CDA Practice Test #1 (UPDATED-2024)

The three areas included under this competency standard are self, social, and guidance. Educators must support the development of children as independent and successful individuals with positive self-images. Children must be encouraged to share and cooperate with peers and make friends. The teacher provides opportunities for learning acceptable behaviors and self-regulation.

Plants are a great thing to have in your classroom. The children will love taking care of them and watching them grow, however, some plants can be poisonous if ingested and you must assure whatever plants you have are not a potential safety hazard to your preschoolers.

One of the ways to develop relationships with your families is to invite them to be part of your classroom and the holidays are a great time to have extra hands in your room. You are showing your parents you value them, respect their role in their child's education and having fun at the same time!

120 clock hours of training are required for an area of certification. The applicant should include proof of completed training hours when submitting the application. 480 hours of work experience are also required.

Any instance in which abuse or neglect are observed or suspected should be reported to local or state agencies according to the policies of the care giving institution. Some reporting to state agencies is mandatory. The caregiver should recognize symptoms of abuse or neglect, physical. sexual or emotional abuse and follow state law in response. Changes in family needs or situations should be reflected in plans for individual children. For example, if a family is planning to move, appropriate support should be given to a child who will soon leave your care to help him/her make a smooth transition.

Calling the parents every day would be a huge time commitment and would most likely prove to be frustrating for both sides, however, there are easy ways to build a relationship with your families and communicate with them effectively. Sending home a weekly or monthly newsletter, have "mailboxes" for each child in your room and inviting parents in for a quick chat one day a week are all ways you can share information with them easily and open the lines of communication. You will find by sharing classroom news, birthdays, field trips, special visitors or asking for volunteers for special activities, you will interact more easily and efficiently with your students’ families and they will be more likely to be involved in positive ways.

Every preschool center should have at least one, if not more, first aid kits. Those kits should be fully stocked and kept out of reach of the students, however, should be in locations that are easily accessible for the teachers and other staff. Everyone should be aware where each of the kits is located.

m Before applying for CDA accreditation, the applicant must have either a high school diploma, or GED certification or be enrolled in an early childhood career/tech program in high school. The applicant must also have completed 120 hours of training including ten hours in each area of the CDA subject areas. The applicant does not need a college diploma.

While all the responses could be correct, this choice allows you to be flexible and be immediately responsive to their curiosity. This is the response that is in their best interest for this scenario. Having the activity again later is a great idea, too, and you should reintroduce activities and materials they especially like, but always be responsive, when you can reasonably do so, to their immediate interests. In this case, you could forgo reading a book to allow them to further explore. You can read the book later or not at all.

Your students have come to love and trust you over this past year. Your positive attitude toward this life event will help them feel more secure. Help them by encouraging them to discuss what they are feeling, by reading books to help them work through feelings and see that it will be alright, telling them you believe in them and that you're excited for them and know they are so ready to be "big kids". Your opinion means a lot to them. If you can, arrange a trip. Some schools have Open Houses, but if they don't, this is a great way to help your students and their families transition.

When observing children, your written
observations must be objective and lack any emotional interpretation. Record what
happened and not how you think the child felt about it.

It is important to respect the privacy of the children and their families, no matter what the issue. While your classroom parents have a right to be concerned when there are outbreaks of lice or other situations, building a relationship with them will help them to trust that you will provide them with the information they need and, at the same time, respect the privacy of all your families.

The key word is "advocate." The early childhood professional educator can advocate for excellence by increasing their involvement in professional organizations, by taking a leadership role and by communicating standards of excellence to parents, colleagues and the community. Educators must maintain high professional standards and adhere to all laws governing child education.

Children's art is displayed around the room. - Your classroom should be a warm welcoming environment for your students. Displaying the children's artwork shows you value their contribution and that this is their space. You can play music, but it should be non-intrusive and at a softer volume unless part of a lesson.

Observation is a powerful tool for an educator, however, it only becomes useful over time if the information recorded is documented. Documenting a child's progress, both positive and areas of concerns, allows you to continue to meet the needs of your students and adjust your curriculum and attention accordingly.

Michael was trying to help and, in doing so, spilled the juice. In cases like this, do not punish the child, tell him its ok and help him develop his self help skills by helping you to clean up. If you do it together and you do not criticize him, he will learn its ok to make mistakes and cleaning up can be fun, not upsetting.

When toileting a child, if your center provides them, it is a good idea to wear gloves, however with or without gloves you should wash your hands in hot water, rinse thoroughly and dry with a paper towel.

While it’s true you can't make everyone happy all the time, it’s important not to give the impression you don't care about your classroom parents' feelings. You have put time and energy into planning this trip and it’s a good place for the children to go, however, if you let these moms know you respect what they are sharing, you will have a stronger relationship with them going forward. Ask them to help you plan a zoo trip in the spring, not only will they be happy to be involved but it will be a big help to you!

A good teacher will create the classroom rules with the students and the environment in mind. She will be sure to share the rules with the students before posting them and, where logical, get their input on what some classroom rules should be. Once posted, the teacher will go over the rules regularly to reinforce the students' learning of what is expected of them.

When parents share their concerns with you, you can best support them by listening to what they have to say in a nonjudgmental manner and then work with them to find an acceptable

It is never a good idea to confront parents. This might put them in a defensive mode of listening. It is best to ask the parents about Alisa's habits and offer some research-based information which will help them make more appropriate choices for Alisa. Some parents have difficulty with consistency and discernment. Sending home lists may not be enough and would not help with the sleep issue. Care-givers should make suggestions which will help children succeed in school.

Reading a book to students in another language will not stunt the language development of any of your students and will, in fact, enhance it. If you plan to read a well known book to them in another language, plan to read it to them on a different day than the English version.

In order to gain CDA endorsement, the applicant must have 480 hours of experience working with children whose ages and setting are the same as the area of application. These must be earned within three years of application. You must work in a specific setting and age group.

The most widely recognized credential in Early Childhood Education is The Child Development Associate Credential which is administered by the Council for Professional Recognition. The credential represents a core set of competency standards which must be met for certification. The NAEYC is the National Association for the Education of Young Children. NHSA is the National Head Start Association. NAFCC is the National Association for Family Child Care

An unguarded space heater is a safety hazard in a classroom of children. Not only can a child burn herself but if it is placed somewhere unsafe (like on a table) there is a potential for it to fall or be knocked over and hit someone.

- Children often have nicknames that are used at
home and are preferred over their given name and a caring teacher knows this name and
uses it. Giving the children your own nickname for them is ok IF the child approves of the
name. Children at this age often prefer the name they are used to and do not enjoy being
given another nickname.

While it may not seem a big deal to you, his cut is a big deal to him. Scrapes and cuts can be scary for a small child. You can help ease his fears by acknowledging it hurts and help him to clean and dress his wound. Being a part of the process will help to calm him down and trust that he will be fine. It will also teach him you respect his feelings and care about him.

From time to time, students will cause you frustration. No matter how frustrating their behaviors are, you must relay the information to the child's parents professionally, respectfully and without judgement. Offering to be available to discuss the issues will help the parents work with you to find a solution and best help your student succeed.

Ethical conduct standards are guidelines for professional are responsible behavior. As defined by the ethical standards as set forth by the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, caregivers shall not harm children in any way, shall value each child's culture, language, ethnicity, and family structure, and provide positive emotional and social learning environments which promote cognitive development.

While, as a teacher, you must have an idea of what you want the classroom rules to be, it is important to include the children in the development of those rules. You can guide the children to give you what you ultimately want the rules to be, but their involvement in the process will help them to both understand and embrace the rules.

Showing bias toward a culture, language, ethnicity or family structure is unethical. Educators should be committed to providing quality education, continuing professional growth, and valuing the variety of cultures children bring to care.

Clare should not be made to feel self-conscious about her reading or singled out. She should be included in the group and encouraged to share the skills she has. Interacting with text in the group will help her acquire higher-order thinking skills. She might be given other time during the day to read on her own or the whole group might participate in "read-alone" times which will encourage all students to see reading as a valuable and enjoyable practice.

Young children should be exposed to books as often as possible. They should be read to often and books should be in each area of their classrooms. Havea reading center, books in each of your learning centers - even the block center and be sure to read to them as often as you can.

If a child is hurt, not only is the child with the injury scared but it is reasonable for the other children to be concerned, too. Answering their questions and allowing Sammy to share his feelings will help them develop empathy and assure them their classmate is going to be ok.

Fall is a wonderful time of year to have the children outside and exploring. You can incorporate every area of your lesson planning into outside learning. Having the children count, sort, and quantify are great ways to slip math into a lesson without it feeling like a math lesson! The children will enjoy sharing what they've found or filling a bucket with exciting treasures from the school yard.

When children are learning to use the facilities, it’s extremely important to their emotional well-being to be supportive of this large change in their lives. Be encouraging of their successes, provide positive reinforcement with star charts or other very tangible options. Children will be responsive to kindness and caring over punishment and fear.

Your most important role each day is to create a loving warm environment for your students. Be a caregiver that gives appropriate hugs, smiles at them often, cares about their successes, support them when they are sad and do whatever you can to assure they feel safe and secure while in your care.

This might be a hard habit for Nina to break since she is using it successfully at home. Making Nina aware of the issue is the first step. She may not even realize that she is whining. Next, give her some time to consider her actions and try asking again. She may need to be given some examples and time to practice. When she does ask appropriately, the response should be positive and affirming. She should not be shamed in front of the other children or completely ignored.

Children develop fine-motor skills at different rates. Giving Lan
other activities which will help her develop these skills will be less frustrating than cutting.
While her skills are developing, give her the chance to use the scissors while helping. You
might also offer her a different type of scissors which may make cutting easier. Encourage
her to do what she can and intervene before she gets frustrated. Do not point out her lack of
skill to the other students.

You must include 60 minutes of center/free choice time in both the morning and afternoon portions of your schedule. Ina half day program, you should allow for 75 minutes per day.

The students are understandably excited but it is important to take them outside and show them the new equipment. Share with them and have them share with your ideas on how they can play safely.

For a young child, the anxiety they feel when their parents leave is very real to them. You must be sensitive to their concerns by naming them for them, for example, "I know you are sad to say goodbye to you mom." Help them transition by helping them say good bye to their guardian and identify some things they will be doing that day.

When a student has a special event - such as a holiday - you can foster a sense of community and cultural awareness by extending that learning to your classroom. Ask the child if she would like to bring in pictures of the event, share a special food or costume or if she would like to share information with her classmates.

By offering to be a part of the discussion, you can help the women figure out what is going on, after all you are the one that would be observing the behaviors that concern them. Through guided conversation, you can help the two mothers see that it’s normal for children to argue from time to time, you can share ideas how to talk to their children at home and offer to monitor the interactions at school. Hopefully this will allow you to work together, as a team, to respectfully address the situation and assist the children in resolving their conflict.

An appropriate curriculum is one designed to allow students the opportunity to choose activities such as can be found during center time. Set out a variety of activities designed to spark imagination and encourage play and exploration. Daily gross motor activities are essential for a child's development as are a variety of music and movement activities. Children love to sing and dance, capitalizing on their natural enthusiasm will increase their learning experience. The more activities are designed to involve the children, the stronger the impact of your planning will be.

A caregiver should actively seek information about laws and policies which affect the welfare of children and their families. The caregiver can keep current and learn about new laws and regulations by attending professional conferences and training courses and joining professional organizations. It is especially important to learn about laws and policies which support children affected by abuse or neglect.

Young children can be reluctant to join in at times and a caring teacher will encourage students to join in without using punishment or shame. If a child chooses not to dance, even after you encourage her to do so, she is still participating by watching and learning. She may be more willing to try next time if you give her the freedom to choose this time.

The use of the phrase "in between" is what makes this a subject-specific statement. Add concepts to your phrases such as: more than, less than, over, under, in between to help students begin to develop this skill.

Research has suggested that computer or video times should be restricted or limited for toddlers. While a video might keep them quiet or put them to sleep, it is not best practice. If children are engaged in fun activities, they will be less-likely to be fussy. Taking them outside for some fresh air might also help. Keep as close as possible to the daily schedule, within reason, so that parents will be able to keep their schedules at home. Parents should be notified about the importance of rest and the recommendations concerning screen time.

Mealtime should be a positive experience for children. They should be encouraged to try new foods but not punished if they don't or if they don't finish everything on their plates. Adults should sit with them modeling good table manners and healthy choices. The adults should also facilitate conversation between the children.

Confidentiality does not apply only to students, but to all staff and the center itself. While it may seem harmless to share details of situations that arise, it’s important to remember you must remain professional at all time and allow your center director to appropriately share information, as needed.

If you see a distinct change in a child's behavior, there is often a reason for this change. Children cannot always easily express their feelings and can hit, bite, kick, cry or even sleep more often when they are scared, frustrated, hurt or anxious. When you see these changes in behavior, follow your school's rules on correcting the behavior, keep anecdotal records and work with the child's family to address any issues the child may be having. Your job is not to fix the problem at home but more to support the child while she is under your care.

Whenever you have a parent that puts restrictions on their child, it’s always a good idea to speak to them directly and explain your plan. This will allow the parent to make an informed decision and learn to trust you will be respectful of their concerns. In this case, the mother may still say the child cannot watch the movie and, if so, can work with you to come up with a reasonable solution.

When students show interest in an activity, you can expand on their learning by allowing them to further explore materials. Further, you can have them make their own instruments using materials found in their environment. This will allow them to experiment with sound and use trial and error to make their instrument.

Parents should be required to provide the names and phone numbers of any adult authorized to pick up their child. In addition to this, as an added safety precaution, the parents should send in a note advising school staff when the normal dismissal routine will not be followed.

If an unauthorized adult arrives to pick up a child or an authorized adult shows up but was not expected, you must confirm with the parent that they grant permission, even if the child clearly Knows that adult.

While developing their language skills, children will make mistakes. This is perfectly normal and part of the process. You can help by modeling the correct language usage. Correcting a child can make them tentative to try new language.

As a teacher, it is good practice to develop some nonverbal, thus non-intrusive, ways to encourage your students. One example is a thumb up. You can catch a child making a good choice and quietly give them a thumb up. They feel encouraged and you can keep doing whatever you were doing. Your strategies can be as simple as a wink or a smile - it only needs to give quiet reinforcement to a little one.

When you a preparing lessons for the children, you can add small motor opportunities by having kids stir, sort, count out, and put things together. When adding ants to the logs, they can sort, count out and pick up small pieces using their pincer grip.

It is easy to get excited when you receive gifts for the center, however, it is important to remember you are responsible for the safety of the children in your care. Organizations can mean well, but are not always as informed as you are on what is age appropriate or safe for small children. Toys that have small pieces can be a choking hazard and should not be in your preschool classroom.

Children develop at their own pace. Mary is proud of what she has done and you should be, too. You are teaching her an important skill and you can support her, and all your children, by being patient and allowing each child to be successful in their own way. You can work with a child and help them write the letters, helping them to become better at that skill, but as they are gaining a skill every effort deserves your praise and respect.

When you allow children to create and expand on what you've taught them,
you are giving them permission to be thinkers and to create and express themselves.

Some children are more social than others. It is ok for children to play by themselves or in groups, however, you can help children learn to play with others by using materials that encourage group play. Manipulatives, games and dramatic play can encourage children to socialize.

Everyone who is employed in the preschool or day care must be trained in first aid. It is important for all staff to be prepared in the case of an emergency, no matter how small or large.