What If Toddlers Ran the CDA Council? - post

Related State Bundles

Alabama 12 hour Annual Training Bundle

$85

Are you currently working in an Alabama child care center and looking to meet your 12-hour annual training requirement? Then you’re ready for this all-in-one annual training bundle!

Our Alabama 12 hour Annual Training Bundle offers a streamlined way to complete your yearly in-service training as required by the Alabama Department of Human Resources. This bundle includes interactive courses in health and safety, child development, positive guidance, emergency preparedness, language development, and more.

Stay compliant, build your professional knowledge, and maintain your eligibility to work in licensed child care programs across Alabama—all at your own pace.

✅ Fulfills the 12-hour annual in-service training requirement for center-based child care workers
✅ Approved for Alabama DHR compliance
✅ Ideal for renewing licenses and maintaining employment in regulated child care centers

• Healthy Habits from the Start
• Language Development in Early Childhood
• Grow with Me: Child Development for Mixed Ages
• Stay Alert! Steps to Emergency Prep Online Version
• Viewing Guidance in a Positive Light

Alabama 20- Hour Annual Training Bundle for Family/Group Day Care Home Licensee

$140

Are you an Alabama family or group day care home licensee looking to fulfill your 20-hour annual training requirement? Then you're ready for this comprehensive, home-provider-focused training bundle!

This Alabama Licensee Annual Training Bundle is tailored exclusively for licensed providers operating family or group day care homes. It meets the 20 clock hours of annual training required by the Alabama DHR and covers all six mandated training areas. Whether you're renewing your license, preparing for inspection, or enhancing the quality of care in your home program, this bundle ensures you're in full compliance and growing professionally.

🎯 What’s Included in This Bundle:

• ✅ Child Development
• ✅ Health and Safety
• ✅ Positive Guidance & Discipline 
• ✅ Language and Literacy Development
• ✅ Family Communication

✅ Why Choose This Bundle?

• Aligned with Alabama DHR Family and Group Day Care Home Licensing Standards
• Designed specifically for home-based child care providers
• Flexible, online, self-paced access
  
  

• You're Not My Friend Anymore: Learning Conflict Resolution
• Working Together: Teachers & Preschoolers
• The Right Kind of Influence for Young Children
• Supporting Little Hearts: Divorce and Separation in the Child Care Setting
• Supporting Families and Caregivers in Language and Literacy
• Play, Learn, Grow Online Version
• Nutrition Essentials for Child Care Providers
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Education
• Building Bridges for Dual Language Learners
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Alabama 24- Hour Preservice Training Bundle for Family/Group Day Care Homes

$185

Are you planning to open a licensed family or group day care home in Alabama? Do you need to complete your 24 hours of preservice training? Then you’re ready for this specialized training bundle!

This Alabama Family/Group Day Care Homes 24- Hour Preservice Training Bundle is tailored for prospective licensees operating family or group day care homes. It meets the 24-hour preservice training requirement set by Alabama DHR and includes focused modules on child development, universal precautions, nutrition, licensing regulations, and family communication.

Whether you’re preparing to launch your own in-home child care business or updating your credentials, this training will guide you through every essential topic to ensure a successful and compliant start.

✅ Satisfies the Alabama DHR 24-hour preservice training requirement for new licensees
✅ Covers all six required training areas
✅ Perfect for new child care entrepreneurs and home-based provider.

• Grow with Me: Child Development for Mixed Ages
• Administering Basic Health and Safety ONLINE
• Community and Family Engagement in Childcare
• Language Development in Early Childhood
• Staying Positive: Guidance for Preschoolers
• DAP for Family Child Care
• Business Planning: Family Child Care
• Let’s Talk: Effective Communication
• A Watchful Eye: Supervision in Early Childhood
• Baby Play: Planning Infant and Toddler Activities

1. The Toddlers’ Agenda

In this alternate universe, the little ones vote (thumbs up = yes, throw the paper = no) on what counts as professional #development. Their top priorities: snack time extended by 10 minutes, more #sensory bins, and "Quiet Reflection" replaced by "Quiet (ish) Reflection" (meaning: maybe we’ll whisper, maybe we’ll giggle loudly).
Now, as an #early #educator, you’re trying to show you’re ready for bigger responsibilities: you’ve enrolled in the Birth to Five CDA Credential with Portfolio Review and the CDA Infant/Toddler Credential with Portfolio Review — both offered by CDA Certification online. The #toddlers nod approvingly when they see you doing that.

• The Birth to Five course is for those who want to work with children from the very first months through #preschool—all in one flexible online program. 

• The Infant/Toddler course focuses specifically on the youngest learners—birth to 36 months. 

In toddler-governed council meetings, this means you get two shiny badges: “I can wrangle toddlers” and “I can wrangle #preschoolers.” Excellent. They hand you a tiny scepter made of popsicle sticks.

2. The Calm Toolkit (as Approved by Toddlers)

You’ve probably read an article titled How Earning Your CDA Can Help You Breathe Easier? which reminds you that being a childcare professional doesn’t mean perfect days—it means persistent days, with many opportunities to pause, breathe, and laugh. 

In our toddler-led council world, the calm toolkit is slightly different:

• Three deep crayon-colored breaths (you inhale, exhale, and draw a silly face on your clipboard).

• Switch the energy — aka: break into song about cleanup time (toddlers vote yes).

• Find a buddy — extra goldfish cracker for the buddy who fetched the lost shoe.

Plus, through your CDA online training, you’re building that calm-and-confident professional toolkit. The toddlers approve of that: they like someone who can keep the routine going, while still being flexible enough to build a block tower instead of the planned carpet shuffle.

3. Building an Awesome Portfolio & Lesson Plan That Wows

One of the big steps in your credential journey is creating a standout Professional Portfolio. It’s not just paperwork—it reflects your #growth, your philosophy of teaching, your commitment. (Yes, even when the toddler in charge is trying to trade you the scepter for an extra cookie.)

Then there’s this valuable teaching resource: the Sample Self‑Concept Lesson Plan (Birth to Five). This plan celebrates children’s self-discovery — from babies giggling at their reflection, to toddlers dressing up and preschoolers drawing what they love. 

In the toddler-run council, that lesson plan gets high marks for “fun,” “makes me feel proud,” and “can we wear hats?” You integrate it into your portfolio, show you know how to support social and emotional growth, and demonstrate your readiness.

Meanwhile, your online courses give you the structured training:

• For Birth to Five: 120 engaging hours, on-demand lessons, resources for your portfolio. CDA Certification

• For Infant/Toddler: 120-hour focus on nurturing routines, care for the youngest learners, documentation, professionalism. CDA Certification

In toddler council speak this means: “You proved you know the ABCs of care, and you brought snacks. Good job.”

4. Why You’ll Love the Journey (Even If the Toddlers Are Running It)

Let’s face it: Some days, childcare feels like you’re participating in an Olympic event called Snack Spill Relay or Marker-On-Walls Marathon. But earning your CDA gives you tools to navigate those days with more ease (yes, even if the toddlers are in charge). That’s the gist of the “breathe easier” article. 

In toddler-council lingo this means: “When you can stay calm while we paint with oatmeal, you earn a golden sticker.”

Because here’s the truth: It’s not about perfection. It’s about showing up, being reflective, growing professionally, making those tiny victories count (the child who zips their coat, the group that shares blocks without bickering). And yes: the toddler council totally applauds when you get certificate in hand.

5. Signing It Off in Style

So, whether you’re earning your credential, juggling daily chaos, or just imagining what it’d be like if preschoolers governed professional development (and maybe swapped your clipboard for a toy hammer), remember this: you’ve got the training, the resources, the sense of humor. The toddler council might debate the snack schedule, but they are quietly impressed you’re on this journey.

Follow us on social media Instagram – ChildCareEd and stay in the loop — because when toddlers run the council, we still need grown-ups who’ve got the credentials and the giggles.

If Toddlers Ran the CDA Council.

See you in the sandbox of professional growth!