MN · Parent Aware
Minnesota — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials
Minnesota places CDA at Step 6 on a 12-Step Career Lattice; Voluntary Pre-K runs through public schools and requires state teacher cert with EC endorsement.
Data current as of April 2026.
CDA acceptance & requirements
- Lead teacher requirements: Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (MDCYF, est. 2024) child care licensing accepts CDA. CDA = Step 6 on the Minnesota Career Lattice (12 Steps).
- Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus required orientation and ongoing PD.
- Director requirements: Higher Career Lattice placement + administrative coursework + experience.
- State-funded pre-K (Voluntary Pre-K, School Readiness Plus): Operates through public schools; requires state teacher cert with EC endorsement. CDA does not satisfy.
- QRIS: Parent Aware — Minnesota's QRIS. Higher star (4-Star) expects Step 12 staff (BA + state teacher cert).
- T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Minnesota is administered through Child Care Aware of Minnesota.
State-specific ECE workforce credentials
- Minnesota ECE Career Lattice — Administered by Minnesota Center for Professional Development at Achieve. 12 Steps organizing training, CDA, AA, BA, and graduate work. CDA = Step 6 (mid-lattice).
- Minnesota Department of Education — Early Childhood Education (B-Grade 3) license for public-school pre-K; BA + state EPP.
- Minnesota Director Credential for ECE administrators.
Notable state context
Minnesota's 12-Step Career Lattice is one of the more granular state ECE credential frameworks, with CDA explicitly placed mid-lattice. The 2024 creation of MDCYF consolidated previously fragmented child care, early learning, and youth services oversight. Parent Aware uses Career Lattice steps as scoring criteria.