An innovative new partnership by Northampton Community College and Teaching

Strategies, Inc. will allow teachers and teaching assistants working with young children anywhere in the country to expand their knowledge of child development and teaching techniques through online classes that will prepare them for the Childhood Development Associate (CDA) assessment. The program, which is run through Northampton , is called eCDA and provides the required clock hours of formal early childhood education required for the CDA credential.

This ground-breaking program engages learners with highly interactive and thought-provoking real-life scenarios and expert instruction by faculty from NCC's Center for Early Childhood Education. It comprises three courses that meet the new minimum degree requirements for Early Head Start teachers and

Head Start teaching assistants, as well as state licensing regulations. The program also can be applied as nine college credits toward an Associate Degree from NCC.

Teaching Strategies, Inc. is the publisher of the e-learning modules that are used in the instruction. Teaching Strategies is a nationally known publisher of The Creative Curriculum, an early childhood educational system that includes curriculum, assessment and professional development for the early childhood profession.

For more information about the eCDA program, visit the Early Childhood Education page at www.northampton.edu.