Harcum Announces New Child Development Associate Credential
BRYN MAWR, PA (June 23, 2006) -Taking further steps to raise the level of professionalism in Child Care via educational offerings, Harcum College (www.harcum.edu) announces the development of a new program, leading to the Child Development Associate credential, or CDA.
Unlike other CDA programs, the Harcum CDA is offered for full college credit. The CDA program at Harcum is a one-year, ten-credit series of courses for individuals who work in childcare settings (schools, daycare, pre-schools, etc.). Classes will begin in the second summer semester, starting July 5, 2006. Graduates of the CDA program can also apply the full ten credits to continue on to earn their Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education. In 2005, Harcum College joined the state funded project TEACH, or Teacher Education and Compensation Helps, a grant-funded program that helps early childhood education professionals offset the cost of tuition during their efforts to obtain a college degree. The new CDA program is supported by TEACH.
"The higher the level of professionalism a child care provider has, the more job opportunities they encounter, their compensation will be better, and the respect they garner in the workplace improves," notes Kerstin Potter, Director of the Early Childhood Education Program at Harcum College. "The CDA is another step in helping child care professionals enhance their stature in the job marketplace."
Classes will be offered part-time in the evening to accommodate working adults in the field. One of the goals of offering this credential is to get teaching assistants who are already in the field to be able to progress through more education to assistant teachers, and eventually lead teachers with an Associate’s Degree. The CDA credential program runs alongside Harcum’s Early ChildhoodEducation program, Director’s Certificate, and TEACH programs. For more information, please contact the Early Childhood Education Department at 610-525-4100.
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