Professional Development

As in other professions, child care providers strive to increase their knowledge, skills, and abilities. Here are some available opportunities for providers.

In 2006, the Department of Early Learning (DEL) in partnership with the Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Council developed Building Bridges to Higher Education. The Building Bridges to Higher Education program provides an opportunity for child care providers to meet the STARS 10-hour continuing education requirement and receive college credit at the same time.
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A Child Development Associate (CDA) is an individual who has successfully completed the CDA assessment process and has been awarded the CDA credential. CDAs are able to meet the specific needs of children and work with parents and other adults to nurture children’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth in a child development framework. The CDA National Credentialing Program is a program that focuses on the skills of early care and education professionals. It is designed to provide performance-based training, assessment, and credentialing of child care staff, home visitors, and family child care providers.
Learn more at the Council for Professional Recognition Web site >

The Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program combines classroom studies (144 hours per year) with supervised, on-the-job training to produce certified child care specialists and educational paraprofessionals.
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The Career and Wage Ladder was established to enhance the quality of child care in participation centers through wage incentives. Child care workers' wages increase based on their level of relevant education, longevity at the center, and job responsibilities. Seven hundred individuals participated in the program in 2007 that allows 72 child care centers to pay annual wage increases to child care providers who raise their education levels.
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Washington Scholarships, a Washington State Child Care Resource & Referral Network program, provides funding for tuition, fees, books, travel stipends, and release time. More than 500 licensed child care providers serving more than 6,000 children accessed these scholarships in 2007.
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School’s Out Washington provides training events throughout the state that target child care professionals working in before and after-school child care programs.
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