Your CDA. Your Louisiana Classroom. Your Career.
In Louisiana, the Child Development Associate® credential does something powerful: it puts you on the state’s professional career ladder — and that can put real money back in your pocket every year.
If you love working with young children but a college degree feels out of reach right now, the CDA is built for you. It’s nationally recognized, and in Louisiana it’s the credential that launches you onto LA Pathways — the statewide career-development and quality system that rewards your education with recognition, advancement, and a refundable state tax credit.
Here’s exactly what your CDA can do for you in Louisiana.
Climb the LA Pathways Career Ladder
Louisiana recognizes early educators through LA Pathways, the state’s Child Care Career Development System. Your CDA gets you onto that ladder — and with your CDA plus 30 clock hours of administrative training (or a related associate degree), you reach the Director I level on the LA Pathways Administrator Track. (Bulletin 139)
Every step up the ladder is a step the state formally recognizes — and, as you’ll see below, rewards.
How Louisiana works: The state recognizes the CDA through LA Pathways — its voluntary career-development and quality system — rather than as a minimum center-licensing rule. That’s exactly where the CDA pays off: in your career level, your tax credit, and your center’s quality rating.
Get Paid for Your Credential — the School Readiness Tax Credit
This is Louisiana’s standout benefit. The state rewards child care directors and staff with a refundable School Readiness Tax Credit (SRTC), based on the educational level you’ve reached in LA Pathways.
Here’s why “refundable” matters: you receive the money even if you owe no state income tax — it comes back to you as a payment. The CDA’s core subject-area training is the educational foundation the credit is built on, so earning your CDA makes you eligible — and climbing higher on the ladder grows the credit, recently as much as about $4,381 a year for eligible educators at the top levels, adjusted annually for inflation.
(To claim it, you’ll need to be enrolled in LA Pathways and have worked at least six months at a licensed center that participates in Quality Start.)
Make Your Center Shine — Quality Start
Louisiana’s Quality Start rating system rewards centers that build a credentialed, educated team. CDA-credentialed staff help a center earn and hold a higher star rating — which unlocks additional School Readiness Tax Credits for the center, the families it serves, and the businesses that support it.
That makes a CDA-holder more than another applicant. You’re the credentialed educator who helps a center rise — and that makes you more hireable and more valued.
Earn It with Help — LA Pathways Scholarships
You may not have to pay for your CDA alone. LA Pathways provides scholarships for CDA assessment fees, administrative training, and college coursework — so the credential that launches your career, your ladder level, and your tax credit can cost you little to earn.
Why Educators Choose the CDA
- Nationally recognized and built into Louisiana’s LA Pathways career ladder
- Reaches Director I on the Administrator Track with your CDA + 30 clock hours of admin training
- Unlocks a refundable tax credit — real money back through the School Readiness Tax Credit, even if you owe no tax
- Helps your center earn its Quality Start stars — making you a valued hire
- Often funded through LA Pathways scholarships for CDA assessment fees and training
- No college degree required to earn it — faster and more affordable than a two- or four-year degree
Your experience with children is already valuable. The CDA is what turns that experience into a credential Louisiana recognizes — and rewards — and a career you can build on.
Ready to open these doors? Start your CDA today.
What Is a CDA Certification?
Are you an early childcare professional looking to obtain a CDA certification in Louisiana? If yes, you’ve come to the right place. The Child Development Associate (CDA) certification is awarded to early childcare educators who demonstrate their knowledge and skills in early childhood education. The certification is based on a set of competency standards determined by the Council for Professional Recognition.
These standards guide early childcare professionals as they work toward becoming qualified educators for young children. Earning a CDA certification proves that you are capable of putting the CDA competency standards into practice and understand the role of these standards in helping children move from one developmental stage to the next.
What Do You Need to Earn a CDA Certification?
How long does it take? Obtaining a CDA requires that you complete formal training along with hands-on experience working with children in the age group matching your CDA application. Once those requirements are complete, you can proceed to the next steps:
- Select a CDA Verification Specialist who will conduct your Verification Visit — and note their Identification Number.
- Submit your application online.
- Schedule the date and time for your verification visit.
- Schedule your CDA exam.
Preparing for the CDA Exam
Enjoy training that makes a difference and enroll in National CDA Training. We make sure you get all the help you need to successfully pass the CDA exam. We use scenario-based training that lets you learn not only by theory, but by doing.
With the scenario-based approach, your mind is trained to react to real-life classroom situations. It’s an excellent mental practice that prepares you to respond appropriately when challenging situations arise in the classroom. Now is the best time to begin — your Louisiana early childhood career is waiting.
In Louisiana, the CDA is recognized through LA Pathways and the Quality Start rating system (Bulletin 139) rather than as a minimum center-licensing requirement (Bulletin 137). School Readiness Tax Credit amounts are set by level and facility type, are refundable, and adjust annually; eligibility requires LA Pathways enrollment and at least six months at a participating licensed center. A CDA must remain valid (non-expired). Always confirm current requirements and credit amounts with the Louisiana Department of Education and the Louisiana Department of Revenue, as rules and figures change.