How much is a CDA worth?

Question

I work in a daycare and am currently working on getting my CDA. I have heard that it dosnt make much of a difference whether or not you have it when it comes to pay. I am wondering what a typical salary of somone who has earned their CDA is/would be.

Answer 1

Salaries vary so much that the impact of a CDA varies from place to place. Have you asked your employer? In NY it would mean you could be a head teacher in a day care classroom but that may not be true everywhere.

     Look at it this way. If the course is taught well you are learning a tremendous amount that will help you if you decide to move on for further education in the field and CDA training is bound to help you be even better at your job. That alone might lead to a raise.

Answer 2

I live in Connecticut, and the CDA makes a difference here mainly with WHERE you can get a job. While daycares can be more lenient with their qualifications, publicly-funded early childhood programs (Head Start, for example) require a minimum of a CDA to even be considered for hire. An Associate's degree in ECE is increasingly being required for assistant teachers, and head teachers often need a Bachelor's degree. So basically, if you want to change jobs someday and work for a state program, a CDA might be necessary.

In eastern CT they pay about $9-10 an hour to assistant teachers with a CDA or Associate's degree in public early childhood programs, and head teachers (Associate's or Bachelor's required) earn about $13 an hour. The minimum wage here is $7.65 an hour. These figures are for the public programs, however...private daycares may or may not place emphasis on increased education with their salaries.

Answer 3

Check this link to see the average pay scale for Preschool Teachers.  You can adjust the reports for your area and years experience along with a CDA too!!  Good luck;o)

http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=...