LA · Louisiana Performance Profiles
Louisiana — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials
Louisiana requires the state Early Childhood Ancillary Certificate (ECAC) within 24 months of hire in publicly-funded settings; CDA is one pathway to ECAC.
Data current as of April 2026.
CDA acceptance & requirements
- Lead teacher requirements: Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) Early Childhood Programs licensing accepts CDA, but all lead teachers in publicly-funded settings must obtain the Early Childhood Ancillary Certificate (ECAC) within 24 months of hire. CDA is one of three pathways to ECAC (along with the Practitioner Teacher Path and college coursework).
- Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus required orientation and ongoing PD.
- Director requirements: Higher ECAC tier or BA + administrative coursework; Louisiana Director Certification required for licensed-center directors.
- State pre-K (LA 4, Type III centers serving CCAP, Head Start): ECAC required. CDA serves as a pathway to ECAC but does not on its own satisfy lead-teacher requirements past 24 months.
- QRIS: Louisiana operates the Louisiana Performance Profiles (CLASS-based, not a traditional star QRIS) for publicly-funded ECE. Performance ratings drive subsidy and access decisions.
- T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Louisiana is administered through Louisiana Policy Institute for Children.
State-specific ECE workforce credentials
- Louisiana Early Childhood Ancillary Certificate (ECAC) — Issuing agency: LDOE. Required for lead teachers in publicly-funded ECE (Type III centers serving CCAP, Head Start, LA 4 funding) within 24 months. CDA is the most common pathway to ECAC.
- Louisiana Department of Education — PK-3 / Early Childhood / Birth-Kindergarten (B-K) certification for public-school pre-K; BA + state EPP.
Notable state context
Louisiana operates a unified birth-to-grade-12 education system through LDOE — all publicly-funded ECE is under LDOE oversight. The ECAC mandate means CDA's role is explicitly as a pathway to a higher state credential (rather than as a sufficient credential on its own). The CLASS-based Performance Profiles are unusual in the state-QRIS landscape and reflect Louisiana's heavy investment in CLASS observation as the quality lever.