Child Development Center to offer free certification course

Twelve-week training course, which begins September 15th, offers Child Development Associate certificate to course completers.

A child in a classroom at the VCU Child Development Center.
In this undated photo, a child at VCU's Child Development Center works on a craft in Classroom 101. The center is offering a free training course to qualified applicants which will result in a Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate. (File photo, School of Education)

Are you interested in working in early child care and education? The VCU Child Development Center, in collaboration with ChildSavers and Virginia Career Works, is offering a free training course to qualified applicants which will result in a Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate.

The CDA certificate can help you become a lead child care teacher or even open a licensed child care center in Virginia. It is also valid in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. 

The 12-week training course begins September 15 and offers 120 hours of in-seat instruction, as well as three-to-six hours of hands-on classroom training every day. There is no cost for the training, and all materials are provided free of charge. You must be 18 or older and a resident of the Richmond area to participate. Background checks will be conducted.

Applications for enrollment are available at: https://bit.ly/CDA-Credential

More details are available on the Child Development Center website. Contact information for the center, which is affiliated with the VCU School of Education, is available below.

VCU Child Development Center
1128 Floyd Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23284-2020
Phone: (804) 828-7377
Email: CDCSOE@vcu.edu