The $25 Mobile CDA Prep Class: An Affordable Pathway Toward Your Early Childhood Credential

For many early childhood educators, earning the Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential is an important step toward professional growth, career advancement, and demonstrating their commitment to high-quality care and education.

But getting prepared for the CDA process can sometimes feel overwhelming.

Where do you start? How do you organize your portfolio? What should you study? How do you connect the required training hours to what you actually do in the classroom?

The Early Education Career Institute (EECI) created the Mobile CDA Prep Class to make that journey more affordable, accessible, engaging, and easier to navigate.

And enrollment in the six-week course is just $25.

More Than a Class — It’s Guided CDA Preparation

The EECI Mobile CDA Prep Class is a six-week virtual learning experience designed for early childhood professionals who want structured support as they work toward meeting CDA preparation requirements.

Instead of sitting through long PowerPoints or completing assignments that feel disconnected from the classroom, participants work through intentional lessons that connect professional knowledge with real-life early childhood practice.

Participants receive:

• 120 hours of connected educational content

• Digital portfolio creation support

• CDA exam preparation and readiness activities

• Real-world implementation strategies

• Engaging and meaningful learning activities

• Intentional teaching strategies

• Live virtual support combined with self-paced learning

• Guidance for organizing materials for easier CDA portfolio submission

The goal is simple: help educators understand not only what they need to know, but how that knowledge applies to the children and families they serve every day.

Your Digital Portfolio Doesn’t Have to Be Overwhelming

One of the biggest concerns we hear from CDA candidates is:

“How do I put my portfolio together?”

That is exactly why digital portfolio development is incorporated into the Mobile CDA Prep experience.

Rather than waiting until the end of training to figure everything out, participants receive guidance throughout the course to organize their work, develop required materials, and prepare their documentation.

This approach helps candidates move through the process with greater organization and confidence.

Learn It Today. Use It Tomorrow.

Early childhood educators need professional development that makes sense in an actual classroom.

Our course connects learning to practical topics such as intentional teaching, professionalism, family engagement, child development, observation, classroom practices, ethical responsibilities, and other competencies connected to quality early childhood education.

The objective isn’t busy work.

It’s implementation.

When you attend class, we want you to leave with something you can apply in your classroom, family childcare program, Head Start setting, Pre-K program, or other early learning environment.

Designed for Multiple Early Childhood Pathways

The Mobile CDA Prep Class can support professionals working toward or participating in several early childhood workforce pathways, including:

CDA pathways

• Infant/Toddler

• Preschool/Pre-K

• Family Child Care

• Birth-to-Five preparation

Workforce and professional-development pathways

• U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship-related training

• RTI-related professional development

• Home Visitor professional development

• CCP-related training hours

• Professional development supporting accreditation and quality-improvement goals

Participants should always verify credential, licensing, employer, apprenticeship, accreditation, and state-specific requirements that apply to their individual situation.

Why Only $25?

Cost should not be the reason an early childhood educator stops moving forward.

EECI’s mission is centered around building accessible workforce pathways for the people who care for and educate young children.

The $25 Mobile CDA Prep Class creates an affordable entry point for educators who may otherwise delay professional development because of tuition costs.

Affordable does not have to mean disconnected.

Accessible does not have to mean easy busy work.

Our model is built around intentional instruction, practical implementation, accountability, and support.

The CDA Credential Is Awarded by the Council

There is an important distinction every prospective participant should understand.

EECI provides CDA preparation and training. The CDA Credential itself is awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition after candidates successfully complete the Council’s requirements.

Completing the EECI Mobile CDA Prep Class does not by itself automatically award the CDA Credential.

Our role is to help participants prepare by providing the educational content, portfolio support, exam preparation, and guidance needed to move confidently toward the next stages of the CDA process.

Candidates will still need to complete the applicable requirements established by the Council for Professional Recognition, including the formal CDA application and assessment process.

A Different Kind of Virtual Learning Community

We don’t want participants simply logging into another online course.

We want educators to learn, grow, connect, implement, and lead.

The Mobile CDA Prep Class brings together motivated learners from different early childhood settings who share a common goal: moving forward professionally while becoming stronger educators.

You may be entering early childhood education for the first time.

You may have worked with children for years but never completed your CDA.

You may be a family childcare provider ready to formalize your professional knowledge.

You may be participating in a Registered Apprenticeship.

Or you may simply be ready for your next career step.

There is room for you.

Your Career. Your Future. We’re With You Every Step.

The early childhood workforce deserves training that recognizes the knowledge educators already have while helping them develop the competencies they need for the next level.

That’s what the EECI Mobile CDA Prep Class was created to do.

Six weeks. Virtual learning. Real-life implementation. Digital portfolio support. Exam preparation. 120 hours of connected content.

And an affordable $25 enrollment opportunity designed to help more early childhood professionals get started.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Visit ECEapprentice.com to learn more about EECI programs and upcoming cohorts.

Early Education Career Institute (EECI)

833-467-9997

Affordable. Accessible. Career-Focused.

EECI provides CDA preparation and educational support. The Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential is issued by the Council for Professional Recognition and is subject to the Council’s current eligibility, application, assessment, and credentialing requirements.