Released November 19, 2010
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) will again offer the Child Development Associate (CDA) course, Part I (CDA Professional Guidance), in the Spring 2010 semester, which begins in January. But, for the first time, it will be offered as a UAPB web course. Students may take the course for college credit or select the noncredit option.
"CDA certification is rapidly becoming the key to employment or advancement in the early childhood care profession," says Debra Jefferson, CDA instructor at UAPB who will be the online course instructor. Some 49 states and the District of Columbia incorporate CDA credential into their childcare licensing regulations.
In Arkansas, a CDA credential is the minimum requirement for employment in some Head Start programs, Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Pre-K and other professional programs, says Jefferson. For some, it is an avenue for qualification to operate their own early childhood program or facility.
Students must be 18 years or older, have a high school diploma or GED, be admitted to UAPB as a "special student" and be working or volunteering in a licensed child care facility to obtain the 480 hours of work experience required. To become credentialed, students must also complete 120 clock hours of formal child care education in eight CDA subject areas.
Degree seeking students may qualify for traditional financial aid.
For more information on the Child Development Associate program at UAPB, contact Debra Jefferson at (870) 575-8809 or the Division of Continuing Education at (870) 575-8317.
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University of Arkansas, http://www.uaex.edu/news/november2010/1119UAPB_CDAonline.htm
Writer: Carol Sanders, (870) 575-7238, sanders_c@uapb.edu
