Quality standards extend beyond licensing requirements, good facilities, and best intentions. The child care staff with whom parents entrust their children must be professional, competent, knowledgeable, and dedicated to ensuring high quality early childhood experiences in safe and nurturing environments. These experiences must effectively promote children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. They must also be consistent with family needs, the child's developmental level, learning interests, style of learning, and cultural background.

Professionals exhibiting standards of excellence in child care and early childhood education are recognized by NCCA through the awarding of a national credential, the Certified Childcare Professional (CCP) Early Childhood Education Specialist.

Why Become a CCP?

CCP's are viewed as distinguished professionals who have earned national and state recognition for their achievements in early care and education. CCP's are also recognized as having a positive impact on the lives of children, families, and the community.

The CCP credentialing program:

• provides candidates with expertise in the 15 professional ability areas reflecting the highest national standards 
• qualifies recipients to pursue position advancement in early care and education 
• certifies recipients nationally, thereby giving nationwide recognition of their qualifications to engage in professional early care and education practice 
• certifies the professional expertise of recipients to parents, supervisors and the community 

How is the CCP Candidate Evaluated?

The CCP Multi-Indicator Evaluation (MIE) process is designed to determine the extent to which individuals have met or exceeded NCCA National Standards of professional expertise. MIE Criteria include: 

• High School Diploma or the Equivalent 
• 18 years of age or older 
• 720 hours of child care experience serving children between birth and 6 years within the last five years in a licensed center-based early childhood program 
• 180 clock hours (12 credit hours) of education / training reflecting the 15 Professional Ability Areas 
• National Examination 
• Professional Development Portfolio 
• Performance-based observation assessment 
• Two parent evaluations 
• Two letters of endorsement (director & colleague) 
• Two writing samples documenting the use of writing skills in professional activities 
• Plans for continued professional development 
• Review by the NCCA Professional Standards Council 

The 15 Professional Abilities of the Certified Childcare Professional?

• The ability to establish and maintain a safe, healthy, and nurturing learning environment 
• The ability to enhance the physical development of young children 
• The ability to enhance the cognitive development of young children 
• The ability to enhance children's social and emotional development 
• The ability to maintain a commitment to on-the-job professionalism 
• The ability to promote parent involvement, advocacy and empowerment 
• The ability to provide effective and nurturing learning environments in response to the individual needs of each child 
• The ability to create effective transition linkages for children and their families 
• The ability to reliably assess children's development 
• The ability to demonstrate knowledge of child development theory, research, and practice 
• The ability to respond to the needs of children from the broad diversity of cultural backgrounds 
• The ability to engage in effective management at various levels of program operation 
• The ability to respond to the comprehensive service needs of children and their families 
• The ability to establish and maintain a well-run purposeful early childhood education environment for children 
• The ability to engage in self-assessment to evaluate professional effectiveness and development 

CLICK HERE to receive more information about the CCP.