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CDA Renewal Information

Your CDA credential is valid for three years. After that time, it may be renewed for five-year periods. To renew your CDA at the end of the first three years, you have two training options:
  1. Complete a college course in early childhood prior to the time that your CDA expires.
  2. Complete 4.5 Continuing Education Units (CEU's) prior to the expiration of your CDA.
Additionally, you will need to have a letter of reference from someone who can verify your ongoing commitment to the field prior to your CDA renewal. There is a $50.00 fee for renewals.

For information about early childhood college courses offered by NSU over the Internet, click here. For information about other courses, see the NSU home page or contact NSU Child and Family Network at 1-800-796-9080 or the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at 1-800-749-2736.

What Are CEU's?

Continuing Education Units (CEU's) are different from clock hours. One CEU is received for each 10 hours of training with some additional requirements such as an assignment. Consequently, a 5-hour session offering CEU credit will give you .5 CEU's. To get 4.5 during the 3-year period before you must renew your CDA, it is best to take at least 15 hours of training that will give you 1.5 CEU credit each year. Training must meet certain criteria identified below to count as CEU's. The sessions we identify for CEU credit are designed to meet the special requirements for CDA renewal. Those special requirements are that the sponsoring agency insures that the training:
  • Seeks input about participants' training needs and plans the training to meet those needs.
  • Is long enough to explore a topic in depth.
  • Provides a means of measuring learning. This measure can be a project, activity, or other means of demonstrating that the participants have benefited and learned from the session.
  • Keeps a record for at least 7 years to document the training.
  • Has a qualified trainer to conduct the sessions.

CEU's will usually count for clock hour training, but clock hour training may not necessarily count for CEU credit. Unless training states that it meets the CEU requirements for CDA, it likely will not count for CDA renewal.

To view a listing of CEU courses offered and a registration form, click here.

To view a listing of the conferences and institutes sponsored by CFN that provide CEU credits, click here.