Getting my CDA gave me confidence in my job. I am much less stressed with skills that help me save time and add quality activities for my preschoolers.
– Family Child Care Owner, Southwest Missouri
CDA Scholarship Model
CDA Scholarship may best suit your needs if you are:
- Wanting to earn your national Child Development Associate (CDA) credential meeting the educational requirement through earning early childhood education college credits.
- Wanting to earn a credential prior to earning your Associate degree.
- Seeking a CDA as a requirement for employment.
Eligibility – All applicants must:
- Want to earn a CDA in an infant/toddler, preschool or family child care setting.
- Be at least 18 years old and have a high school or equivalency diploma.
- Work directly with children birth to 5 years old daily in a licensed or license-exempt child care program.
- Work directly with children at least 30 hours a week in a child care program.
- Make under $26.00/hour.
- Work in Missouri and be authorized to work in the U.S.
Once awarded a CDA Scholarship, participants will:
- Be assigned a TEACH Missouri CDA Scholarship Counselor who will assist throughout the entire CDA process.
- Enroll in the Missouri community college of their choice and earn 9 to 12 early childhood education college credit hours across 3 consecutive semesters successfully passing all classes.
- Pay only 5% of course tuition and books. For example, if class tuition is $300, your 5% portion would be only $15! Your sponsoring employer pays only 5% too!
- Commit to stay at your sponsoring child care program for 6 months after completing your 3 education semesters.
TEACH Missouri will:
- Pay 90% of the tuition and books for your 9-12 early childhood college credit hours.
- Pay 100% of your college fees.
- Pay you $430 (in two installments of $215) after you complete three semesters and 6 months of commitment time to your current child care program.
After earning your college credit hours, you will:
- Enroll in the Child Care Aware® of Missouri CDA Scholarship Project, where your TEACH Missouri CDA Scholarship Counselor will continue to assist you as you complete the CDA process toward your credential.
The CDA Scholarship Project will:
- Pay for your CDA™ Competency Standards workbook.
- Pay your $425 CDA application fee.
- Walk you through the process of setting up your CDA Verification Visit and CDA testing.
- Once you earn your CDA credential, reimburse you, and your sponsoring employer, the 5% you paid toward college tuition and books.
View CDA Scholarship Model:
TEACH Early Childhood® Missouri is a licensed program of the Early Years.
Current funding is a statewide quality initiative through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office of Childhood, Contract CS250431001.
