CDA Assessments
CDA assessment voucher for early childhood educators
Horas de Oficina en Español
Las Horas de Oficina en español ahora están disponibles cada jueves y viernes, la primera semana de cada mes, desde las 11 hasta las 12, para brindar respuestas y consejos con respecto a todos los programas de ECECD y ECN. Haga clic aquí para entrar a le reunión: Reunión por Zoom
Nota: Estas horas de oficina son para los hispanohablantes solamente – los anglohablantes deben continuar a contactar a la línea principal o a su asesor directamente.
About the Program
The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) supports early childhood educators who are working toward their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. Qualified applicants receive a payment voucher that covers the cost of the initial CDA Assessment fee.
Who Can Apply
The CDA Assessment Voucher Program is open to early childhood educators who:
Work at least 20 hours per week
Work with children ages 0–5 (birth through Pre-K)
Are employed at one of the following qualifying programs:
- Early care and education programs licensed or registered through ECECD
- Tribal child care programs
- ECECD-funded PreK or Early PreK programs in community settings
- NM PreK or Early PreK programs run by public schools or charter schools, including Title I or 619 Preschool Programs
- NM Head Start or Early Head Start programs
- NM Tribal Head Start or Early Head Start programs
- ECECD-funded New Mexico Home Visiting or Family Infant Toddler Programs
Employment Verification
All applicants must submit an employment verification letter written on letterhead that includes:
- Your name
- Job title
- Ages of children you work with
- Hours worked per week
- Hourly pay rate
- Signed and dated by your supervisor
- Your supervisor’s contact information
CDA Assessment Voucher Process
Once you meet all prerequisite requirements and are ready to take your exam and schedule your verification visit, follow the steps below to receive your assessment payment voucher:
- Confirm your eligibility for one of the following CDA settings:
- Create an Account on the Council’s online platform, YourCouncil. You will receive a Customer ID number after your account is created.
- Apply for an ECECD voucher to cover the CDA Assessment fee. You must include your Council Customer ID number in your voucher application.
- If you qualify, you will receive a voucher number that covers only the initial assessment fee.
- Log into YourCouncil account and create your initial CDA application. Enter your voucher number in the payment section.
- When your voucher is used, ECECD is notified and pays the Council for your initial assessment fee.
- After your CDA application is approved, you will receive a Ready to Schedule notice. You can then schedule your CDA Exam® and CDA Verification Visit®.
- You have 6 months from the time of your application to complete your test.
About the Assessment
The assessment process is made up of two components: the CDA Exam and Verification Visit. The Council for Professional Recognition uses the results of both to make a credentialing decision.
The CDA® Exam is a component of the credentialing process. The exam is a 65-question, computer-based exam that is taken at a local Pearson VUE testing site. It is the candidate’s responsibility to schedule the exam after applying for and receiving the Ready to Schedule Notice from the Council.
The CDA Exam questions will test the candidate’s knowledge of basic early childhood best practices based on the CDA Competency Goals and the thirteen Functional Areas. Once the exam is completed, the scores are sent to the Council electronically.
CDA Verification Visit® is a component of the CDA credentialing process, where the candidate will be observed working with children/families as a lead teacher in a specific age group. It is the candidate’s responsibility to schedule the visit after applying for and receiving the Ready to Schedule Notice from the Council.
During the visit, the Council-approved, CDA Professional Development (PD) Specialist™ will go to the candidate’s place of work and review the candidate’s Professional Portfolio, observe the candidate working with children/families, and conduct a reflective dialogue about the candidate’s strengths and areas of growth. The PD Specialist will submit the evaluation and scores electronically to the Council.