The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is a key stepping stone on the path of career advancement in ECE. The CDA Credential is based on a core set of Competency Standards, which guide early care and learning professionals as they work toward becoming qualified teachers of young children. The CDA helps early educators meet current state and national professional requirments. CDA recipients are component practitioners who value vital knowledge and skills and formal education. It has stood the test of time, with more than 350,000 CDA’s awarded since the early 70’s, and 20,000 new CDAs and 18,000 renewals in 2013 alone. Becoming a CDA is a big commitment, but one that creates confident practitioners with command of today’s best practices for teaching young children. The CDA is portable, recognized in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, community colleges, school districts and the military. The CDA Credential is awarded to early care and learning professionals who work in a variety of settings.