AK · None — state has no formal QRIS
Alaska — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials
Alaska's SEED Career Ladder recognizes CDA, AA, BA, and state teacher cert; state pre-K requires certified teachers with EC endorsement.
Data current as of April 2026.
CDA acceptance & requirements
- Lead teacher requirements: Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO) licensing accepts CDA among lead-teacher qualifications. CDA is recognized at a defined level on the Alaska SEED Career Ladder.
- Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus orientation training and ongoing PD.
- Director requirements: Higher Career Ladder placement; Alaska Early Childhood Administrator Credential (AK-ECAC) is the state director credential.
- State-funded pre-K: Alaska Pre-Elementary Programs require certified teachers (state teacher cert with EC endorsement). CDA does not satisfy this.
- QRIS: Alaska does not currently operate a formal multi-tier QRIS but recognizes Career Ladder placement in subsidy and quality-improvement work.
- T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Alaska is administered through thread Alaska. ECE apprenticeship pathways are emerging through the University of Alaska system.
State-specific ECE workforce credentials
- Alaska SEED (System for Early Education Development) Career Ladder — Issuing agency: thread Alaska on behalf of Alaska CCPO. Multi-tier framework recognizing training, CDA, AA, BA, and state teacher cert.
- Alaska Early Childhood Administrator Credential (AK-ECAC) — for ECE administrators.
- Alaska Department of Education and Early Development — Early Childhood (B-3) endorsement for public-school pre-K teachers; CDA does not satisfy this.
Notable state context
Alaska's vast geography drives heavy reliance on distance-learning CDA training pathways. The SEED Registry centralizes workforce data across an unusually small workforce spread across remote communities.