Maryland — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials

CDA acceptance & requirements

• Lead teacher requirements: Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Division of Early Childhood child care licensing accepts CDA. CDA is typically recognized at Staff Level 3 on the Maryland Child Care Credential (with sufficient experience).
• Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus required orientation and ongoing PD.
• Director requirements: Maryland Child Care Administrator Credential (MCCAC) — four levels — required for licensed-center directors.
• State-funded pre-K (Pre-K Expansion, Judy Center, Blueprint for Maryland's Future Pre-K): Bachelor's + state teacher cert with EC endorsement required. CDA does not satisfy.
• QRIS: Maryland EXCELS — Maryland's QRIS administered by MSDE. Higher tiers expect AA + Administrator Credential mix.
• T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Maryland is administered through Maryland Family Network. Child Development Associate Fund at MSDE provides direct CDA assessment-fee scholarships.

State-specific ECE workforce credentials

• Maryland Child Care Credential (MCCC) — Issuing agency: MSDE Division of Early Childhood. Six staff levels (1–6) for direct-service educators and four administrator levels (1–4) for directors. Levels stack from entry training through master's degree. CDA recognized at Staff Level 3.
• MCCAC (Maryland Child Care Administrator Credential) — four levels for ECE administrators.
• Maryland State Department of Education — Early Childhood Education (PreK-3) certification for public-school pre-K; BA + state EPP.

Notable state context

Maryland's MCCC is one of the more elaborate stacked-credential systems, with parallel staff and administrator ladders. The Blueprint for Maryland's Future (Kirwan Commission, 2021) is driving substantial expansion of state-funded pre-K with elevated workforce requirements that bypass CDA in publicly-funded classrooms.