Introduction

Atlas Training was developed in 2019 as a training program in child development.  The primary goal of the program is to provide entry-level or non-credentialed teachers in the early childhood field with opportunity to earn the nationally recognized CDA Credential.  Administered by the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, D.C., the  CDA Council is a leader in the credentialing of early childhood educators worldwide and has issued more than 800,000 credentials since 1975.  

Since the time we started our program, we have grown to offer new initiatives as our leadership is focused on supporting ALL adults who work directly with young children.  As we prepare to move in to our third year of operation, we are expanding our CDA Training to include training in Spanish as well as training for the renewal of the CDA. 

1. New Program Consulting:  We are now offering consulting services to new programs in need of support as they prepare their programs to meet CT OEC Licensing requirements. 

1. Training and Curriculum Development:  Each month, we offer a free training workshop for anyone interested in joining. The hour and a half workshops are intended to support teachers in thinking more deeply about children’s play experiences and contemplating their teaching through discussion and reflection.  

One of the things we believe sets us apart from other CDA Training Programs is our commitment to developing the early childhood teacher based on what we know about best practices in early childhood education.  Here is what we do and do not offer to our students: 
We are also excited to offer two additional services:

Our program's interactive, competency-based model supports learners to acquire knowledge and develop skills that will enable them to apply best practices to their work with young children between the ages of 0-5 in licensed childcare settings. 

Vision

Our vision begins with the CDA but extends to wanting to support directors in hiring qualified staff,  and training teachers even after the CDA to engage in professional conversations each month to support them in continuing to develop as teachers in the field.  Our relationship-based training model requires that teachers: 

• Desire to obtain their CDA Credential if they do not yet have a college degree related to early childhood education. 

• Recognize the need for professional growth and development. 

• Demonstrate commitment to their own learning through involvement in a CDA training program.  

• Recognize that the qualifications they have for teaching directly impacts young children’s learning.

• Take responsibility for attending to their own learning while also supporting others in doing the same. 

• Commit to increasing their qualifications to work with children because they know how their teaching makes a difference in the lives of the children and families that they serve.  

Mission

The mission of Atlas Training is to promote online, collaborative learning among early childhood professionals serving children birth-age 5 by offering competency-based CDA training, new program consulting and monthly training and curriculum opportunities to support teachers in offering high quality, early care and education services.  

What is Competency-Based Training? 

Competency-Based Education refers to systems of instruction and assessment that are designed to ensure that students learn what they are expected to learn.  In many CDA Training Programs, students obtain training by attending workshops.  Yet, they are never required to put into practice all that they learn in the workshops.  This is due to something called ‘learning transfer’. 
      

Learning Transfer means that training participants can successfully apply the knowledge and skills that they learn in training to their work with young children. For transfer to occur, students or training participants must make connections from what they learn in one workshop to the next. In Atlas Training for CDA, learning content builds from one module to the next. In addition, participants can practice using what they learn so that they can apply it immediately. 

One of the key features of our training program is the degree of learner engagement. Participants interact with a course instructor and well as peers on the ‘discussion forum’ and they complete ‘assignments’ and ‘reflections’ to build competencies over time.  Our participants receive feedback to support them in their development.  This feedback is not always to say ‘good job’, but rather to critically support the developing teacher in learning about developmentally appropriate practices.  

When the participant takes a final multiple-choice quiz at the end of each module, she/he/they has already come to understand the content of the training and how to apply it to practice. This is a unique feature of Atlas Training: Learning is designed to transfer to practice. 

Key Features of Atlas Training

CDA:  
3 Models of Delivery

Enrollment is Easy

To start your journey, simply select the "Create Account" button on our home page to provide us with a little information about yourself. 

If you are certain of the program you want to register in and are able to pay upfront, simply select the course option you would like when you return to the home page. 
 
If you would like more information before you move forward, or if you will be paying through monthly installments or scholarship, simply wait for a staff member to reach out to you via email within 48 hours. You will be able to communicate with a staff member directly to figure out the best option for you. 
Once you are enrolled in a program, we will be happy to order your textbooks on your behalf. A staff member will check with you to see how you will be getting your textbooks. 

Program Design

Atlas Training is intentionally interactive and facilitated by an instructor so that students receive the support that they need to be successful in their learning.  

Participants will be enrolled in a cohort with others in the endorsement area of their choice.  For instance, participants who desire to obtain the Infant/Toddler CDA will learn with others who are seeking to obtain the Infant/Toddler CDA.  There are cohorts for preschool and family childcare endorsements as well.         

• Each module takes approximately one month to complete  

• Each participant receives a ‘Module Syllabus’ at the start of training that lists the competencies that need to be achieved throughout the training. Learning Plans include CDA Standards as well as NAEYC Standards for Educator Preparation as well as any state Core Knowledge and Competencies that apply.

• Each module includes an introduction to the various workshops included in the module and a lecture to go along with each workshop. 

• Once reading/listening to the lecture, participants engage on the discussion board and then complete assignments for each workshop with the module.

• At the end of the module, participants write a reflection on what they learned in that module and they make connections to past learning.  This reflection is considered a qualitative assessment.

• The last step in each module is for students to take a multiple-choice quiz on the content learned in the module.  While participants can take the quizzes multiple times to achieve mastery, the true learning from Atlas Training for CDA comes from participant engagement with an instructor and other learners.

Pricing

Atlas Training is intended to be an affordable option for CDA training.  The total cost of the program is $899.00 if paid in full at the time of registration. Students who cannot pay in full at the time of registration may be placed on a monthly payment plan and should call or email Atlas Training directly to sign up for a plan. Third-party payments will be accepted when approved in advance.  

Refunds

100% refund will be provided up to 3 days after the start of the course.
50% refund will be provided up to one week after the start of the course.
· Refunds will not be given after the start of the second week of the course.

Additional Costs

Books (if purchased through the Council for Professional Recognition): 
$74.00 + postage
CDA Application Fee- $425.00

College Credits

Participants who complete Atlas Training and obtain the CDA will be eligible to apply for the following:

• 6 college credits for the CDA

• Opportunity to register for exams through a local college to obtain an additional 6 college credits.  We provide guidance on these programs in Module 9 of the training.

Who Should Enroll? 

This program is only for serious students who are committed to their own growth and development in the field of early childhood education. Atlas Training is intended to support those working with young children to increase their skill level in working with either infants and toddlers, preschoolers or in family childcare homes.  All participants should be excited about learning and open to new ideas. Students should not enroll in this course unless they have both a personal and a professional desire to grow as a teacher in the field of early childhood education. 

Atlas Training recognizes the CDA to be a pathway to professional development and fully supports early childhood teacher degree attainment.