family continue to receive the help they were getting at the same level for a period of no less than 3 months after said loss.

This three-month period allows the parent or guardian to engage in a job search and to resume work or attendance in job training or their educational program.

At the end of the minimum 3-month period of continued assistance, if the parent has engaged in a qualifying work, training, or educational program activity with an income below 85% of the state median income, assistance cannot be terminated.

In this situation, the child must continue receiving their daycare center grant assistance until the next scheduled redetermination, or for another 12-month eligibility period.

Receiving Daycare Center Grants and Financial Assistance in Missouri

We hope that this outline of the CCDF daycare center grant program has helped you in understanding what the program is, how it works, and how you can be deemed eligible for a daycare center grant in Missouri.

Despite all the rules and regulations, these services are kept in place in order to help families receive the assistance they need to ensure their children get the high-quality education they deserve.

If you have questions that were not answered in this article, please feel free to contact the team at Child Care Aware^® of Missouri, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to speak to one of our knowledgeable representatives who will be able to point you in the right direction.

The decision to begin preparing to obtain your CDA Child care certification can be a massive undertaking.  Locating CDA Child care assistance to help you learn what you’ll need to know, explain the process, and help with the cost can add to the stress.  

Child Care Aware^® of Missouri encourages the childcare educators of tomorrow to obtain CDA child care certification, as it is a nationally recognized credential and one of the first formal steps in a career in early childhood education.  

Since obtaining your CDA child care certification comprises multiple steps, including an exam, an observation, and a professional portfolio, Child Care Aware^® of Missouri provides CDA child care assistance for future childcare development associates.  

We have compiled this resource to help you during the process and to “lighten the load” completing your CDA certification.  We will dive into what is involved in the CDA Scholarship Project, how to apply, and what other criteria are required to obtain your CDA child care certification. 

Why Obtain Your CDA Child Care Certification? 

The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential is nationally recognized as a professional credential administered by the Council for Professional Recognition.  

The CDA is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is a vital piece of the puzzle when attempting to advance your career in ECE.  

The CDA is based on a core set of competency standards that help guide child care professionals as they work toward becoming a teacher of young children.  

CDAs understand how to put CDA Competency Standards into practice while also understanding the “why” of how those standards can help children successfully move from one developmental stage to another.  

Earning your CDA enhances and advances your career and comes with many benefits, such as increasing your confidence, providing a more comprehensive range of employment opportunities, and personally and professionally empowering you.

CDA Child Care Assistance for Your Application

The first step in obtaining your CDA child care certification is to determine eligibility and submit your application.  If you’re looking for CDA child care assistance from the CDA Scholarship Project, the first thing you’ll need to decide is if you want to earn your CDA child care certification through clock hours or college credit hours.  

Earning Your CDA Child Care Certification Through Clock Hours

To complete your CDA via clock hours, you must: 

• Work in a licensed, license-exempt child care program or as a “six or fewer” provider.
• Work in a child care program that accepts DSS Subsidy
• Work a minimum of 15 hours per week at the child care program
• Work at least one month at the child care program

If you fit these criteria, you can apply using clock hours by enrolling today through CCAMO. 

If you want to complete your CDA utilizing college credit hours, you must apply via T.E.A.C.H. Missouri Website.  You must meet the following criteria for eligibility into the T.E.A.C.H. Missouri CDA child care assistance scholarship program: 

• Work in a licensed child care program in Missouri
• Work in a child care program registered to accept child care subsidies. 
• Work directly with children birth-5 years old. 
• Work at least 25 hours per week. 
• Worked at the child care program for at least three consecutive months.
• Make less than $20/hour as an educator or $25/hour as a director or owner. 
• Want to earn a CDA in an infant/toddler, preschool, or family child care setting. 

CDA Child care Assistance for Your Examination

The first step in obtaining your CDA child care certification is your exam.  This test has 65 multiple-choice questions taken on a computer at your local testing center. 

There are various options for attaining CDA child care assistance for your examination, such as courses and workshops. Still, we will discuss just a few things you should know to prepare for your CDA child care certification exam to get you started.

Top Three Things to be aware of for Your CDA Child Care Examination

• Process of Elimination: Since the test has all multiple-choice questions, it’s beneficial to practice automatically eliminating any options that do not fit the scenario, leaving you with only answers that are potentially in the running.  Not only will this automatically help you feel more confident about each question, but it will also improve your chances of answering the question correctly.

• How Questions Will be Asked: The questions on your CDA child care exam will mostly be situational. Situational questions mean that you must pick the answer selection that most closely matches how you would respond in a specific situation.  

• Practice Tests: The only way to get accustomed to the types of questions on the exam is to study using practice tests.  Remember, practice tests are not the actual questions on your exam but are formatted to be very similar.  With most questions being situational, and all of the questions being multiple-choice, preparing with a practice test is an excellent idea. 

CDA Child Care Assistance for Your Observation

During your verification visit, the professional development (PD) specialist you have selected will come to your place of work for approximately 4 hours.  

Your professional development specialist is responsible for completing the CDA verification visit, reviewing your documentation, observing you as your work with the children, and conducting a reflective dialogue with you.  After their observation, they will electronically submit your scores to the Council. 

The PD specialist will spend the first hour reviewing your portfolio, followed by a 2-hour observation period of you in the classroom, ending with about an hour-long conversation going over the professional development specialist’s feedback. 

The most comforting part of the verification process is that you will know when your observation is taking place, allowing you to prepare for it ahead of time.  

Knowing when the verification meeting is means you can tailor your lesson plans to align with what your PD specialist is looking for.  

You can locate the information regarding what your PD specialist will consider in the back of your competency standards booklet.  

The PD specialist uses those exact pages to guide their observations, so don’t forget to check those pages and plan your day around what the specialist is planning to see. 

You can locate more information on CDA child care assistance for your verification visit and information on the rest of the application process by visiting the Council for Professional Recognition’s CDA FAQ page. 

Most importantly, try not to look at the PD specialist as someone you should be fear.  These specialists are here to give you CDA childcare assistance to help you become the best early childhood educator you can be, and you should try to view them as the wealth of knowledge they are.

CDA Child care Assistance for Your Portfolio

It’s critical to ensure that the portfolio element of your CDA application accurately reflects you and your teaching style.  It’s crucial to ensure your portfolio is accurate because it may not be possible to be in a room you’re familiar with for your observation. 

The switching of rooms creates a dilemma.  Part of your CDA application that the PD specialist considers is the environment – is it clean?  Are toys away?  Are books age-appropriate?  When you’re in a room that is not your own, it may be out of your control to change these things.  

Ensuring that your portfolio accurately represents how you manage, maintain, and run your classroom is vital to giving the PD specialist a well-rounded view of who you are as an early childhood educator.  An accurate portrayal of you as an educator will help them feel more confident in approving your CDA child care certification.  

When looking for CDA child care assistance in building your portfolio, Google can be a wealth of knowledge.  There are videos, courses, and other top content that will walk you through the intricacies of completing your CDA portfolio.

CDA Child care Assistance for Payment

In addition to needing assistance in completing the CDA child care certification process, from exam to your portfolio, Child Care Aware^® of Missouri also realizes the need for financial CDA child care assistance.  It’s for this reason that multiple scholarship opportunities are available for those hoping to obtain their CDA.  

Child Care Aware^® of Missouri CDA Project

Child Care Aware^® of Missouri CDA Project helps child care educators through the CDA credentialing process, pays the candidates’ application fee, and gives potential CDAs money for earning their CDA credential.  

Additionally, we provide help finding clock-hour workshops if the candidate finds themselves in need of training hours.

T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Missouri Scholarship Models

Child Care Aware^® of Missouri administers T.E.A.C.H. Missouri, which offers a CDA scholarship and Entry Associate Degree Scholarship.  Eligible candidates must be enrolled in an approved Missouri 2-year college.  

If the candidate meets this requirement, T.E.A.C.H. Missouri will pay 90% of tuition and books and 100% of qualifying college fees.  

Resources Round-up: Where to Look for Help in Obtaining Your CDA Child Care Certification 

When looking for further CDA child care assistance on your journey to becoming a CDA, the Council for Professional Recognition’s website can be an excellent source of help.  

There, you will find other programs, resources, and organizations offering CDA childcare assistance to prospective child development associates.

If you want further information on how to receive CDA child care assistance financially, look no further than Child Care Aware^® of Missouri’s website.  

Here we explain the differences between the different types of CDA’s and go into detail on how you can get more information on scholarships and funding. 

Lastly, we recommend the T.E.A.C.H. Missouri website for your research in attaining CDA child care assistance.  T.E.A.C.H. details on how to apply for your CDA child care certification, what the criteria are to enroll, and the steps you must take after acceptance to be granted your CDA child care certification. 

While it may be a bit confusing initially, after reading through the literature and websites recommended in this article, it should seem far more straightforward.  If you need further assistance deciding how to start your CDA, you can contact the ECE Council from Monday through Friday, 8 am to 7 pm EST.   

In Closing – Deciding to Go After Your CDA Child Care Certification

If you’re reading this article, you’re likely looking to enhance your early childhood education career and set yourself up for an abundant future in childhood education. In that case, there are many resources to give you the CDA child care assistance you require for your CDA child care certification. 

A CDA-certified early childhood educator is far more likely to excel in their career and, more importantly, become an educator who helps their students in the most effective ways possible. 

Additionally, your CDA will help to increase your confidence as a teacher, resulting in better outcomes. After completing your CDA credentialing process, you will better understand what is developmentally applicable for each student under your care.  

When we have teachers and caregivers who are intent on each student’s success, the result is children who believe in themselves and can excel in their studies.  

If you have more questions on receiving your CDA or steps about how you can receive CDA childcare assistance, please visit the Child Care Aware^® of Missouri website.   There you will find an abundance of articles and resources that discuss the CDA credentialing process from start to finish. 

If you’ve heard there’s a program in Missouri that promotes healthy physical activity in child care settings, then you’re probably thinking of MOve Smart. Curious readers have found themselves in the right place — we’re here to take you through all aspects of the program, from child care professional training to earning the distinction for your child care facility.

We’re going to spend a lot of this piece exploring why physical activity is an important aspect of early childhood care, and that’s because MOve Smart is all about promoting those youngest kids getting active. If you don’t believe that’s a worthwhile goal, then you’re not going to care one way or the other about MOve Smart and its associated child care professional training. We’ll go through the specifics of the program first for anybody who doesn’t need to be convinced of its importance, and then we’ll move into explaining more of the rationale behind those guidelines. 

In one of the last sections, we’re going to debunk several of the common myths surrounding physical activity for kids under 5. Lots of adults are only thinking about it as exercise through their own lens, and they might fail to consider some important details of children’s specific needs in this department. 

Before we get into that, we’ve got to make sure everyone’s on the same page. So, let’s get some basic information out of the way.

What is MOve Smart?

Like we said at the top, MOve Smart is a program in the state of Missouri that aims to help child care workers get kids active in age-appropriate ways. There are two pieces to this. Individual instructors can take the MOve Smart child care professional training, but child care facilities can also earn MOve Smart recognition. There’s a core level recognition as well as an advanced one. Here are the criteria for each:

Core Level Criteria

1. A written activity policy communicated to staff and parents
2. At least 60 minutes of unstructured physical activity built in to toddlers’ and preschoolers’ daily schedules
3. At least 30 minutes of physical activity led by the teacher for toddlers and preschoolers each day
4. Staff modeling and promoting active play
5. All staff completing the MOve Smart child care professional training
6. Never withholding physical activity as a punishment

Advanced Level Criteria

1. Having an indoor play space that allows for moderate to vigorous physical activity
2. Having an outdoor play space for active play
3. Structured physical activity is regularly integrated into learning activities at least twice per day
4. Children under 2 years old are allowed no screen time, and older children are allowed no more than 30 minutes per week of screen time for educational or physical activity purposes
5. Except for naps and meals, children are not sedentary for longer than 30 minutes at a time throughout the day
6. Area includes visual materials that promote physical activity, like books, posters, or pictures

Who can receive MOve Smart recognition?

The MOve Smart Child Care program is open to all early care and education facilities in the state of Missouri, as it’s awarded by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. That includes traditional child care centers as well as family child care homes and group homes. Head Start sites, which are branches of a federal early childhood program, are also eligible to pursue MOve Smart recognition.

Again, it bears repeating that the recognition and the child care professional training of the same name are by no means the same thing. Anyone can complete the child care professional training on the state’s website. It’s an hour-long, online course. 

What are the benefits of receiving MOve Smart recognition? 

There’s more than just the satisfaction of knowing the children in your care are getting the right level of activity and kinds of movement to promote their health. One of the next biggest rewards is that your facility will be listed on the DHSS website, and your status as a MOve Smart-recognized program will be included in the Child Care Aware provider search and Healthy Child Care newsletter. You’ll be signaling to your current families as well as prospective ones that your facility is a great place for children to start off their physical activity journeys.

You’ll also be able to promote your MOve Smart recognition on your own through using the logo on your website and any printed materials you might have made. The DHSS provides all of the recognized programs with a certificate of achievement, window cling, poster, and sample press release, so you’ll be prepared to celebrate and advertise your new standing however you see fit.

How do you apply for MOve Smart recognition?

Now that you’re sold on the benefits of this kind of recognition, you’re ready to complete the associated child care professional training and/or apply for recognition. Here’s the process for that application:

• Decide if you want your facility to be recognized at the Core or Advanced level.
• Send an email to [email protected] letting the department know you’d like to apply for the recognition. They can get you in touch with some support and resources that might help you along in your application process.
• Go over the requirements and make any necessary alterations to your child care facility in order to meet those criteria. This includes making sure all staff members have completed the necessary child care professional training. 
• Submit the application, including relevant documentation

That’s it! You’ll hear back about the goodies you receive with your recognition shortly. Do keep in mind that the recognition is only valid for one year at a time, so you’ll have to renew annually with a self-assessment.

Why is physical activity important for young children?

There are all kinds of reasons why getting young children active will benefit them, both in the long run and more immediately. It’s pretty apparent that physical activity positively impacts bone and muscle strength, flexibility, and blood pressure. Those bodily benefits almost go without saying. What might be more of a surprise to you are all the mental benefits that go along with them. Physical activity can help the brain think better as well as improve moods and sleep quality. These are all important aspects of a child’s overall wellbeing, not to mention performance in school. A child care professional training on this subject will cover all these topics in more detail than we have space for here, if you’re interested in learning more.

Some Common Misconceptions about Physical Activity for Young Children

Many of us are far more familiar with the rules and guidelines surrounding exercise for adults and maybe even for school aged kids. When it comes to physical activity needs for toddlers and even younger kids, though, there’s usually a lot more confusion and uncertainty. Here are some of the more common misconceptions about physical activity for the youngest kids and the truth about what they need to thrive.

Myth: Continuous activity is always better than sporadic activity.

Since adults tend to block out a specific portion of their day or week for exercise, many people are under the impression that physical activity for just a few minutes at a time isn’t worthwhile or is inferior to spending 30 minutes or more on movement. 

Fact: Physical activity should be built into a toddler’s schedule throughout the day.

Young children don’t have the attention span for “workouts” as adults are used to them. As is exemplified in the MOve Smart criteria, building in brief periods of activity throughout the day to add up to 30 or 60 minutes is a great way to get young kids moving. That way, their natural spurts of energy can be utilized and followed up with rest periods or instruction where they need to be still. 

Myth: How often children are active at very young ages doesn’t really influence how active they are later in life.

When a child is jumping around with scarves or climbing on the playground, it’s hard to imagine that those little activities are going to have much of an effect on how often they hit the gym when they’re older. Many people think that kids will outgrow sedentary ways once they get to school or once they’re able to workout in the ways we typically imagine. 

Fact: Attitudes toward and habits around physical activity start young and last a long time.

Those who start out with a sedentary lifestyle don’t magically become active once they hit adulthood. Building those habits and mindsets starts at a very early age. According to the MOve Smart workbook, “Physical activity patterns develop in childhood and tend to last through adulthood.” You’ll learn more about this principle in relevant child care professional training.

Myth: Structured activity is better than unstructured play time.

Many adults are under the impression that in order for physical activity to be useful, an adult needs to lead it. Making sure kids do the “right” kind of activity is very important, and you need to have very specific child care professional training in order to lead the kids correctly.

Fact: Free, creative physical activity is vital to children’s development.

While it’s true that having structured ways to get active is an important aspect of a child’s daily routine, it’s not any more important than letting a child loose on a playground or with active toys where they can create their own activities. As you’ll learn in the MOve Smart child care professional training, both elements should be built into each day’s schedule.

While it’s true that specific trainings can help teachers with ideas on the kinds of activities to lead, you don’t need to be a physical education teacher in order to encourage and participate in healthy movement.

Myth: You don’t need to be concerned about physical activity for infants — if they can’t even crawl, why bother?

Infants seem to be the very definition of sedentary for many adults. They can’t do anything by themselves, it seems, so why even waste a moment trying to build physical activity into their daily routines? They’re definitely not going to be playing hopscotch or throwing a ball for quite some time. 

Fact: There are lots of ways to promote proper physical activity with infants.

Even infants can benefit from a focus on physical activity, and many good child care professional training courses will tell you this. They need supervised tummy time every day — you can start with 3 to 5 minutes and then increase from there. You can also encourage them to reach for toys. That may not sound like much, but for the littlest kids, that’s as good as a trip to the gym. You should also be taking infants outside 2 to 3 times each day if possible, and you should try not to keep them confined in places like strollers and swings for more than 15 minutes at a time. 

MOve Smart child care professional training can help you shape a new generation of active kids.

Now that we’ve seen just how important regular physical activity is for children under 5, it should be a no-brainer to pursue MOve Smart recognition for your early childhood care facility. You can refer back to this piece during the process if you need any help along the way. We went over all the steps you need to take to achieve that recognition, and we’ve also covered why it’s such a good idea on several fronts, if you need to do any convincing. 

Making sure the next generation has everything they need to succeed is the number one job of child care workers. Promoting appropriate physical activity at every step along the way is a vital part of that mission, and MOve Smart child care professional training can help you get there.

If you need any other child care resources, check out the rest of what we do here at Child Care Aware^® of Missouri. You can also reach out to us here if you need help with something you can’t find. We’re always happy to do our best to connect you with the best resources we can.

The past couple years have forced us to get used to lots of life happening online. Child care training online is no exception. Of course, online child care workshops have existed for a while, and they’re by no means new, but they’re particularly well-suited to our current climate. You can learn a lot about the field without having to leave your home. Plus, since different states require child care workers to complete a certain number of training hours each year, they’re a great way to stay on top of your obligations. 

Taking child care training online has some benefits over in-person classes. The biggest one for many people is that it’s vastly more convenient. You won’t have to travel at all — you could even do it in your pajamas! The flip side, though, is that you’re missing out on any potential hands-on experience an in-person training might provide. Online courses are notoriously less engaging than in-person ones, and even though they’re more convenient and practical for our current situation, it can still be tricky to make them feel as impactful as a face-to-face option.

That’s where this post comes in. We’ll give you seven tips on how to make the most of taking child care training online. Our suggestions cover all sorts of different aspects of online child care workshops, and hopefully, you’ll be ready to take them head-on by the end of this piece. But before we get into all that, we have to cover some basics.

First, you have to know where to find them.

You can’t make the most of a training that you don’t sign up for. Therefore, we wanted to start with some tips on how to find child care training online. First, if you live and work in Missouri, you can always check out the Office of Childhood within the Department of Health and Senior Services. They have a list of all the different online child care trainings they offer. Starting here has two main perks: First, you’ll be sure that all of them count toward your required training hours for the year. Second, they’re all completely free. 

There are plenty of other places on the internet to find child care training online, but starting with a trusted resource like the DHSS is a great first move. That way, you’ll be sure that you’re getting good, reliable information and that you’re not wasting any time or money on courses that don’t fulfill your requirements. Other places to look for online child care workshops include any professional organizations that might offer them, especially if they’re ones you’re a member of or ones you’d like to join.

Also think about the specific kind of child care training you’d like to take. Then, try to find an organization that specializes in that area of the field. They might have online child care workshops that fit your needs. 

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get into the tips for taking child care training online.

Tip 1: Take it as seriously as you would an in-person training course.

Online child care workshops might not feel as official as their in-person counterparts, but if you can treat them as such, then you’re well on your way to making the most of child care training online. Come into the experience with the right attitude. You want to learn everything you can to increase your knowledge and abilities as a child care provider, and you’re taking child care training online as a means to that end. Most of the following tips all fall under this umbrella, and they’re more specific ways to make sure you’re staying on top of everything. 

Basically, this is a mindset thing. When you’re sitting on your couch with your laptop in front of you, it’s easier to be in relaxation mode instead of focus mode. At an in-person training event, you’re going to be primed to be more focused because you’re in a space designed for the workshop or class. You won’t be in the same area as all your typical chores and relaxation like you will be at home. So, when you’re taking child care training online, you need to put a conscious effort into treating it as seriously as an in-person class. This will help you get the most out of the experience.

Tip 2: Stay focused.

This is, of course, much easier said than done. This tip also dovetails nicely with the previous one. Since you’ll likely be at home to take child care training online, you’ll have all the things around the house that typically distract you. Try to eliminate as many of those as you can before starting online child care workshops. Set up a work zone somewhere with minimal distractions, or at least turn off the TV before you get started. If there are other people in the house, let them know when your online child care workshops are so that they won’t bother you during the training (as long as they remember).

Another way to increase your focus is to choose the right time to do your training, provided that it’s an on-demand situation. If you’re doing some kind of synchronous class or participating in a Q&A session with an expert in the field, then you’re not going to have much of a choice when it comes to the timing of your class. However, if you are able to choose when to complete your training, doing it at a time when you’ll have the least amount of distractions and are at your most focused is a great idea.

Tip 3: Supplement with in-person options when you can.

Okay, so we’ll admit this is less of a tip for child care training online and more of a suggestion in addition to those courses. Lots of hybrid options can be a great way to combine in-person experience with the convenience of online courses. Online child care workshops are definitely missing the kinds of face-to-face connections that you can get from in-person offerings, so see if you can add that component in elsewhere. You might learn about first aid in an online course, for example, and then take a hands-on CPR class to complement that theoretical knowledge with some practical experience. 

This strategy isn’t feasible for every type of child care training, but it’s a good one to keep in mind when you’re scheduling your different classes for the year. Finding a good mix, when possible, can help even things out.

Tip 4: Take notes.

What you learn in a child care training online can serve you for a long time to come. You’ll want to be able to remember what you learn in online child care workshops, and keeping notes of what went down is a great way to ensure that longevity. You’ll have them to look back on for as long as you can keep track of them, and it might also help you retain the information better.

How you choose to take notes is up to you. Some people prefer to type up their notes while others are dead-set on pen and paper. Especially since you’re taking the child care training online, it might be helpful to have one solid, non-digital element like physical notes to fall back on. Whatever method you choose, it can be helpful to stay organized. Get a notebook specifically for your training classes and take all your notes there. Make sure you write down the name and date of the course. Or, if you’re choosing to go digital, keep your notes in one document or folder that has a descriptive name. That can help you find them later.

Figure out a system that works for you and stick to it. You’ll have an easier time recalling the information as well as pulling up your notes when you’d like to refer back to them. Even though you’re probably not going to have to take a big final exam for any of these comparatively low-stakes online child care workshops, you’ll still want to be able to feel like you learned something to truly make the most of it.

Tip 5: Get your technology in order.

You want to make sure everything works before a scheduled child care training online. That includes a stable internet connection, a computer that won’t randomly crash in the middle of the workshop, speakers or headphones that you’ll be able to hear clearly out of, and potentially a microphone, if it’s a live class where participation is encouraged. Make sure your setup includes all the things you’ll need for this particular child care training online. That way, you can avoid any mid-workshop catastrophes, and you can stay focused on learning instead of trying to troubleshoot any technical issues. This will make your training time much more efficient. 

Enlist help if you need it. There might be resources within the class you’re taking, or you might have to seek outside assistance. Whatever the case, you should make note of exactly what you’ll need for this specific course and then ensure you’ve got all those things ready to go. You won’t gain anything from online child care workshops you can’t access, so make sure you’ve got the digital resources you need.

Tip 6: Network, if possible.

This one is a bit of a stretch for a lot of you taking child care training online. However, we figured it was worth mentioning just to underscore how important it is. Not all online child care workshops have the option of getting to know other people taking the training, but if there is some kind of chat function, make the most of it. 

Most of these trainings are just going to be watching some videos and taking some quizzes, but if you do end up in a more traditional online course, you might be able to meet some like-minded professionals. Networking is always a good idea to set a foundation for advancing in your chosen field. And surrounding yourself with other child care providers who value gaining new information and insight through online child care workshops is never a bad idea.

So, this is all to say that if it’s at all possible to connect with other people taking the courses you are, then you should definitely go for it. Building a network takes work, and this can be the start of a great one.

Tip 7: Keep track of what trainings you take.

This is a great way to finish out your online child care workshops strong. You want to make sure you can refer back to which trainings you’ve already taken, and you’ll want to be able to prove that you have successfully completed the class. Get documentation if it’s necessary and available. That might mean printing off a certificate at the end of the course or saving a screenshot of it. You might also be able to prove you’ve completed a child care training online in another way, so just make sure you know what your options are with the specific courses you’re taking. 

The last thing you want is to be short training hours at the end of the year because you assumed you’d taken enough but hadn’t kept track, or because you can’t prove that you really did take enough classes. Keeping good records of your child care trainings will help prevent these headaches.

Now, you’re set up for success with child care training online.

By now, you’re fully aware of the basic steps you need to take to make sure you’re getting the most out of your online child care workshops. You can find, participate in, and learn from some great online child care trainings, and you know how to keep those benefits for years to come.

If you need any other help finding resources related to child care, whether that’s training for child care providers or any other element of this very complicated field, you can always start with us here at Child Care Aware^® of Missouri. You can reach out to us here if you have any further questions. We’re always happy to see if we can connect you with the right resources to meet your needs, whether that’s online child care workshop-related or otherwise.

Becoming more highly qualified as a child care provider has so many benefits — benefits for you, for the children you care for, for their parents, and for society at large. Those are some big incentives. Even if you want to advance your knowledge and career, though, it might be hard to find somewhere to start. That’s where a CDA certification in Missouri comes in. 

If you’re asking, “What is a CDA in child care?” then we probably need to start at the very beginning. CDA stands for Child Development Associate. A national organization called the Council for Professional Recognition sponsors this prestigious certification, and it’s recognized worldwide. We’re here to answer all your questions about this certification, going far beyond just, “What is a CDA in child care?” 

Embarking on a journey like achieving your CDA certification in Missouri can be a little daunting, but hopefully, having all the relevant information will make the process slightly less intimidating. We’ve attempted to compile some of the most common questions about the certification, from basics like, “What is a CDA in child care?” to more in-depth questions like how long the process takes and how often you have to renew a CDA certification in Missouri. We’ll even direct you to more resources, where appropriate.

Okay, without further ado, let’s get into it. Here’s your (mostly) complete guide to achieving your CDA certification.

What is a CDA in Child Care?

A CDA in child care is a certification that proves you have what it takes to be a successful early childhood care provider. It’s a way to quantify your knowledge and expertise in this very complex field. Earning your CDA certification in Missouri is going to be a major boost toward advancing your career in early childhood education. 

Because the process of earning a CDA has multiple steps, there are several different pieces involved in answering the question, “What is a CDA in child care?” There are three main elements: An exam, an observation, and a professional portfolio. We’ll give you more detail on those in the “How do I earn my CDA certification in Missouri?” section a little later on, but the goal right here is to provide a high-level overview of the certification. 

The bottom line is that the CDA is a well-respected credential, and if you’re interested in furthering your career in early childhood education, it’s definitely something you should look into.

Do I need child care experience to apply for a CDA? 

Yes. Before you can even start the process, you need to complete 480 hours of experience working with young children and 120 hours of formal training. The specific requirements for that training will depend on which track you’re choosing. You can pick from Center-Based Preschool, Center-Based Infant-Toddler, Family Child Care, and Home Visitor. No matter which track you choose, you need that training to cover eight different areas. They are:

• Planning a safe and healthy learning environment
• Advancing children’s physical and intellectual development
• Supporting children’s social and emotional development
• Building productive relationships with families
• Managing an effective program operation
• Maintaining a commitment to professionalism
• Observing and recording children’s behavior
• Understanding principles of child development and learning

There will be slight variations depending on the track you’ve chosen. In terms of experience, you also need to keep the observation component of the CDA in mind. You’ll need to be actively working or volunteering in a child care job in your chosen track in order for the CDA PD specialist to observe you working with children. We’ll dive deeper into the exact requirements of the different stages of the process in the next section. For now, it’s just important to note that you do need a fairly significant amount of child care experience and training before you can begin pursuing your CDA.

How do I earn my CDA certification in Missouri?

To earn your CDA certification in Missouri (or in any other state, but since we’re located in Missouri, that’s where we’ll keep our focus), you need to prove that you’re a qualified child care provider. There are several steps to this process. You can view them all in detail on the Council for Professional Recognition’s site, but we’ll give you a brief overview here. We touched on the three main components of the CDA in the “What is a CDA in child care?” section earlier, so now, let’s get a little more detailed. 

The Exam

This test consists of 65 multiple-choice questions, and they’ll be a lot tougher than, “What is a CDA in child care?” You’ll take the exam on a computer at a testing center. It covers different aspects of child care. You might leave your test anxiously wondering whether you passed or not, but that’s not how this exam works. The Council takes your exam results and weighs them with the other aspects of your application, and you’ll only hear if you achieved the credential or not. You won’t know if you “passed” the exam or not. So, take all the different components seriously, and one you’re stronger in might balance out your weaker spots.

The Observation

A CDA PD specialist will visit the place where you work or volunteer with children and assess how you do. Before they can do that, though, you’ll need to find a PD specialist in your area and contact them — you can start that process here. 

Once you’ve found a PD specialist to conduct the observation, they’ll look over your professional portfolio, which we’ll touch on in the next section. They’ll also speak to you in a reflection period, discussing your different strengths and weaknesses that they’ve identified from their observations. 

The Portfolio

The professional portfolio is the final piece to the CDA certification in Missouri. You will need to submit several different kinds of documents as part of your portfolio: Education documentation, family questionnaires, reflective statements of competence, resources, and a professional philosophy statement. Remember that the PD specialist will review your portfolio as part of your observation.

Who recognizes a CDA certification in Missouri?

CDA enjoys worldwide recognition, so any child care provider worth their salt in Missouri should be duly impressed by your CDA certification. They’ll know all the steps you had to take to go from learning what a CDA in child care is to earning one for yourself.

What kind of barriers to entry are there?

There are definitely financial barriers to completing your CDA certification in Missouri. The application for the test alone costs upwards of $400, and that’s not factoring in any training or studying costs. You’ll have to buy the CDA Competency Standards book when you apply for your initial credential, and there are two other books the Council offers to help you prepare for your portfolio and exam.

Depending on your area and circumstances, you might struggle with other aspects of the process, too — you might have trouble locating a suitable PD specialist, or you might face difficulties scheduling training and work experience hours. Fortunately, there are other organizations that can help you diminish these barriers to entry, specifically the cost.

Can I get help paying for my CDA certification in Missouri?

Yes. There are definitely CDA scholarship opportunities out there to help you earn that credential. For example, Child Care Aware^® of Missouri offers a CDA Scholarship Project, paying for your application fee, a bonus once you complete your CDA certification in Missouri, and supporting you along the way. If you’re interested in earning a CDA certification in Missouri, Child Care Aware^® of Missouri is definitely the place to go for assistance. 

However, if you live in a different state, you should check with your local child care resource and referral agencies. You should be able to find assistance with earning your CDA no matter what state you live in.

How long does it take to achieve a CDA certification?

It will depend. If you’re counting from when you find out what a CDA in child care is to the time you’ve completed your certification, it can be quite some time. You have to rack up all those training and experience hours before you can apply, take the exam, and complete your observation, after all. You’ll definitely want to take your time studying for the exam and compiling your portfolio items. But once you’ve completed all of the components, it shouldn’t take more than a handful of business days to find out whether you’ve achieved the certification or not.

When do I have to renew my CDA certification in Missouri?

A CDA is valid for three years. That might not sound like very long, but with a field this complex, it’s important to stay up-to-date. You won’t be asking basic questions like, “What is a CDA in child care?” anymore, but you might still have questions about that important renewal process. 

There are certain requirements you have to meet before you can apply for renewal. You need to have completed a certain amount of training, including approved first aid and pediatric CPR training (check out this PDF for more specifics). You’ll also have to be a current member of an early childhood education professional organization when you apply for renewal, and you’ll need someone to serve as your verifier. The last component (other than the $125 fee) is verification of 80 hours of work in your chosen child care setting.

Do make sure you renew your CDA before it expires — you can submit your renewal application as much as six months before that expiration date. If you want to change the track you chose for your CDA, you’ll have to go through the regular process again, not the renewal process.

If you have any more questions about the process, you can get free renewal guides from the Council for Professional Recognition. 

Where can I go for more help in this process?

Like we said at the beginning, the Council’s website is a great resource for more in-depth information on all the different steps in the process. There, you can also look up organizations that offer further assistance. Plus, we’ve also mentioned Child Care Aware^® of Missouri as a good place to go for more help, specifically if you’re trying to earn a CDA certification in Missouri.

How will I benefit from achieving my CDA certification in Missouri?

We’ve already touched on how you’ll benefit in the “What is a CDA in child care?” section — namely, through opportunities for career advancement. Having this sort of well-recognized credential to add to your resume can open up all kinds of new career opportunities. 

Not only will you benefit, but so will the children in your program. Through the training, exam, and reflection components, you’ll grow as a child care provider. You’ll have the skills to give the children in your care an even better jump start on their futures. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Now you know the answer to, “What is a CDA in child care?”

We’ve answered that question quite thoroughly — at least, we hope we did! To dive into all the intricacies of a CDA certification, we answered that initial question as well as a lot of other, supplementary ones. We went through the initial process of earning a CDA as well as the basics on how to renew the credential before it expires. Now, you should know how to set off on your CDA journey, what resources you’ll need, and how you’ll benefit once you achieve your CDA certification in Missouri. 

From “What is a CDA in child care?” to “How will I benefit form a CDA?” all your most pressing questions about this certification should have been addressed here. If not, we also directed you toward other resources to help you along the CDA process, and they’ll be more help than a simple blog post ever could be. 

You may have started out by asking, “What is a CDA in child care?” We hope you’ll end up earning that credential and spreading the wealth, explaining what a CDA in child care is to the next group of interested child care professionals.

We probably don’t have to tell you that child care providers training is one of the most vital ways of ensuring our children are well cared for. When child care providers have the appropriate knowledge and skills, they can use their expertise to provide the highest quality care for all the children they are charged with.

As such, many states require a certain number of child care providers training hours each year. In Missouri, you need to log 12 clock hours of approved child care providers training in order to remain a licensed caregiver. Not all of the types of child care providers training on this list will fulfill that requirement, but they are all programs that will make you a better child care provider, which is its own reward.

Some of the programs listed here are geared more toward getting you ready to start your career as a child care provider, while others are intended for those who are already established in the field. Skim through and identify which ones would best suit your needs, then you can use that as a jumping off point for the kinds of child care providers training that you want to pursue. We’ve included information about ways you can get help paying for some of these programs where appropriate, like a CDA scholarship (more on that later). 

Okay, with all those caveats out of the way, let’s get into it. Here are nine child care providers trainings that can help take your career to the next level.

1. CPR and First Aid

This is likely the most basic child care providers training course out there. CPR and First Aid classes are very common and very easy to find. Not only is it an essential child care providers training, but it’s also vital to many other types of positions. 

You’ll learn a lot of valuable skills in this type of course. By the end, you should be prepared to react in emergency situations and provide the right kind of care. There are special instructions when it comes to CPR for children and infants, so you should make sure the course you take covers those, too.

We decided to start with this one because it’s easily accessible, vitally important, and it’s also required by the state of Missouri. To count for those state requirements, the training must be conducted at least partially in person. You also have to take the training from one of the approved models (you can find the list here). 

CPR and First Aid training will count toward your annual clock hours as long as the person or organization that trains you was approved by the Section for Child Care Regulation. If you opt for a CPR and First Aid course that is partially online and partially in person, the online portion will not count toward those clock hours. 

2. Water Safety

Maybe you don’t anticipate being in the water in your child care job, but adding on water safety skills to your child care providers training can be a nice bonus. It might open up all kinds of other opportunities for you. Plus, it’s better to be over prepared than underprepared. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to watch children around a body of water, you’ll be glad you took this type of training, even if it seemed unnecessary at the time.

Much like CPR and First Aid training, this sort of course is not all that difficult to come by. You’ll learn how to reduce the risk of drowning as much as possible with a focus on young children, and you’ll learn various concepts and techniques for how to prevent a tragedy in the water. There’s also often an emphasis on applying these ideas and methods to common situations you might encounter. By the end of the training, you should be fairly confident in your abilities to keep children safe around pools and other bodies of water.

This probably isn’t the first training you think of or one of the first you should complete on your journey to becoming a child care provider, but it’s a nice one to add on, especially if your job involves water. This next kind of child care providers training, however, is one that’s absolutely essential.

3. Sleep Safe Training

The state of Missouri requires this type of course for child care facilities that are licensed to care for kids less than one year old. You’ll need to take this class once every three years to stay up-to-date on all the latest best practices. These will also count toward your yearly clock hours. There’s a list of approved providers that you can find here, if you’re interested.

In one of these trainings, you’ll learn all about how to keep infants safe while they’re sleeping. You’ll learn about the position they should be in (on their backs), what should be in the crib with them (essentially nothing), and all the other essential information on making sure babies are sleeping properly and with the lowest chance of harm.

In 2019, about 1,250 infants died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in the United States, and another 960 died due to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. In a sleep safe training course, you’ll learn best practices to prevent more avoidable infant deaths. We’ll talk about other child care providers training programs that are geared toward those caring for the youngest kids a little later, but a sleep safe training is a great place to start if you want to work with babies.

4. DHSS Online Training

This is less a type of child care providers training and more of a training resource. The Department of Health and Senior Services offers a variety of online courses to help you fulfill your clock hour requirements. They cover a range of topics — licensing, social and emotional health, poison safety, transportation, and more.

Even though these are completely online, they will count toward your yearly clock hours, and each course should tell you how many hours you’ll receive before you begin. There are quite a lot of rules and regulations regarding these, so make sure to read through them before you get started. All that information can be found here.

5. Youth Nutrition Specialist

Everybody has to eat, and making sure kids eat well is a key part of effective child care. Although these types of certifications are typically geared more toward existing nutritionists and health professionals, it can also be an addition onto your other child care providers training programs. You’ll learn about how to create nutritional plans and strategies for individual kids and all the things that go into that, which will support kids’ healthy growth. 

Unlike the CDA and CDA scholarship opportunities, which we’ll get into in more depth later, there aren’t very many financial aid options here. If you want to earn a degree in nutrition or a related field, that’s a bit of a different story. With just a certification, though, you’ll likely be on your own to cover the cost.

6. Certified Children’s Fitness Specialist

Much in the same vein as the youth nutrition specialist training, this one is not a required child care providers training, and it might not be one everyone’s interested in. Especially if you’re going to focus on caring for infants, fitness training might seem unnecessary to your career.

However, it might be a good add-on training if you’re passionate about getting kids moving. Childhood obesity affects one out of every five children and adolescents in the United States, making it a huge issue to tackle. This isn’t just a problem for older kids, either — the CDC’s most recent data shows that obesity affected 13.4 percent of 2- to 5-year-olds.

Again, like the nutrition certification, you’re probably going to have to pay for this one on your own. There are a lot of different organizations out there that provide this sort of training, though, and they come at various price points. Make it happen if your calling is increasing kids’ fitness levels.

7. Special Needs Care

Although this type of training isn’t required, it’s essential to making sure all children are cared for properly. There are a few options for this in Missouri. One is to look on the Missouri Workshop Calendar to find an inclusion specialist providing training, which will count toward your required clock hours. The other is to contact the inclusion specialist in your region and set up a session with them. That course will cost a small fee. The plus side, though, is that it’s so small most people shouldn’t have any trouble paying it and don’t need a program like a CDA scholarship. Which brings us to our next form of child care providers training…

8. CDA

One way to prove that you’ve had adequate child care providers training is by achieving your Child Development Associate (CDA). That’s a well-recognized credential that includes exam, observation, and portfolio components. We’ve been mentioning it and CDA scholarship opportunities throughout because it’s one of the most comprehensive child care providers trainings on this list. If you earn a CDA, you’ll be signaling to the world and your profession that you have the knowledge and skills to provide high-quality child care, and that you’re dedicated to your profession.

CDA Scholarships

If you need help paying for the program, you might be eligible for a CDA scholarship. The CDA costs $425 for an online application and $500 for a paper application, and that’s not including all the professional education hours you need to have completed before you ever submit an application. That can make it prohibitively expensive for some looking to break into the child care field. 

That’s why a CDA scholarship can be so beneficial. CDA scholarships are available through several different programs, and the CDA scholarship you opt to apply for will depend on how you want to earn those hours. Some states will offer a CDA scholarship to anyone who is income eligible, paying for some or all of your training, and potentially covering the assessment fee, as well. You should check with your state to see if you’d be a good candidate for their CDA scholarship program, if they have one.

If your state doesn’t have a CDA scholarship program, don’t let that stop you from achieving this designation. You should look into any other CDA scholarship options that might be available to you — reach out to your local child care resource and referral organization to get help.

9. Newborn Care Specialist Association Certification

This will be a helpful child care providers training if you want to work with infants. They require specialized care, so even if you’re great with slightly older children, it helps to familiarize yourself with their specific needs. That’s what this type of child care providers training accomplishes. 

To achieve this certification, you have to pass the exam set by the NCSA. To be able to do that, you’ll need to have taken the correct courses.

Unlike a CDA scholarship, an NCSA scholarship might come from the organization itself. You’ll need to contact them for more information about that, but if you can show that you need help paying for the training, the NCSA might offer you a scholarship.

Child care providers training is vital.

This list of potential training opportunities is far from exhaustive. There are nearly countless ways you can improve your abilities as a child care provider, and these are just a few of the most common, most important, and most accessible ones. We’ve taken you through opportunities that are quick classes and others that are intensive programs. We’ve also pointed out where you might have a good chance of getting help paying for those programs, like with a CDA scholarship. 

We definitely encourage you to do more research into any of these training courses that you think could advance your career or just make you a better child care provider. If you have any questions or need any resources, don’t be afraid to reach out to us here.