Building a Child Development Associate Credential Pathway in Southwest Minnesota

Child care is essential to strong families, a reliable workforce, and thriving rural communities. Yet many Southwest Minnesota communities continue to face a shortage of providers. In Redwood County alone, local leaders identified a need for more than 200 child care slots earlier this year. The Child Development Associate credential offers one way to begin building the workforce our communities need.

What is the Child Development Associate credential?

The Child Development Associate credential is a nationally recognized early childhood education credential. It shows that an educator has the knowledge and skills needed to provide high-quality care for young children.

Students can begin completing several requirements while they are still in high school, including:

• 120 hours of child development education
• 480 hours of paid or unpaid experience in a licensed child care program
• A professional portfolio demonstrating what they have learned

After graduating and meeting the age requirement, students can complete the application and exam process.

How is LYFT Career Pathways helping students get started?

Launch Your Future Today (LYFT) Career Pathways, in partnership with the Southwest Initiative Foundation (SWIF), through a child care grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), has spent the past year supporting schools, early childhood professionals, and regional partners to turn existing resources into a clear pathway for students.

Many schools already offer child development courses that can help students complete the necessary training requirements. When those courses are not available locally, students in the region can access online Child Development I and II courses through the Minnesota River Valley Career and Technical Education Collaborative. LYFT Pathways and the Southwest Initiative Foundation are covering the course costs through June 30, 2027.

LYFT Pathways is also helping schools connect classroom learning with work experience, professional portfolio development, student resources, and application support. At least four school districts are currently working through the process of offering this opportunity to their students directly. Additionally, LYFT Pathways has met with several of their member school districts to share how they can begin offering the CDA to their students while still in high school. 

Students do not have to navigate the process alone

Through a partnership with Empower to Educate, students pursuing the Child Development Associate credential can receive individual guidance, monthly check-ins, career support, and access to financial incentives.

The credential may also count for six to nine college credits when a student continues into an eligible early childhood education program.

For LYFT, this work is about more than completing a credential. It gives students a chance to explore a meaningful career, gain experience, and contribute to a need in their own community.

Schools, child care providers, and community partners all have a role in making the Child Development Associate credential accessible to more students. Much of the foundation already exists. By connecting the pieces, we can help students launch their futures while strengthening child care across southwest Minnesota.