XoJohnnielynn

Hi hi! Guess who just finished taking their  CDA exam ? Yep. Me. I did it!! 🎉 And let me tell you… I spent  way too much time stressing  about this exam. Which, if we’re being honest, is kind of ridiculous. I know the material. I’ve been working in childcare for  almost two decades . I absolutely know what I’m doing. But somehow my brain still went into full  overthinking mode . I had been preparing for weeks, so let’s talk about what the  CDA exam experience  was actually like. First, there’s the training and the portfolio. Uploading the CDA portfolio was its own adventure (and not always a fun one), but that’s a story for another post. Once that was finished, it was time to prepare for the exam. So naturally, I googled  every free CDA practice test I could find . And I took all of them. Every single one. The weird part? They all felt  too easy . Which immediately made me suspicious. Like… surely the real exam is harder than this? Am I bein...

Hi hi 👋 I’m Johnnielynn, toddler teacher, professional snack opener, and certified chaos coordinator. I’ve been working in childcare for almost 20 years now. I actually started babysitting my niece and some other kids, and no matter what I tried doing in between, I always somehow ended up back with tiny humans. Apparently this is my calling. Two years ago I took a job at a childcare center and honestly? Best decision ever. I work for a genuinely good company with an owner who actually cares about the kids  and  her staff (rare, we love to see it). I genuinely enjoy going to work, which feels illegal to admit. About a year ago they asked me to get my CDA so I could officially lead my classroom. And because I apparently enjoy stress, I said yes. For anyone who doesn’t know, getting your CDA means: 120 hours of training 480 hours of experience A competency exam A portfolio A verification visit Probably a few mental breakdowns sprinkled in for ✨growth✨ Last January I went absolut...