Professional Development

The Early Childhood Development Scholarship provides a seamless system to upgrade the professional development of those working in early care and education. The state legislature and the Governor created the Early Childhood Development Scholarship as part of the KIDS NOW early childhood initiative.

Scholarship

The scholarship provides financial assistance, to the extent of available funds, in the form of non-repayable tuition scholarships for Kentucky students who are pursuing one of the following:

  • Commonwealth Child Care Credential
  • Child Development Associate
  • Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education or related program
  • Director’s Credential

KHEAA College Scholarship

KHEAA is an Early Childhood Development Scholarship that assists Kentuckians who work in a child care or public preschool setting to earn credentials, certificates, and degrees in the field of early childhood education. Additional information can be found at https://www.kheaa.com/web/scholarships-grants.faces or by contacting your Regional Professional Development Coach.


Online non-college Scholarship Application Announcement

The Division of Child Care (DCC) is excited to announce that the non-college scholarship application process is going electronic! DCC in collaboration with Child Care Aware of KY and ECE-TRIS has created an online application process available in ECE-TRIS.

Kentucky Career Lattice

The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is a key stepping stone on the path of career advancement in ECE. Put simply, CDAs know how to nurture the emotional, physical, intellectual, and social development of children. For more information visit their website at https://www.cdacouncil.org/about/cda-credential.

Click below to download your copy of the steps for completing a CDA online application

Please contact the professional development coach in your area with questions regarding the Kentucky Career Lattice and/or scholarship opportunities available in the state of Kentucky.

Division of Child Care Approved Training Agencies


Sci Child 2
Brittany Slone Quote

"Obtaining my CDA helped me tremendously in preparing for early child care education. Without my CDA, I would never have gained the amount of experience I did."

"Obtaining my CDA helped me tremendously in preparing for early child care education. Without my CDA, I would never have gained the amount of experience I did."

"Obtaining my CDA helped me tremendously in preparing for early child care education. Without my CDA, I would never have gained the amount of experience I did."

Brittany Slone
Thelma B. Johnson Early Learning Center
KDE Scholarship Video 2
KDE Scholarship Video 1
Brittany Slone Quote
KDE Scholarship Video 2
KDE Scholarship Video 1
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External Links

Division of Child Care Professional Development

Governor’s Office of Early Childhood

Visit the Council for Professional Recognition to learn more about and/or apply for the CDA Credential.

ECE-TRIS is a centralized database that maintains training records for Early Care and Education professionals throughout Kentucky.