Who is This For? The CDA Super Weekend is for child care providers who have either completed the required 120 clock hours of training or have some of the hours completed. They are interested in completing the CDA Professional Portfolio in a short time-frame, with help and support and in person. They are probably working full time in child care programs, have families of their own, and simply want to get this finished.
Who will be Leading the Workshop? Every CDA Super Weekend is led by seasoned Early Childhood professionals, who not only have experience teaching adults, but also have worked in the classroom with young children themselves. They have advanced degrees in Early Childhood Education and are all certified CDA Council Professional Development Specialists. Our instructors are familiar with the CDA process in every respect and understand what is expected by the Council. Your success and learning is their top priority.
How Does It Work? This is 2 full days of instruction, beginning with check in on Saturday morning at 8:30AM through 6PM and all day Sunday, 8:30AM to 6PM. The class covers an overview of the CDA process, assembling the Resource Collection, writing the Competency Statements, and preparing for the CDA Exam and Verification Visit. Also included is a review of each participant's training certificates and or transcripts to verify the progress towards completion of the required 120 clock hours of training. The hours will be disseminated on a chart of the eight CDA Subject Areas, indicating which of those areas may still need additional hours. We will also review the CDA online application process and how to locate a PD Specialist.
This is not a "Get It Done and Run" Workshop. The weekend will include a good deal of instruction, small group activity, brainstorming, sharing, and networking. Each participant will leave with more than a completed CDA Professional Portfolio. You will gain valuable knowledge about developmentally appropriate practices, ethics, and professionalism. We want this experience to be rewarding, educational, and valuable to your personal professional development. We will serve as facilitators of your Professional Portfolio completion, but will not be interfering with your ownership of this process. As instructors, we align our practices with the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Code of Ethical Conduct. We assume, as members of the Early Childhood profession, you do, too. You will have the opportunity for one-on-one support throughout the weekend. We provide low ratios of participants to instructors to make this possible. The CDA Professional Portfolio is intended to be a reflection of your work with young children and an opportunity to sharpen research, observation, and communication skills. At the end of our weekend together, you will have a completed portfolio that proudly represents your own efforts.
How Do I Prepare? Participants will receive a listing of simple "assignments" to have completed before coming to the workshop. These will include:
purchasing the Competency Standards book from the Council for Professional Recognition for their particular setting (infant/toddler, preschool, or family child care)
jotting down some ideas and examples from their particular programs and practices
collecting some resources specific to their state and child care programs
distributing the Family Questionnaires and getting at least one more than half of them back.
complete several reading assignments
What is Included in the Cost of the CDA Super Weekend? After enrolling and registering, participants will receive, by mail:
a copy of The CDA Super Saturday Workbook
An outline of the "assignments" that need to be completed before the workshop
a Schedule of Activities for both days of the CDA Super Weekend
Upon arrival, you will receive a pre-assembled CDA Prep Binder, completely set up and ready to load with the required documents. When registering for the workshop, you will have an opportunity to choose a cover design and it will be personalized with your name and your CDA setting. Also, each participant will receive a flash-drive that is pre-loaded with templates required for specific items in the CDA Professional Portfolio. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion, providing 1.0 CEU (or 10 contact hours) that can be used for continuing education or towards the CDA Subject Area 6, "Maintaining a Commitment to Professionalism."
The Venue. We carefully choose locations for the CDA Super Weekend based on what is needed for a successful workshop. The venues are comfortable, near major highways, with nearby restaurants and accommodations, if needed. We meet in or around the Indianapolis, Indiana area.
What will I Need to Bring? Participants will be expected to bring:
a laptop computer with powercord
the CDA Competency Standards book that was ordered from the Council for Professional Recognition
the CDA Prep Workbook
all paperwork, documents, and assignments that were requested after enrolling
all training certificates and/or transcripts indicating the hours completed towards your CDA.
your motivation and enthusiasm! (We'll be bringing ours!)
How Much Does It Cost? $399.
Ready to Enroll? Click HERE to go to the Registration page. After completing the registration form, you will be automatically directed to Enrollment.