General Instructions
The Children’s Program Administrator Credential of New York State is designed to recognize competence of early childhood and school-age program administrators in program management, fiscal management, and leadership within programs specifically designated as Day Care Center (DCC) or School-Age Child Care (SACC) in New York state licensure.
The application process requires an active Aspire Professional Profile, a candidacy application, college coursework in early childhood education as well as the six CPAC competency areas, and a peer-reviewed digital portfolio.
Candidates have a three-year window to move from the initial application submission to the digital portfolio. Most successful candidates meet at least two of the four qualifications below before applying.
Education and Experience
Your education and experience will be verified through The Aspire Registry. Please complete an individual professional profile in Aspire BEFORE applying for the credential. Ensure your Aspire profile accurately reflects your education and experience.
To qualify for this credential candidates must have
- An Associate’s degree or 60 credits toward a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning
- The degree or credits can be in any field.
- 18 or more college credits in Early Childhood Education
- 18 or more college credits covering the six CPAC topic areas
- These credits cannot overlap with the Early Childhood Education credits.
- A minimum of one year experience as an assistant director or director of a childcare center
- An administrative internship can be substituted for the one year of experience.
The CDA does NOT count toward the education requirements. Experience working with or owning a family or group family day care does not meet the administrative experience requirement for this credential.
Candidacy Application
Once you have an active Aspire Professional Profile, and you meet at least two of the four criteria outlined above, complete the Candidacy Application.
You will supply basic contact information including your Aspire ID. Be prepared to upload your resume and your OFFICIAL college transcripts and pay the $100 application fee.
The application should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. And it does require you to state the college-level courses taken in Early Childhood Education followed by the college-level courses taken in Children’s Program Administration. Credits CANNOT overlap between the two sections.
Using information from your your application and your Aspire Professional Profile, NYAEYC will write your assessment letter.
- The assessment letter will detail the requirements that have been met and the items that are still outstanding and will be emailed within 10 business days of application.
- Candidates will have three years from the date of the assessment to gain any necessary work experience, complete any outstanding coursework in Early Childhood Education and/or Children’s Program Administration, and submit their portfolio for peer review.
- The assessment letter can be submitted as proof to licensors that the candidate is pursuing the credential.
Completing Your Prerequisites
After the assessment letter is received, you should proceed with the necessary coursework to fulfill any outstanding education requirements. Coursework can be taken at any regionally accredited institution of higher learning. There are colleges in New York State and beyond that have coursework written specifically for the CPAC. Take a look at these colleges and universities to see if they are right for you!
If a practicum or internship is needed to meet the administrative experience requirement, that information will be included with your assessment letter.
When this step is complete, the candidate must:
- Update their Aspire profile with the additional coursework and submit the supporting documentation to NY Works for Children.
- If applicable, submit administrative practicum forms to NYAEYC.
Digital Portfolio
PURPOSE
The portfolio presents evidence of your professional development and demonstrates your competency as a Children’s Program Administrator. The review process is completely based on this compilation of documents. It is impossible for this review to evaluate every competency area. This we assume has already been measured by your coursework. The portfolio is intended for you to present a representative sample of your competency in each of the six major topics so that reviewers can validate that you meet the expectations of a Children’s Program Administrator. A portfolio review fee is due at submission ($325 for NYAEYC members; $350 for nonmembers).
PORTFOLIO STRUCTURE
ALL PORTFOLIOS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY. NYAEYC no longer accepts hard copies or binders. The link for digital portfolios is sent directly to those who are accepted as candidates along with the assessment letter.
A complete portfolio submission has six entries that present knowledge and work relative to the New York State Children’s Program Administrator Credential Competencies:
Topic 1: Administering Children’s Programs
Topic 2: Financial Planning and Management of Children’s Programs
Topic 3: Operations Management in Children’s Programs
Topic 4: External Environment and Children’s Program
Topic 5: Designing Programs That Are Good for Children and Families
Topic 6: Seminar in Children’s Program Administration
PORTFOLIO COMPONENTS
- CURRENT RESUME
- Resume should be updated from the resume submitted at candidacy to reflect changes in education, experience, or employment.
- Resume should be updated from the resume submitted at candidacy to reflect changes in education, experience, or employment.
- THREE LETTERS OF PROFESSIONAL RECOMMENDATION
- One letter from a college professor or instructor attesting to your academic performance.
- One letter from a supervisor in the field attesting to your administrative abilities as a director of a children’s program.
- One letter from a colleague (not a subordinate) attesting to your performance in working with staff, families, and children.
- All letters must be combined into ONE document for upload.
- OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS
- If your assessment letter required you to complete additional coursework, updated official transcripts must be submitted with your portfolio and uploaded to Aspire.
- DEMONSTRATION OF COMPETENCY IN EACH OF THE SIX TOPIC AREAS
- Read the competency statements of each topic (A, B, and C).
- Determine one objective (A, B, or C) that illustrates your competency.
- Select one project or document from your coursework that demonstrates your competency in the area (A, B, or C).
- Respond to the prompts in the portfolio. You will be asked to:
- State the unmet need.
- Describe why the unmet need is a problem.
- Describe at least two possible solutions to the need.
- Describe the solution/project you chose to meet the need.
- Explain why you chose that solution/project.
- Detail what steps were taken to complete the solution/project, including the outcome.
- Provide the next steps based on the outcome, such as information on additional implementation plans, extensions and follow through.
- Upload supporting project evidence, if needed.
- PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
- Because you are a model of lifelong learning, identify three areas in which you intend to seek further study in the next three years, and strategies you will use to implement your plan.
Review Process and Determinations
Your digital portfolio is sent for peer review by a current children’s program administrator who is given 45 business days to complete your review. The reviewer will use a set rubric to score your portfolio to determine if your credential is awarded or deferred.
Awarded: Candidates whose portfolios score a 75% and above are awarded the Children’s Program Administrator Credential. You will be emailed an award letter and award certificate. Copies will be mailed upon request.
Deferred: Candidates whose portfolios score a 74% and below are deferred. You will be emailed a deferral letter with a summary of the reviewer’s scoring comments. You will have 60 calendar days to make revisions to the portfolio and resubmit to NYAEYC with the resubmission review fee ($275 for NYAEYC members; $300 for nonmembers). Portfolio will then go through the review process again with a different reviewer.
Declined: The credential is declined when the candidate has been deferred for a second time. You will be notified of the decline decision through an emailed denial letter. Once declined you cannot reapply for the credential for one year.
Fees and Payments
A fee is required to issue the Children’s Program Administrator Credential. These fees are collected at two points:
- Candidacy Application
- Digital Portfolio
Credential Fees
| Application | Portfolio | Resubmission Fee | |
| NYAEYC Members | $100 | $325 | $275 |
| Nonmembers | $100 | $350 | $300 |
Payment Options
- Credit Card
NYAEYC accepts and strongly encourages payment using the secure Stripe interface embedded in the application and portfolio. - Check
Checks should be made payable to New York Association for the Education of Young Children and mailed to 230 Washington Ave Ext, Albany, NY 12203.
Note: An additional $25 fee will be charged for any returned check. - EIP Scholarship
Depending on your income, you may be eligible for a scholarship to pursue your credential and/or your college classes. If you are using EIP to pay for your application or portfolio, you should have an approved EIP award number before you submit.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at credentials@nyaeyc.org.