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Early childhood education is a blanket term for the teaching and care of young children. Its goal is to support children’s cognitive, emotional, physical and social development in their critical formative years.
For anyone drawn to this field, Child Development Associate (CDA) certification can be the proverbial foot in the door. It’s an industry-standard credential that qualifies candidates to work in daycare centers, preschools and private homes all over the U.S.
An essential component of CDA certification is the 120 hours of coursework that teaches the fundamental skills and concepts underlying early childhood education. With online CDA certification courses, you can get that training at a relatively low cost and on your own schedule. Taking an online CDA course can also help you prepare for the test, the professional portfolio and the verification visit that are also requirements for certification.
In this article, we discuss several noteworthy online CDA programs that can help you complete the required coursework and prepare for the exam. This list of CDA courses is a soft ranking, meaning it’s based purely on our research, rather than a true ranking with a methodology and objective data behind it. Courses are listed in alphabetical order