DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET • Observing and recording children’s behavior (tools and strategies for objective information collection) • Principles of child growth and development (developmen- tal milestones from birth to age five, cultural influences on development) The training can be for college credit or for no credit. Formal courses that cover the previously mentioned topics might have titles such as these: • Child Growth and Development • Health, Safety, and Nutrition in Early Childhood Programs • Guidance Techniques for Early Childhood • Introduction to the Early Childhood Education Profession • Emerging Literacy in Young Children • Early Childhood Curriculum You may need to look at the catalog description for a specific course to see what topics it covers. These hours of training must be obtained from an organization or agency that has expertise in training early childhood teachers: • Four-year colleges and universities • Two-year junior and community colleges • Technical and vocational schools • Early childhood education or child care programs that provide training, such as Family Services, school districts, Head Start, or employer-sponsored in-service training • Programs offered by the state or federal government or by branches of the US Military Services Please note that training obtained at conferences or from indi- vidual consultants is not accepted by the Council. A candidate may acquire the 120 clock hours of training from one single training program or from a combination of programs. Most CDAs receive their training through credit courses or continuing education units (CEUs). The Council provides a National Directory of Early Childhood Preparation Institutions listed by state on its website (www.cdacouncil.org) (Council for Professional Recognition 2006). Although there is no longer any time restriction on the training, it is recommended that the training be taken no more than three years before beginning the CDA process. Research in the field of early childhood is advancing every day, and we in this Facts about the Child Development Associate (CDA) MATERIAL and Process COPYRIGHTED Credential 5