Requirements

The Early Childhood Associate Apprenticeship Program (ECAAP) requires that each apprentice obtain the CDA credential after the first year of program participation. The CDA certificate is an interim credential for the ECAAP Apprenticeship Certificate. It is also the first step, and the ECAAP Apprenticeship Certificate is the next professional development step on the Kansas Early Childhood Career Lattice. Both programs have a similar program process.

As with the CDA, apprenticeship requires hands-on experience and education. Each apprentice must have at least 4,000 hours of experience working with young children and 20 hours of college credit in early childhood education. The Apprenticeship education requirements must be obtained through an ECAAP educational partner or through the online completion option. Each apprentice who works the minimum of 30 hours per week with children and obtains the required 10 college credit of education each year for the apprenticeship program will meet the hands-on experience and education requirements for the CDA. Every one college credit hour is worth 15 clock hours of training toward the CDA requirements and the first year required ECAAP classes on the Related Instruction Outlines have been chosen to meet these specific CDA educational requirements.

Documentation
Both the apprentice and the sponsor should become familiar with the CDA program and its requirement when starting the apprenticeship program. The apprentice will work on the other CDA requirement throughout the first year. Apprentices should request a CDA Packet from the ECAAP office when starting the second semester of classes.

The sponsor will assist the apprentice in finding the CDA Advisory and complete all the necessary talks and information for the apprentice to complete the Direct Assessment Application. Once all documentation for the CDA assessment is complete, the apprentice should send the completed Direct Assessment Application and the documentation for the educational requirements to the ECAAP office at: Wichita Workforce Center  150 N. Main Street, Suite 100 Wichita, Kansas 67202.

The ECAAP program will pay the CDA assessment fee of $325 for each apprentice who remains in good standing with the ECAAP program.