What Can I Do with a CDA Certificate

Are you someone who is passionate when it comes to caring for or teaching young kids in preschool? Earning the proper credentials would be the perfect way to start. An excellent starting point is to obtain a Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential. By earning a CDA credential, you’re on the right path to jump-starting the career of your dreams!

What is CDA Credential?

The CDA Credential can help increase your knowledge and skills in the field of early childcare. You may become eligible for more jobs and ultimately advance your career. Since 1975, this certification has been a solid option for career development in early childhood education.

A preschool teacher teaching the fundamentals of ABC

Earning a CDA Credential can benefit you in more ways than one. For one, you will learn the best practices in early childhood education. This is done through valuable feedback from observers and several hours of hands-on experience. Being equipped with adequate knowledge and skills can help increase your confidence in what you do. As a CDA credentialed professional, you are also going to become qualified for more jobs. A CDA credential can serve as a stepping stone towards a more advanced career. It’s like a ticket to the wonderful world of early childcare. It signifies that you have already reached a professional level of skill and knowledge.

And if you are wondering what jobs you can take with a CDA credential, you can take a look at the list below.

Daycare Teacher

As a daycare teacher, you will be spending most of your day working with toddlers. It will be your job to plan activities and assist children with their daily projects. Some of the daily tasks you do include preparing their snacks, reading to them and playing games. It’s also important to incorporate mental and physical awareness. This will make sure that kids are getting the assistance they need while ensuring their safety at all times. You will also be working with other daycare teachers. You must be able to interact with the children’s parents and communicate progress as well as any issues.

Preschool Teacher

As a preschool teacher, you will be working with kids who are between the ages of three and five. Your role is to get these children engaged in activities that are not too challenging, but still offer a good learning experience. Some of the activities include reading to and with them, singing songs, playing games and finger painting. The primary purpose of preschool is to help young children become prepared for kindergarten. Like a daycare teacher, you will be working hand in hand with the other teachers and staff in the preschool facility. Interaction and open communication with parents is also important.

A childcare worker assisting a student with her activity

Childcare worker

A daycare or a childcare worker is the one responsible for watching over kids to make sure that they are safe. You will also have to monitor and take note of the specific activities for each child under your care. You must take note of any important information such as their eating schedule, changing diapers and taking of medication.

Teacher Assistant

The work of teacher assistants consists of providing assistance to teachers with lesson plans. Working as a teacher assistant means that you can supervise children in the absence of the teacher due to an emergency.

These are some of the jobs you can take if you have a CDA credential. If you are interested in this credential, allow us to help you prepare for the CDA exam. Please visit National CDA Training for more information.

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Ways to Prepare Yourself and your Family this National Preparedness Month

We are once again in September and it’s National Preparedness Month. If you are not aware, September is the month dedicated to preparing and educating people on disasters. Natural disasters like wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes can occur without notice. That is why being ready for anything is important.

The first thing to have when a disaster strikes is a meeting spot or evacuation center. This could be the nearest fire station or a 24-hour grocery store that are a safe distance away from your home. These meeting spots may depend on the event but it’s important to establish a place and have a solid plan ahead of time. Once you have this setup, it’s time to think about other possible scenarios.

Here are some ways to prepare yourself and your family:

Preparation starts at home

Develop a family disaster plan. Like mentioned earlier, plan a place to evacuate should any disaster arises. If you are separated when an emergency occurs, plan how you will reconnect. Make a disaster kit. This should contain essential items to survive 3 to 5 days. Drinking water, first aid kit, identification documents, non-perishable food, flashlights, and battery-operated radios are some of the things you should pack.

Stay updated and informed

Information is available for everyone. It can be from federal, state, or local resources. Stay informed and learn what to do before, during, and after a disaster.

Help others as well

Most municipalities in the US have a disaster response and recovery plan made by the local government. If you want to help out, you can be an affiliate with an agency that is engaged in disaster response and relief.

Do not stop preparing

Disasters occur without any prior notice so it’s best to be prepared at all times. Revisit and update your family disaster plans time and time again. Change the supplies in the disaster kit so the food and water stay fresh. Being prepared will give you more chances of survival, it is key.

Some situations you can prepare for:

Home invasion

This is scary whether you are at home or not. Know how to protect your home from potential invasions to keep you and your family safe. You can start by checking the locks on your doors and windows. Secure any pet entrances and purchase a security system for your home. The presence of even one security camera will chase away burglars. If a break in happens and you are at home, here are a few things to remember.

• Stay calm and collected. Don’t panic. You will feel an adrenaline rush, use it to help you stay alert.
• Go to a safe room and call 911.
• If in the event, your safe room is not accessible, have evacuation plans. This can be window ladders or back door routes.
• Do not engage with the intruder. Do not let them know that you’ve called for help.
• Another thing to remember is to keep your car keys close to you so that you can hit the panic button on it. This will create a distraction and alert the neighbors.
• In case of an extreme situation, it would be good to have self-defense knowledge.

Responding to a situation like this is to practice. It’s important that you can think straight so that you will know how to defend your family and keep them safe.

Fire

Be sure that your home has the correct amount of fire alarms as this is the first line of defense. Practice setting them off and educating family members on what they should do if this alarm rings. Make an evacuation plan in your home and assign tasks to family members. In situations like this, it is very important to not panic. Make sure everyone is accounted for, even the pets, and then call 911 for help. If there is thick smoke, use something like a shirt to cover your mouth and nose to avoid inhaling it. If in the event, your clothing catches fire, know how to stop, drop and roll. Practice these safety measures so that if this disaster happens, family members will know how to respond.

Flood

If you live somewhere that’s prone to flooding, it’s good to know the warning signs and how to evacuate to a safe place. If you find your family and yourself trapped once the flood has begun, know that you should never enter fast flowing water on foot or in a vehicle. This can get you hurt or worse.

When water has flooded in your home, disconnect all electrical appliances and turn off your main electricity. Move furniture and other valuable stuff to higher ground. Depending on the frequency of the flood, it may be worth it to flood-proof your home.

Being prepared is the key to being safe from disasters. Take these simple actions and teach them to your family. Stay alert, stay safe!

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