Jessica Francis, Kristy Sheffler, Ekaterina Novikova, Jason Hustedt, Melissa Schulte, Jessica Cheyney-Morgan, Christine Jimenez
June 2023
Summary
The DIEEC Child Development Associate (CDA) Professional Portfolio Preparation Program, conducted from July 2021 through June 2023, effectively supported early childhood educators across Delaware in completing the professional portfolio required to apply for a CDA credential.
Through the two-year program, the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood (DIEEC) developed and implemented three support models, including a comprehensive cohort model, a fast-paced comprehensive cohort model, and a self-paced (non-cohort) model, facilitating ten cohorts and supporting two additional groups of educators working through the self-paced model.
Of the 189 early childhood educators who enrolled in the program, 93 successfully completed their portfolios and became ready to apply for the CDA credential –21 for the family child care credential, 45 for the infant-toddler credential, and 27 for the preschool credential. This brief provides an overview of the models developed, highlights participant experiences, and offers recommendations for sustaining and enhancing the program’s impact.
Cite this work
When citing this work, please also cite the underlying data sources. This article can be cited as:
Francis, J., Sheffler, K., Novikova, E., Hustedt, J., Schulte, M., Cheyney-Morgan, J., & Jimenez, C. (2023). Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood CDA Professional Portfolio Preparation Program: Model development and implementation. Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood.