Washington — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials

CDA acceptance & requirements

• Lead teacher requirements: Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) child care licensing requires lead teachers to hold a Washington State ECE Initial Certificate (12 college credits) at minimum. A CDA can be used for 12 of the required credits at any of the stackable certificate levels (Initial, Short, or State).
• Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus orientation training and required ECE Initial Certificate within 5 years of hire (currently being phased in).
• Director requirements: Higher stackable certificate level (typically the State ECE Certificate, 47 credits) plus administrative coursework and experience.
• QRIS: Early Achievers — Washington's QRIS administered by DCYF. Workforce credentials and certificate levels are core scoring criteria.
• T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Washington is administered through Child Care Aware of Washington. ECE Registered Apprenticeships are operating widely (notably SEIU Local 925 / SEIU 775 partnership and various community college pathways).

State-specific ECE workforce credentials

• Washington ECE Stackable Certificates — Issuing agency: Washington community/technical college system, recognized by DCYF. Three stacked tiers:
  1. Initial ECE Certificate — 12 credits (CDA accepted in lieu)
  2. Short ECE Certificate — 20 credits (Initial + 8 more)
  3. State ECE Certificate — 47 credits (Short + 27 more) Each stacks toward an AA in ECE.
• MERIT (Managed Education and Registry Information Tool) — Issuing agency: DCYF. Online workforce registry tracking certifications, training (STARS-approved hours), and Early Achievers participation.
• STARS — Washington's annual training-hours framework (separate from the certificate structure); classes are STARS-approved.
• OSPI — Early Childhood Education / P-3 endorsement — for public-school pre-K teachers; bachelor's + state-approved EPP. CDA does not satisfy this.

Notable state context

Washington's stackable certificate framework is one of the cleanest in the country: each tier is portable across community colleges and credits are guaranteed to articulate. The state has been phasing in mandatory ECE Initial Certificate requirements for all licensed lead teachers, with CDA accepted as the equivalent. SEIU's partnerships have made Washington a national leader in ECE Registered Apprenticeship enrollment.