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There are a number of benefits for Candidates who choose to apply online, including:
Click here to for instructions on how to apply online for your initial CDA Credential.
To apply for your initial CDA Credential, the cost is $525 for online applications and $600 for paper applications. CDA candidates save $75 by applying online!
To apply online you will need:
Credit cards and electronic checks can be processed completely online within YourCDA.
We will also accept personal checks, money orders and vouchers. These forms of payment require an additional step and cannot be processed completely online. To submit payment in one of these three forms you will need to:
Yes, however, this form of payment requires an additional step and cannot be processed completely online. To submit a scholarship or purchase order payment you will need to:
Go to the YourCDA login screen and under the login button, click “forgot username or password” link. Complete the requested information and an email will be sent to you with instructions on how to reset your password.
Try registering again to make sure that you entered your right email address.
Some email addresses have tight security and might filter out the temporary password message. You can prevent this by:
Sometimes it’s fastest to use another email address. For example, Yahoo, Gmail, or Hotmail. You can easily set up another email address if needed.
Make sure to disable the pop up blockers on your computer. Click here for further instructions.
Go to step 2 of the application and click “edit”. Please make sure that your Director’s email address is correct. If not, correct it and resend request.
If the email address is correct, then your Director’s security settings are preventing the request from arriving. Please ask your Director to place yourcda@yourcda.org on his or her safe list or use a different email address for your Director.
Please notify the Council by email: support@cdaco.mdsdevstaging.com. In your email, please include your full name, PD Specialist name, ID number, and email address.
Please use the following formulas to convert your clock hours to training hours:
1 CEU = 10 clock hours
1 Semester Credit = 15 clock hours
1 Quarter Credit = 10 clock hours
1 DHS Credit = 1 clock hour
1 Unit = 1 clock hour
To be eligible to apply for your first CDA, you need:
12 CEUs = 120 clock hours
8 Semester Credits = 120 clock hours
12 Quarter Credits = 120 clock hours
You will receive a Ready to Schedule notice via email and your status in your online application will also be updated. Once you receive the Ready to Schedule notice, you have Council approval to schedule your CDA Exam and Verification Visit.
Login to the YourCDA online application system. In the “Messages” section, create a new message and click submit. This message will automatically be submitted to the Council for review.
Login to the YourCDA online application system. Across the top, you will see a set of icons, the last highlighted icon is where you are in the CDA credentialing process. Once your payment is accepted, you will receive a “Ready to Schedule” notice letting you know you are Council approved to schedule your CDA Exam and Verification Visit.
There are a number of benefits for Candidates who choose to apply online, including:
Click here to for instructions on how to apply online for your renewal CDA Credential.
If you, at any time, applied for a second setting credential you will be unable to apply for CDA renewal online. You will need to purchase a Renewal Package and apply online.
If the above does not apply to, please contact support@cdaco.mdsdevstaging.com for assistance.
By choosing to apply online, CDA renewal Candidate receive a $50 discount on the assessment fee. The cost to apply online to renew your CDA Credential is $250.
To apply online you will need:
Unfortunately, our online system will only allow you to renew the first CDA Credential that you were awarded. Your second CDA Credential will have to be renewed by submitting a paper application. For example, if you received a center-based Preschool CDA Credential on June 1, 2012 and received a center-based Infant and Toddler CDA Credential on October 1, 2012 you will only be able to renew your center-based Preschool CDA Credential online.
The application fee can be paid with a credit card and/or a voucher number issued by a sponsoring agency.
Please note: A sponsoring agency must have an online agency account in YourCouncil to issue voucher numbers to CDA initial and renewal candidates.
A sponsoring or scholarship agency can pay the online application fee by issuing the CDA candidate a voucher code in YourCouncil.
Please note: A sponsoring or scholarship agency must have an online agency account in YourCouncil to issue voucher numbers to CDA initial and renewal candidates.
Go to the YourCDA login screen and under the login button, click “forgot username or password” link. Complete the requested information and an email will be sent to you with instructions on how to reset your password.
Try registering again to make sure that you entered your right email address.
Some email addresses have tight security and might filter out the temporary password message. You can prevent this by:
Sometimes it’s fastest to use another email address. For example, Yahoo, Gmail, or Hotmail. You can easily set up another email address if needed.
Make sure to disable the pop up blockers on your computer. Click here for further instructions.
Go to step 2 of the application and click “edit”. Please make sure that your ECE Reviewer’s email address is correct. If not, correct it and resend request.
If the email address is correct, then your ECE Reviewer’s security settings are preventing the request from arriving. Please ask your ECE Reviewer to place yourcda@yourcda.org on his or her safe list or use a different email address for your ECE Reviewer.
To renew, you must be able to provide documented proof of 4.5 CEUS, 45 Clock hours, or a three credit hour college course in Early Childhood Education or Child Development. A combination of the credit types may be used.
Please use the following formulas to convert your training units to clock hours:
1 CEU = 10 clock hours
1 Semester Credit = 15 clock hours
1 Quarter Credit = 10 clock hours
Once you complete your application through to your payment, YourCDA will generate a cover letter with a list of items you need to submit to the Council. Whether you choose to fax, email or mail the supporting documents you must include your cover letter with your submission.
Login to the YourCDA online application system. In the “Messages” section, create a new message and click submit. This message will automatically be submitted to the Council for review.
Login to the YourCDA online application system. Across the top, you will see a set of icons, the last highlighted icon is where you are in the CDA credentialing process. Once your payment is accepted, you will be able to print the YourCDA cover letter which will give you information on how to submit your documents.
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Vice President of Product
Mackenzie Pelland serves as Vice President of Product at the Council. In this role, she oversees the Council’s product strategy and portfolio, including credentialing programs, educational publications, professional development resources, and branded merchandise, ensuring offerings are sustainable and responsive to the evolving needs of early childhood educators and the broader early care and education field. Her work focuses on building scalable, user-centered products that strengthen quality and integrity across the Council’s credentialing, educational, and professional learning offerings.
Prior to this role, Mackenzie served as Director of ECE Observation Systems at the Council, where she oversaw the observation portion of the CDA® credentialing assessment process and led the ECE Observation Team. She also worked to support, refine, and strengthen the Professional Development Specialist community to better meet the needs of a diverse CDA® candidate population.
Before joining the Council, Mackenzie was Senior Director of Monitoring and Compliance Systems at Acelero Learning, where she led the development and execution of monitoring systems related to federal grant compliance, child care licensing, health and safety, incident management, and facilities compliance across Head Start programs nationwide. She also previously served as Program Accountability and Policy Implementation Manager at New York City’s Department of Education within the Division of Early Childhood Education.
Mackenzie is recognized as a credentialing specialist by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. She holds a master’s degree in education policy from Teachers College, Columbia University, a Certificate in Education and Program Evaluation from Georgetown University, and a bachelor’s degree in politics and education from Occidental College.
Vice President of Strategic Alliances
Elisa Shepherd is the Vice President of Strategic Alliances at the Council, where she leads initiatives to advance the Council’s mission and strategic plan through designing, managing, and executing a comprehensive stakeholder relationship strategy.
With over 25 years of experience in early childhood education (ECE), Elisa has dedicated her career to developing impactful programs, professional development opportunities, and public policies that support working families, young children, and ECE staff. Before joining the Council, Elisa held numerous roles within the childcare industry. Most recently, she served as Associate Vice President at The Learning Experience and as Senior Manager at KinderCare Education, where she influenced government affairs and public policies across 40 states.
Elisa’s commitment to leadership is reflected in her external roles on the Early Care and Education Consortium Board of Directors, the Florida Chamber Foundation Board of Trustees, and as the DEI Caucus Leader for KinderCare Education. She has been recognized as an Emerging Leader in Early Childhood by Childcare Exchange’s Leadership Initiative.
Elisa earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a focus on child development from Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
Janie Payne is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the Council for Professional Recognition. Janie is responsible for envisioning, developing, and executing initiatives that strategically manage talent and culture to align people strategies with the overarching business vision of the Council. Janie is responsible for driving organizational excellence through strategic talent practices, orchestrating workforce planning, talent acquisition, performance management as well as a myriad of other Human Resources Programs. She is accountable for driving effectiveness by shaping organizational structure for optimal efficiency. Janie oversees strategies that foster a healthy culture to include embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the organization.
In Janie’s prior role, she was the Vice President of Administration at Equal Justice Works, where she was responsible for leading human resources, financial operations, facilities management, and information technology. She was also accountable for developing and implementing Equal Justice Works Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy focused on attracting diverse, mission-oriented talent and creating an inclusive and equitable workplace environment. With more than fifteen years of private, federal, and not-for-profit experience, Janie is known for her intuitive skill in administration management, human resources management, designing and leading complex system change, diversity and inclusion, and social justice reform efforts.
Before joining Equal Justice Works, Janie was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer for Global Communities, where she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of integrated HR and diversity strategies. Her work impacted employees in over twenty-two countries. She was responsible for the effective management of different cultural, legal, regulatory, and economic systems for both domestic and international employees. Prior to Global Communities, Janie enjoyed a ten-year career with the federal government. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, she held key strategic human resources positions with multiple cabinet-level agencies and served as an advisor and senior coach to leaders across the federal sector. In these roles, she received recognition from management, industry publications, peers, and staff for driving the creation and execution of programs that created an engaged and productive workforce.
Janie began her career with Verizon Communications (formerly Bell Atlantic), where she held numerous roles of increasing responsibility, where she directed a diversity program that resulted in significant improvement in diversity profile measures. Janie was also a faculty member for the company’s Black Managers Workshop, a training program designed to provide managers of color with the skills needed to overcome barriers to their success that were encountered because of race. She initiated a company-wide effort to establish team-based systems and structures to impact corporate bottom line results which was recognized by the Department of Labor. Janie was one of the first African American women to be featured on the cover of Human Resources Executive magazine.
Janie received her M.A. in Organization Development from American University. She holds numerous professional development certificates in Human Capital Management and Change Management, including a Diversity and Inclusion in Human Resources certificate from Cornell University. She completed the year-long Maryland Equity and Inclusion Leadership Program sponsored by The Schaefer Center for Public Policy and The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. She is a trained mediator and Certified Professional Coach. She is a graduate of Leadership America, former board chair of the NTL Institute and currently co-steward of the organization’s social justice community of practice, and a member of The Society for Human Resource Management. Additionally, Janie is the Board Chairperson for the Special Education Citizens Advisory Council for Prince Georges County where she is active in developing partnerships that facilitate discussion between parents, families, educators, community leaders, and the PG County school administration to enhance services for students with disabilities which is her passion. She and her husband Randolph reside in Fort Washington Maryland.
Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Andrew Davis serves as Chief Operating Officer at the Council. In this role, Andrew oversees the Programs Division, which includes the following operational functions: credentialing, growth and business development, marketing and communications, public policy and advocacy, research, innovation, and customer relations.
Andrew has over 20 years of experience in the early care and education field. Most recently, Andrew served as Senior Vice President of Partnership and Engagement with Acelero Learning and Shine Early Learning, where he led the expansion of state and community-based partnerships to produce more equitable systems of service delivery, improved programmatic quality, and greater outcomes for communities, children and families. Prior to that, he served as Director of Early Learning at Follett School Solutions.
Andrew earned his MBA from the University of Baltimore and Towson University and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – University College.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Janice brings more than 20 years of experience in accounting and strategic financial management, with an extensive background spanning global associations, nonprofits, and technology organizations. She most recently served as CFO/COO for a global association advancing women in commercial real estate. Prior to that, she was the CFO at Achieving the Dream, a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting community college success, and Director of Finance at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Controller for two technology companies.
A Maryland-licensed CPA, Janice is deeply engaged in the profession through her service on the AICPA Governing Council and leadership roles with the CFO Leadership Council. In 2025, she was recognized as an AICPA Global Woman to Watch. She holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs & Public Policy from UC San Diego and a B.A. in International Affairs & Economics from The George Washington University, bringing both financial expertise and a global policy perspective to her work.
Janice’s journey is uniquely shaped by global and mission-driven experiences. Before transitioning into accounting, she spent a decade managing refugee programs in the United States and abroad, including roles with the International Rescue Committee and the Maryland Office for Refugees & Asylees. She has also lived and worked internationally in both Japan and Uganda.
Outside of work, Janice is a dedicated endurance athlete who completed a full Ironman triathlon in 2024, bringing the same discipline and determination to her personal pursuits as she does to her professional impact.
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