ID · Steps to Quality
Idaho — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials
Idaho places CDA at IdahoSTARS Career Pathway Level 2; the state has no universal pre-K, so CDA is the workhorse credential in licensed child care.
Data current as of April 2026.
CDA acceptance & requirements
- Lead teacher requirements: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) child care licensing accepts CDA among lead-teacher qualifications. CDA = Pathway Level 2 on the IdahoSTARS Career Pathway.
- Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus required orientation and ongoing PD.
- Director requirements: Higher Pathway placement + administrative coursework + experience.
- State-funded pre-K: Idaho does not operate a state-funded universal pre-K (one of the few remaining states without one as of 2026); pre-K services are delivered primarily through Head Start and licensed child care.
- QRIS: Steps to Quality — Idaho's QRIS framework administered by IdahoSTARS. Workforce credentials are scoring criteria.
- T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Idaho is administered through IdahoSTARS at Idaho AEYC.
State-specific ECE workforce credentials
- IdahoSTARS Career Pathway — Issuing agency: IdahoSTARS (administered through Idaho AEYC and the University of Idaho). Eight levels recognizing training, CDA, AA, BA, and state teacher cert. CDA = Level 2.
- Idaho Department of Education — Blended Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education endorsement for public-school programs (no state pre-K but used in IDEA Part B Section 619).
Notable state context
Idaho's lack of a state-funded universal pre-K means that ECE workforce-credential policy is largely focused on the licensed child care sector, where CDA is the workhorse credential and IdahoSTARS Pathway placement is the primary career-progression marker.