To get a CDA in Florida, you need to pick one of four credential settings, complete 120 hours of early childhood education training and 480 hours of qualifying work experience, assemble a professional portfolio, pass a verification visit with a Council-endorsed specialist, and pass a multiple-choice exam at a Pearson VUE center. On top of that national process, Florida requires a Level 2 background screening through the Department of Children and Families before you can work in a licensed childcare facility. The application fee alone is $525 online, and most candidates take several months from start to finish.
Pick Your Credential Type First
Before you sign up for training or log a single work hour, decide which of the four CDA settings fits your job. Your work experience, your training content, and the observation during your verification visit all have to match the setting you chose.1CDA Council. 5 Steps to Obtain a CDA Credential
- Center-Based Preschool, for educators working with a group of at least eight children ages 3 through 5 in a state-approved child development center.
- Center-Based Infant/Toddler, for educators working with a group of at least three children under age 3 in a state-approved center.
- Family Child Care, for providers running a family child care home with at least two unrelated children age 5 or younger.
- Home Visitor, for professionals in home-visit programs serving families with children from birth through age 5.
Switching types partway through means redoing pieces of the process, so choose carefully.
Eligibility: Diploma and 480 Hours With Children
You need a high school diploma or GED to apply. High school juniors and seniors enrolled in a career and technical education program in early childhood education can also qualify while still in school.2CDA Council. High School Pathways
You also need 480 hours of hands-on work experience with children in the age group tied to your credential type, and all 480 hours must fall within the three years before you submit your application.1CDA Council. 5 Steps to Obtain a CDA Credential In Florida, most candidates earn these hours at facilities licensed or regulated by the Department of Children and Families. Log your hours as you go. Reconstructing them later is one of the most avoidable problems in the process.
Complete 120 Hours of Training
The Council requires 120 clock hours of formal early childhood education covering eight subject areas, with a minimum of 10 hours in each.1CDA Council. 5 Steps to Obtain a CDA Credential The subjects span child health and safety, physical and intellectual development, social and emotional growth, working with families, creative activities, behavior guidance, program management, and professionalism.
Training hours do not expire. You can complete them at any point before you apply.3CDA Council. CDA Credentialing Program FAQs Florida programs range from roughly $400 to over $3,000 depending on the provider and format. Community colleges and online programs often bundle the full 120 hours; other candidates piece hours together from multiple providers. Save every training certificate and transcript. You will need them for your portfolio, and the Council may ask for documentation showing how your hours break down across the eight subject areas.
Build Your Professional Portfolio
The Professional Portfolio is where most of the real preparation happens. It is a structured collection that shows your competence across six goals: maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment, advancing children’s physical and intellectual development, supporting social and emotional growth, building relationships with families, running a responsive program, and committing to professionalism.
For each goal you write a reflective competency statement of roughly 500 words describing what you actually do in your classroom or care setting and why. These are not academic essays. Specific examples matter, because your PD Specialist will ask follow-up questions during the verification visit.
The portfolio also includes a resource collection organized by competency goal (activity plans, safety checklists, a bibliography of children’s books you use) and Family Questionnaires. You must distribute questionnaires to the parents or guardians of children in your care and collect responses back from more than half of them.4CDA Council. Procedures Manual Getting that response rate takes time, so distribute early.
Line Up a Professional Development Specialist
Every CDA candidate must identify a Professional Development (PD) Specialist who will conduct the required verification visit.5CDA Council. Become a CDA Professional Development Specialist The specialist is trained, contracted, and endorsed by the Council to evaluate candidates through an on-site observation and portfolio review.6CDA Council. Stages of the CDA Verification Visit
The Council maintains a directory of authorized specialists on its site. You will enter your specialist’s identification number on the application, so line this up before you submit. Specialists book up, especially during peak application periods in spring and fall. Waiting too long is one of the most common reasons candidates miss their assessment window.
Submit the Application and Start the Six-Month Clock
Once your training is documented, your portfolio is assembled, and you have a PD Specialist lined up, apply through the Council’s online portal at YourCDA.org. The application fee is $525 online or $600 by paper.7CDA Council. 2025 Pricing Update
After the Council processes your application and payment, you will receive a “Ready to Schedule” notification. From that point you have six months to complete both the verification visit and the CDA exam.8CDA Council. Important Update – CDA Exam Scheduling Changes Effective August 1, 2025 Miss that window and you reapply and pay again.
The Verification Visit
You and your PD Specialist coordinate scheduling once the Council notifies you both. During the visit the specialist reviews your portfolio and training documentation, observes you working directly with children, and then holds a reflective conversation with you about your strengths and areas for growth.6CDA Council. Stages of the CDA Verification Visit
The observation is what candidates worry about most. What the specialist looks for is consistency between the practices you described in your competency statements and what you actually do with children. Scores and observations are submitted electronically to the Council.
The CDA Exam
The CDA exam is a 65-question, multiple-choice test given at Pearson VUE testing centers.9Pearson VUE. Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential Certification Testing You get one hour and 45 minutes to complete it.10CDA Council. CDA Exam Pilot Prep Guide The content covers the same eight subject areas from your 120 hours of training, and Florida has multiple Pearson VUE locations.
Unanswered questions count as wrong, so do not leave any blank.10CDA Council. CDA Exam Pilot Prep Guide Exam scores are transmitted electronically to the Council, which reviews them alongside your verification visit results before deciding on your credential.
Florida’s Separate Layer: Background Screening and State Training
The CDA itself is a national credential, but working in a Florida childcare facility triggers state requirements you have to satisfy separately. The biggest is the Level 2 background screening through the Department of Children and Families, which applies to anyone working in a child care facility, family day care home, or volunteering more than 10 hours per month.11Florida Department of Children and Families. Background Screening The screening covers state and national criminal history, sex offender registries, and child abuse and neglect databases. Under federal law it must also include an FBI fingerprint check and searches across every state where the applicant has lived in the past five years.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S. Code 9858f – Criminal Background Checks
Certain criminal convictions permanently disqualify you from childcare employment in Florida, including offenses involving children, sexual assault, and murder. Drug-related felonies within the past five years can also disqualify you. Screenings run through DCF’s Clearinghouse system, and your employer typically initiates the process. Do not wait until after you earn your CDA to find out whether you can clear the check.
Florida also mandates its own training for childcare facility staff, separate from CDA coursework. Within 90 days of employment, child care personnel must begin state-mandated training. Within one year you must complete five hours of early literacy training. Additional training in medication administration and child transportation is required before performing those specific duties.13Florida Department of Children and Families. Child Care Facility Training Requirements Florida also issues its own Staff Credential through DCF’s online Credential Application Portal, which is separate from the CDA.14Florida Department of Children and Families. Staff Credential
Paying for It: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Florida
Training ($400 to $3,000 or more), the $525 application fee, and background screening costs add up quickly. The T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Florida Scholarship can offset much of the tuition and book cost for eligible candidates and also provides a per-semester stipend.
To qualify, you generally need a high school diploma or GED, must be working at least 20 hours per week in a licensed or registered childcare program, and need employer sponsorship. If you already work in a Florida childcare facility, ask your director about T.E.A.C.H. before you pay out of pocket.
Renewal Every Three Years
A CDA credential is valid for three years from the award date. You can submit a renewal application up to six months before it expires.15CDA Council. Renew Your CDA
To renew, after your credential’s issue date you must complete one of the following:
- 45 clock hours of training in early childhood education or child development
- 4.5 continuing education units (CEUs)
- One three-credit college course from an accredited institution
All coursework must have been completed after your credential was issued and cannot be more than three years old when you submit your renewal.16CDA Council. CDA Renewal Procedures Guide As of August 2025, the Council no longer requires current CPR and First Aid certification at renewal, deferring that to state licensing agencies and individual programs.15CDA Council. Renew Your CDA Florida childcare facilities still require CPR and First Aid under state licensing rules, so keep those current regardless.
Renewal fees are $250 online and $300 by mail, and paper renewals are only accepted through December 31, 2025.15CDA Council. Renew Your CDA Plan on the online portal going forward.