CDA Training Scholarships
Financial assistance for early childhood educators in Georgia to cover the cost of training while they earn their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential
After an eligible applicant has selected and signed up for CDA training with a CDA trainer listed on the Georgia Professional Development System (GaPDS), DECAL Scholars offers CDA Training Scholarships to cover up to $500 of the cost of the CDA training, which is paid directly to the CDA trainer, and up to $35 of the cost of the CDA Competency Standards book, paid to the applicant.
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If you have signed up for CDA training with a Georgia-approved CDA trainer, you may now apply for your CDA Training Scholarship.
Am I eligible?
To qualify for our CDA Training Scholarships program, you must meet the following criteria:
Legal Status
You’re one of the following:
- United States citizen
- Legal permanent resident
- Qualified alien
Employment
- You must have maintained 6 months of continuous employment in one of the following paid roles (unpaid hours do not qualify):
- Teacher
- Assistant teacher
- Floater
- Director
- Assistant director
- Owner
- You must work a minimum of 30 hours per week if your employer is a(n):
- Child care learning center licensed by DECAL or the Department of Defense
- Family child care learning home licensed by DECAL
- Exempt Georgia Head Start center
- Georgia Lottery-funded Pre-K program in a public school
- You must work a minimum of 15 hours per week if your employer is an:
- After school program licensed by DECAL
Education
- You must be currently enrolled or have recently completed CDA training with a CDA trainer from the Georgia Professional Development System (GaPDS)
- If you’re submitting a receipt for reimbursement, it must be submitted within 6 months of the payment date for the CDA training
DOWNLOAD YOUR GUIDE:
10 Steps to Earn Your CDA
Our team created a handout that goes step-by-step through each component of earning your CDA with DECAL Scholars. Feel free to download, print it out, and share it.
CDA POWER-ED
Providing Our Workforce Essential Recognition for Educational Development (POWER-ED) is a wage supplement program for early childhood educators as they attain their CDA credential utilizing DECAL Scholars programs. DECAL Scholars CDA Training Scholarships recipients can apply to receive $1,000 supplements for each 200-hour stage of obtaining their CDA, for up to 3 supplements of $1,000:
- Stage 1 (200 hours): 120 clock hours of CDA training + first 80 hours of work experience
- Stage 2 (200 additional hours): 280 ongoing total hours of work experience
- Stage 3 (200 additional hours): 480 ongoing total hours of work experience + CDA credential earned from the CDA Council
Applicants must document experience hours on the Experience Verification Page, which requires an employer’s signature. Use the button below to download the form.
Please note: to receive the first payment through CDA POWER-ED, you must submit your application within six months of completing the CDA training. For the second and third payments, applications must be submitted within six months of earning your CDA credential.
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If you are a DECAL Scholars CDA Training Scholarships recipient, you may apply for POWER-ED.
CDA Training Scholarships
Frequently Asked Questions
The following documents must be uploaded with your application for the first payment:
- Copy of 120-hour CDA training certificate
- CDA Experience Verification Page documenting hours of work experience, signed by your employer
- Copy of your Georgia Professional Development System profile reflecting your GaPDS number, the name of your current employer, and a “Pending” or “Active” status (click here for more information)
- Notarized Affidavit for Lawful Presence Verification
Applying for your first two payments, or all three payments together? You can upload more than one CDA Experience Verification Page to document your 480 hours and a copy of your CDA credential under the “Additional Documents” during the “Documents” section of your application.
To receive reimbursement for your CDA Competency Standards Book (must be purchased from the CDA Council), submit your book receipt with your CDA Training Scholarships application within 6 months of purchase of the book.
The following documents must be uploaded with your application:
- Copies of two recent pay stubs reflecting your name, the name of your employer, and your gross (before deductions) wages. Family child care learning home providers and owners who do not pay themselves W2 wages submit a copy of last year’s Schedule C or other federal tax form documenting net business income.
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Invoice from CDA trainer outlining the cost of CDA training, name of applicant, and who is to be paid (applicant, business, or trainer). Have the trainer sign and date the invoice if possible.
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Copy of the FRONT and BACK of a secure and verifiable document.
- Copy of your Georgia Professional Development System profile reflecting your GaPDS number, the name of your current employer, and a “Pending” or “Active” status (click here for more information).
- Copy of CDA Competency Standards Book receipt from within 6 months of book purchase date (must be purchased from the CDA Council) (Upload during the “Documents” section of your application as an “Additional Document”)
Yes, if the trainer you choose is a Georgia-approved CDA trainer eligible for our CDA Training Scholarships on the Georgia Professional Development System (GaPDS) for Early Childhood Educators. You can search for a trainer based on the language they offer their training in as well as their training format (face-to-face, online, or hybrid). Make sure you check the box for CDA Training in the search criteria.
Click here to visit their website and find your trainer.
Sí, si el formador que elijas es un formador de CDA aprobado por Georgia y elegible para nuestras Becas de Capacitación CDA en el Sistema de Desarrollo Profesional de Georgia (GaPDS) para Educadores de la Primera Infancia. Puedes buscar un formador según el idioma en el que ofrecen su capacitación, así como el formato de la capacitación (presencial, en línea o híbrido). Asegúrate de marcar la casilla para “Capacitación CDA” en los criterios de búsqueda.
Haz clic aquí para visitar su sitio web y encontrar a tu formador.
While not a college credential, the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential is an entry-level credential that is widely recognized in the industry, issued by the Council for Professional Recognition.
Earning the CDA credential is a three-step process that requires:
- 120 clock hours of CDA training covering 8 subject areas
- Experience in the classroom and compiling a portfolio
- CDA Exam and verification visit by a Professional Development Specialist (PDS)
The CDA credential must be renewed every three years. Click here to visit the Council for Professional Recognition’s website for complete information.
Several technical colleges provide programs that allow for the transfer of CDA training into college credits, although the specific rules vary among institutions. To obtain more information on this opportunity, it is recommended to contact the early childhood education department at the technical college of your preference.
Congratulations on completing your CDA training!
The next step is to create an account on YourCouncil to apply for your CDA credential. YourCouncil has all of the information you need to learn how to compile your CDA portfolio, select your PD specialist, choose an observation date, and choose your exam date. DECAL Scholars offers a CDA Application Fee Scholarship to cover the cost of the exam and verification visit. Learn more about the Application Fee Scholarship here.
The substitute stipend program is available to employers of DECAL Scholars Scholarships recipients so Scholarships recipients can have paid time off (PTO) to attend class, study, or complete assignments. To participate in the substitute stipend program, employers of Scholarships recipients must give the Scholarships recipient paid time off (PTO) to attend class, study, or prepare for class. In return, the employer will receive a stipend of $15/hour to cover the cost of substitute teachers while the Scholarships recipient is away from the classroom. Each employer can receive a maximum of $1,500 in substitute stipends per semester for each Scholarships recipient, in exchange for the Scholarships recipient to receive up to 100 hours of PTO. It is ultimately up to the employer to decide whether they will allow their employees to take part in this program. The employer must also determine how many hours of PTO will be granted to the employee in exchange for the $15/hour stipend.
Scholarships Paid Time Off Logs must be completed, signed, and submitted to support@decalscholars.com by the end of the last month of class to be considered for reimbursement.
Providing Our Workforce Essential Recognition for Educational Development (POWER-ED) is a program that distributes wage supplements to support the workforce as they attain higher educational credentials. POWER-ED Workforce Supplements are available for DECAL Scholars CDA Training Scholarships recipients to apply to.
Click here to learn more about POWER-ED for CDA Training Scholarships.
It is important that you send all supporting documents at the time of completing your application to avoid any delays in processing.
DECAL Scholars accepts legible PDFs, screenshots, photo copies, scans, and photos. Please do not send documents as links.
The CDA Council awards the CDA credential. Therefore, they are the first and best source for all of your questions about the credential itself. Visit their website, contact them by phone at (800) 424-4310 or email at cdafeedback@cdacouncil.org.
Our team has created this helpful “10 Steps to Earn Your CDA” infographic in both English and Spanish that can help you understand the timeline of earning your credential with support from DECAL Scholars. Plus, there are helpful contacts and FAQs on the back.
Yes, you can submit your receipt for reimbursement, provided you submit your complete application with all supporting documents within 6 months of the date you paid for the CDA training. To be reimbursed, you must include your receipt as proof of payment in place of the CDA trainer’s invoice.
Please note that your DECAL Scholars CDA Training Scholarship application cannot be submitted after you’ve already submitted your DECAL Scholars CDA Application Fee Scholarship application.
Once your CDA Scholarships application is approved, DECAL Scholars will cover up to $500 of the cost of the CDA trainer, paid directly to the CDA trainer.
Find a Georgia-approved CDA trainer eligible for our CDA Training Scholarships on the Georgia Professional Development System (GaPDS) for Early Childhood Educators. You can even search for a trainer based on their training format (face-to-face, online, or hybrid), or based on the language they offer their training in. Make sure you check the box for CDA Training in the search criteria.
Click here to visit their website and find your trainer.
Once you have completed the entire process of earning your Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, you will not be able to apply to the CDA Training Scholarships POWER-ED program. The CDA Training Scholarships POWER-ED program is only for approved CDA Training Scholarships recipients that are in the process of earning their CDA credential, but have not completed the entire process yet.
If you have earned your CDA credential, you may be eligible for our Incentives program. Click here to learn more.