The NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute in partnership with the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) is proud to announce that our credit bearing Child Development Associate (CDA) Certificate program has been granted the prestigious CDA Gold Standard, following a quality review of its training and student services by the national Council for Professional Recognition (the Council). The CDA Gold StandardSM is part of the Council’s effort to help CDA students find the high-quality training and student services they need to earn the CDA and have  a career as an early childhood educator.  Read the full press release here

Offered in partnership with the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, the CUNY SPS CDA certificate program is the only compre­hensive credit-bearing Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate in New York City. The program provides students with the required coursework and additional support including advisement, writing support, portfolio creation, career services, and classroom observation in pursuit of the Child Development Associate Credential. More than 230 students have graduated from the CUNY SPS CDA certificate program since its inception in 2012. 

The Institute partnered with CUNY SPS to create a credit bearing CDA to ensure college mobility and to acknowledge the effort, skills and knowledge development that is taken on by CDA participants. Research indicates that high quality early childhood education is impacted by the education received by the educators and caregivers of our young children. We encourage CDA participants to view the credit bearing CDA as the first step in their academic and career journey, with many of our students continuing on to their Associates or Bachelor’s degrees in early childhood.  The 12-credit CDA credential articulates to at least 4 community colleges, creating a pathway for career development.

Claudine Campanelli, the program administrator of the CDA and CPAC (Children’s Program Administrator Credential) at CUNY SPS and the Director of Career Development and Higher Education at the Institute, welcomed the award as a sign of the CDA program’s quality and effectiveness. “The Gold Standard accreditation process allowed us to evaluate our program through a strength-based lens. We demonstrated that competency-based instruction leading to credit-bearing certificates and credentials can be implemented within higher education institutions successfully and are meaningful to the early childhood workforce,” said Campanelli.

Earning the CDA Gold Standard is recognition that CUNY SPS has successfully demonstrated that its early childhood education training is based on the Council’s three industry-leading principles. These principles include alignment with the CDA formal education coursework found in the CDA’s Eight Subject Areas; sound business policies and practices; and quality student services that meet their educational and professional needs.

“The CDA Gold Standard is a prestigious recognition of the credit-bearing CDA program at CUNY SPS,” said Amy Perez, executive director of the School’s Office of Professional Education and Workplace Learning, which oversees the program. “We are the only college in the state and one of seven in the nation to have this designation. This accreditation would not have been possible without the outstanding leadership of Claudine Campanelli and her dedication to extraordinary early childhood education.” 

The New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute strives to provide a wide range of options to individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of young children. The CDA is one of the best first steps to take in developing one’s career and a credit-bearing CDA maximizes the time and effort of an early childhood educator, providing comprehensive support to enter the field as a professionally prepared educator. We are honored to have achieved this recognition and congratulate Claudine Campanelli, the faculty and staff – and all the amazing students we have had the pleasure of working with!

– Sherry Cleary, Executive Director and University Dean