The NYS Children’s Program Administrator Credential (CPAC)
Developed by The New York State Association for the Education of Young Children, the Children’s Program Administrator Credential is recognized in New York State as the standard for measuring effectiveness in leadership, procedural supervision, and fiscal management for administrators of early childhood and school-aged children's programs. Earning the CPAC also serves as a measure of individual professional achievement.
Overview
The CPAC is a credential for current early childhood program directors who desire to be more effective leaders or require coursework to meet accreditation standards. New directors who are interested in administrator certification, and the next generation of leaders who require preparation as administrators, also benefit from CPAC training. Students are not required to be in a director position to be considered for the CPAC program.
The CUNY School of Professional Studies offers a graduate-level, 18-credit program in partnership with the Institute’s Career Development Center leading to the CPAC. Each of the one-credit courses, offered entirely online, addresses one of the 18 competency areas defined in the Children’s Program Administrator Credential of New York State. The admission timeline is flexible, as courses are offered throughout the year.
Questions about the CPAC?
Learn more about the CPAC at the CUNY School of Professional Studies:
Upcoming course offerings
CPAC course topics
The 18 one-credit CPAC courses are grouped into six topic areas that reflect the competencies New York State requires to meet the criteria of the CPAC credential. The bundled format makes it easier to complete the required coursework in a timely manner. All courses in each topic are offered during the same semester and topics will be offered on a rotating basis. For more information, visit the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) website.
Download the course descriptions below, or click to expand the topics for more details.
ECE 601: Organizational Management: Principles & Practices (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
Using organization and management theory as a foundation, students will learn how to administer a comprehensive organizational structure that supports and promotes a well-articulated mission. Practical procedures, relevant resources, and specific guidelines will be offered to aid in the process of coming to "know" and lead an early childhood program.
ECE 602: Personnel Management in Early Childhood Programs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
People leading early childhood programs need to develop a skill set that serves the function of establishing and maintaining personnel policies and procedures and effective systems for staff recruitment, professional development, management, and evaluation. Additional topics will include creating effective staff orientations and performance management. Assignments will be completed in a format that can be used for the Portfolio required to earn the Children's Program Administrator Credential (CPAC), the statewide director's credential.
ECE 603: Foundations of Staff Development (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
Strategies to support the growth and development of teachers will be explored, with particular emphasis on the director as visionary, coach and mentor in the process of change. Many and varied ways that a director can build a learning community will be presented and experienced, as participants "practice" at their sites, and report back to the group. How personality and leadership style impact the program will be a focusing question.
ECE 604: Supervision of Early Childhood Teachers (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
This course will address effective supervisory practices in early childhood care and education settings. Using a clinical supervisory model, directors will learn how to help others with their teaching practices, with an emphasis on assessing individual teacher's needs using observation techniques, conducting supervisory conferences, and developing and moving towards performance goals with teachers. Using reflective journaling, directors will examine developmentally and culturally appropriate practices and how these impact their roles as they support teachers' and children's growth to maximize program quality.
ECE 606: Formulating a Financial Plan - Financial Planning and Management of Children's Programs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: ECE 607, ECE 608 or permission of the Higher Education Coordinator.
This course will enable early childhood program directors to understand and apply sound financial planning and management to the operation of children's programs. Participants will create a multi-year financial plan for their program.
ECE 607: Budgets and Accounting - Financial Planning and Management of Children's Programs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: ECE 608 or permission of the Higher Education Coordinator.
This course will enable early childhood program directors to develop and manage budgets and present budgetary information to constituents. Participants will learn how to effectively use budgets as a management tool. Tracking budgets, use of fund accounting, financial statements, and spreadsheets as tools for projecting and managing budgets will be introduced.
ECE 608: Expenses and Resources - Financial Planning and Management of Children's Programs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
This course will enable early childhood program directors to develop systems to manage the program's resources. Participants will learn how to determine the real cost of care and develop a financial resource plan. They will also be introduced to financial management tools.
ECE 605: Management Systems for Quality Children's Programs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
Students will learn how a center's organizational system provides structures for communication, program planning, and the processes for change. They will discern differences between management and leadership, further developing both sets of skills to facilitate change and center improvements.
ECE 609: Technology and Communication to Enhance Early Childhood Programs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
This course will offer Early Childhood Education Directors information on how to use technology options to manage children's programs. Directors will learn ways in which technology can facilitate communication, and how to identify effective software programs for operations management, including computerized record-keeping systems. The use of technology applications in curriculum will be presented. The ethics issue of maintaining confidentiality and validating authoring when using technology will be reviewed.
ECE 610: Systems to Ensure Health, Safety, and Nutrition in Children's Programs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
The purpose of this course is to develop the skills, strategies, and methodology early childhood directors need to take a leadership role in implementing and monitoring systems and practices related to health, safety, and nutrition in early care and education programs.
ECE 611: Legal and Regulatory Requirements in Administering Early Childhood Programs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
People leading programs for young children must be able to administer programs in accordance with applicable federal, state, regional, and local laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and requirements of funding sources. This course will provide directors with a practical overview of the legal and regulatory requirements involved in the operation of early childhood programs in New York City. Additional topics include managing the requirements, guidelines, and inspections in a proactive way to insure both compliance and quality. Accountability and responsible leadership will be underlying themes.
ECE 612: Marketing Early Childhood Programs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
The purpose of this course is to help students develop and implement effective publicity and marketing strategies to "showcase" their centers, incorporating an understanding of the relationship between marketing, financial planning, and quality programming. The varied role of the Director in the program's marketing approach will be a focus.
ECE 613: Ethics and Professional Standards (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
The course, through reading, writing, and reflection, individually and with other participants, will prepare directors to consider and create plans to deal with ethical issues in their practice. Foci include:
- How professional standards and ethics intersect;
- How directors communicate, orally and in writing;
- The ethical values inherent in many daily decisions about children, families, and teachers;
- How maintaining confidentiality is inherent to ethical behavior;
- How advocacy is a part of professional and ethical conduct.
ECE 614: Programming for the Whole Child (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
The focus in this course will be the role of the director in planning and implementing programs that best supports the growth and development of young children. “Who is the child?” will be at the core of our thinking. Participants will learn how knowledge of developmental theory (Dewey, Piaget, Vgotsky, and Malaguzzi), cultural perspectives, along with various forms of assessment, help us come to “know” the child and to perceive and respond to differences in children. “What is teaching?” and “what is learning?” are other inquiries that will guide explorations of curriculum that meets children’s interests and needs. Ongoing program assessment will be an underlying theme.
ECE 615: A Leadership Approach to Programming for the Whole Family (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
This course is designed to help early childhood administrators and teachers create in-depth understandings of the various contributions and needs that different families bring to early childhood settings. Participants will discuss how these understandings can be used to establish effective communication and positive partnerships between families and school personnel. This will involve particular discussion of the relationship between family culture and ideas about childrearing.
ECE 616: Programming for Children with Special Needs (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
The course will enable early childhood program directors to design and implement, with staff input, practices that meet the diverse needs of children, and provide the supports and resources necessary for children with disabilities. This includes learning to maintain a system for individualized, on-going child assessment and documentation that is related to planning programs, services, referrals and transitions to other services and programs. Participants will learn ways to adapt curriculum and the environment to meet individual needs and support strengths of all children, with a focus on children with special needs. We will brainstorm the challenges and review the rewards of creating a supportive, inclusive environment for all teachers, children and families. The role of director as member of an inter-disciplinary team will be emphasized.
ECE 617: Integration Seminar in Children's Program Administration (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: Permission of the Academic Director
In this culminating seminar, the framing question will be “How can we best use what’s been learned about Management and Administration, about Children, Families and Curriculum, to improve program quality?” We’ll consider how to fill in the gaps between current realities and vision, keeping in mind program demographics and its effect on planning and the impetus for change. Logs and journals will be created to help reflect upon a growing awareness of effective leadership, particularly as observed through the director’s interactions with a program’s various constituencies. Seminar participants will work collaboratively, building support and networking skills, as well as an awareness of available resources to support directors’ efforts. Avoiding burnout will be explored. Being part of a professional support group will be encouraged, as will being a strong advocate for Early Childhood Education.
ECE 618: Assessment as an Administrator (1 Credit)
Prerequisites: none
The course, through reading, writing, and reflection, individually and with other participants, will prepare directors to recognize the importance of self-reflection and self-assessment as an important aspect of program quality. The participants will consider and create plans for their own professional growth and development.
CPAC information sessions
2025 CUNY School of Professional Studies CPAC Info Sessions
The series runs from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025
Frequently asked questions
Typically 6-8 courses are offered every semester. Each course takes four weeks to complete. Students can decide how many courses to enroll in each semester. To earn the CPAC, students must take all 18 courses. CPAC courses are offered fully online.
Courses take place asynchronously, which allows students to participate when they are available. Students are required to log in regularly to submit discussion posts and assignments.
The student-centered approach and asynchronous learning environment emphasizes peer-to-peer interactions facilitated by the instructor, who will monitor, guide, and nurture the discussions as necessary. Instructors will not just disseminate information or lecture, but intentionally provide students with a variety of readings and prompts to guide discussions.
The CPAC credential is awarded through the NY Association for the Education of Young Children (NYAEYC).
Credential candidates who take CPAC coursework at CUNY SPS will be supported as they create a portfolio, which is required as part of the credential application. The portfolio will mostly be developed through course assignments. In addition to the portfolio and 18 credits in Children's Program Administration that are gained through SPS coursework, successful CPAC candidates must also have completed 18 credits in early childhood education and/or child development at the associate's level or higher and completed a credential application.
Visit the CUNY School of Professional Studies to view current tuition rates. The majority of our students receive some form of scholarship. Students who apply for The Enhanced NYS B5 SUNY-CUNY Workforce Scholarship: Early Childhood will be able to meet with a career advisor, who will review your eligibility for all of the scholarships. To learn about some of the scholarships available for early childhood professionals, please go here.
CPAC credits and the CPAC credential will apply toward the QUALITYstarsNY Administrator Qualifications standard. The CPAC is an NAEYC-accepted program of study in the new accreditation system for program administrators.
Contact
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