TN · Tennessee Star-Quality Child Care Program
Tennessee — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials
Tennessee accepts CDA in licensed centers and supports candidates through the TECTA training network; Voluntary Pre-K runs through public schools with state-licensed teachers.
Data current as of April 2026.
CDA acceptance & requirements
- Lead teacher requirements: Tennessee DHS child care licensing accepts CDA among lead teacher qualifications. The Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) is the state's primary CDA training pipeline.
- Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus the TECTA 30-hour DHS-approved Orientation training (free, statewide), plus 18 hours/year of in-service.
- Director requirements: Higher education + administrative coursework + experience.
- QRIS: Tennessee Star-Quality Child Care Program — three-star QRIS administered by Tennessee DHS. Completing TECTA orientation contributes to professional development scoring; higher star ratings expect higher proportions of staff with CDA, AA in ECE, or BA.
- T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Tennessee is administered through TECTA partner institutions. TECTA provides free CDA support including financial assistance and mentoring at multiple state university and community college sites.
State-specific ECE workforce credentials
- TECTA Credentials and Orientation — Issuing/recognizing agency: Tennessee DHS through Tennessee State University's Center of Excellence for Learning Sciences. The TECTA Orientation is a 30-hour DHS-approved training (free) and an academic gateway with a competency-based curriculum.
- Tennessee does not issue a separate state ECE teacher credential beyond TECTA support and state teacher certification.
- TN Department of Education — Early Childhood Education (PreK-3) license — for public-school pre-K teachers; bachelor's + state-approved EPP. CDA does not satisfy this.
Notable state context
Tennessee operates Voluntary Pre-K (VPK) in public schools with state-licensed teachers; CDA functions primarily in the licensed child care segment. TECTA is delivered through a network of public university and community college partners (ETSU, TSU, Chattanooga State, Southwest TN CC, TN Tech, etc.) — one of the most distributed state CDA training networks in the country.