Oregon — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials

CDA acceptance & requirements

• Lead teacher requirements: Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC, est. 2023) child care licensing accepts CDA. CDA = Step 7 on the Oregon Registry Online Steps (12 steps).
• Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus required orientation and ongoing PD.
• Director requirements: Higher Step placement + administrative coursework + experience.
• State-funded pre-K (Preschool Promise, OPK / Oregon Pre-Kindergarten): Bachelor's + state teacher cert with EC endorsement required. CDA does not satisfy.
• QRIS: Spark — Oregon's QRIS administered by DELC (formerly Quality Rating and Improvement System). Higher star (5) ratings expect Step 9+ for lead teachers.
• T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Oregon is administered through Oregon AEYC.

State-specific ECE workforce credentials

• Oregon Registry Online (ORO) Steps — Administered by Western Oregon University Center for Professional Development of Teachers and Administrators. 12 Steps stacking training, CDA, AA, BA. CDA = Step 7 (mid-registry).
• Oregon Department of Education — Early Childhood Education (Pre-K-Grade 4) license for public-school pre-K; BA + state EPP.

Notable state context

Oregon's 12-Step Registry is one of the more granular career-ladder frameworks; CDA explicitly placed at mid-registry (Step 7) sets a clear progression target. The 2023 creation of DELC consolidated previously fragmented ECE oversight (formerly under Early Learning Division).