1. Children’s Program Administration Courses Information Session
Thursday, January 5, 2017
1:00 PM
Presenters:
Dana Benzo, NY Early Childhood PDI
Jennifer DePalma, CUNY SPS
Dana Benzo:
Welcome to the Information Session to learn more about the Children’s Program Administration courses that can lead to the Children’s Program Administrator Credential (CPAC).
As part of our online Information Session today, we’re going to do a couple of things:
Learn more about the credit coursework at the CUNY School of Professional Studies;
Describe the Children’s Program Administrator Credential (CPAC) credentialing process;
Talk about admission requirements for the courses; and
Outline opportunities for tuition funding.
I am joined by my colleague Jennifer DePalma, who is a Program Manger at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. You will be hearing from Jennifer later in our presentation.
About CUNY SPS:
Began in 2006 to meet the needs of working adults who require education to advance in the workplace, change careers, or maintain employment.
We offer both online and in-person programs that range from Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees to certificate programs, which are short courses of study intended to provide exposure to a subject area.

2. What is the CPAC Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies?
Offered in partnership with the NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute (PDI):
Delivered online – asynchronous format
Each course is 4 weeks
Consists of discussions and projects that have due dates over the course but there is no specific day or time you must log-in and participate
Course content is directly connected to your daily work as a leader.
Identify challenges, pose solutions, implement change
Dana Benzo:
This program is offered in collaboration with the NY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute; part of the mission of the PDI is to professionalize the early childhood education workforce.
Many educators and directors “happen” upon their positions, and don’t have formal training in the management of early childhood organizations.
Being a quality teacher of young children doesn’t mean you will be a quality leader of adults. The knowledge base and skill set required to be an effective leader and manager of quality children’s programs is different than what you required as a teacher of children.
This program prepares directors and administrators to meet the challenges they face as they serve the needs of children and families, all within an ever-changing ECE landscape. Your course content will be directly connected to your daily work as a leader. Every course will require you to identify existing challenges, pose possible solutions, and implement changes.
Our program is now offered online:
Online courses utilize Blackboard, the City University of New York’s online course management system.
Course has start/end dates, but students will be able to complete the coursework according to their own schedules; no set time for class.

3. What is the CPAC Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies?
Consists of 18 courses (1 credit each) for a total of 18 graduate-level college credits under 6 Topic Areas
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 Programs
Topic 5: Designing Programs that are Good for Children and Families
Topic 6: Seminar in Children’s Program Administration
Dana Benzo:
Our program is a credit-bearing academic program. Each topic area has a set of courses. Each course is 1 graduate credit for a total of 18 credits when all 6 topics are completed.
All courses connected to a Topic Area will be offered within a given semester
We suggest taking courses in “bundles,” for the following reasons:
To complete the coursework that addresses a set of CPAC competencies, before moving on to the next grouping of courses. Many of the individual courses within a Topic area build upon the content of the previous course helping to build the students’ competency.
Students completing the “bundle” will have a completed portfolio submission for each Topic Area
If students miss an individual course in a bundle, it will be difficult to determine exactly when the course will be offered again

4. About the CPAC Credential
Our courses fulfill the 18 Children’s Program Administration credits necessary for the Children’s Program Administrator Credential of New York State awarded by the NYSAEYC:
Students must also have an additional 18 credits of coursework in education including early childhood education, child development, or related courses verified by The Aspire Registry
The CPAC is designed to be a standard credential, measuring the program management, fiscal management, and leadership abilities of ECE administrators and directors.
Graduates of our program receive 18 graduate-level credits and preparation to attain the CPAC.
Dana Benzo:
(Read the bullet points on this page)
As mentioned, in order to earn the CPAC credential from the NYSAEYC, students must complete 18 credits in Children’s Program Administration; as well as an additional 18 credits of coursework completed in education including early childhood education, child development, or related courses verified by The Aspire Registry. The 18 credits in education can be either on the undergraduate or graduate level.
CUNY SPS offers a graduate-level CPAC program, therefore candidates for the program and Credential must hold a Bachelor’s degree prior to joining the program.
Our courses address the competency standards of the CPAC; the assignments that students complete in their coursework builds the portfolio required as part of the credentialing process.

5. Who should obtain the CPAC?
Both new and experienced administrators who desire to be more effective leaders. This includes:
Center Directors
Educational Directors
Administrative Directors
Executive Directors
Site Supervisors
Teachers
The CPAC is a recognition of competence that is above and beyond college coursework and also serves as a measure of individual professional achievement.
Dana Benzo:
The term “administrators” is inclusive representing a variety of titles used in early childhood and school age programs to describe the role of the various types of directors, site supervisors, and even teacher leaders that have a desire to explore a career pathway toward program administration.

6. Why the CPAC?
Represents a level of individual professional achievement
Used to meet quality standards required under QUALITYstarsNY and NAEYC Accreditation
Increases your career ladder level in New York State
Supports the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to lead high quality programs
Recognized as a standard to measure quality program management and leadership abilities, the CPAC is used to meet quality standards under QUALITYstarsNY and NAEYC Accreditation
Receipt of the CPAC also increases your career ladder level in New York State
After this presentation, we will provide you with the NYS Career Ladder document.
As the Career Ladder document will show, the CPAC is a recognized credential, which formalizes your leadership and knowledge in the field.
And most importantly, it ensures those leading and managing children’s programs have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to meet the extensive daily requirements of high quality programs.

7. What are the Expectations of Students Regarding Coursework?
Portfolio work:
Collection of documents and projects
Project narratives shaped in Capstone courses
Administrative experience:
Currently working as an administrator of a children’s program OR,
Ability to participate in an Administrative Internship/Practicum throughout all 18 courses
Dana Benzo:
Each of the 18 courses within this program prepare students to successfully develop the CPAC portfolio. The portfolio consists of a collection of documents and projects, addressing the 6 topic areas of the CPAC.
At the end of our program, the Capstone course helps students develop the project narratives required as part of the credentialing process, all while assisting students with the actual assembling of the portfolio. Students also receive guidance on the process of CPAC portfolio review.
We understand that some of our students may not want to earn the CPAC credential, but rather have a need for knowledge in a certain topic area. Even if your desire is not to earn the credential, the coursework has been developed to be very practical and hands-on, allowing students to address challenges they may be facing in their current positions.
The coursework and CPAC Credentialing process requires students to reflect on their current role as an administrator of children’s programs, identify unmet needs within each Topic Area, explore and develop solutions which will then comprise their portfolio. If students are not currently working as an administrator, they will need to engage in a supervised internship throughout the duration of their coursework.
I would now like to introduce Jennifer DePalma from the CUNY School of Professional Studies.

8. Applying to the CPAC Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies
Admissions Requirements:
Complete an online application and pay a $125 application fee
Submit proof of an earned Bachelor’s degree
International Transcripts:
A personal statement
Applications for the Spring 2017 term are due by March 31st:
Thank you, Dana. I would now like to talk about the application process for admission into the CPAC Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies.
(Read the first 2 bullet points on this page)
Applicants who were educated outside of the United States must submit an official transcript in the original language from each postsecondary school/university attended in a sealed envelope and an English translation if the transcript is in a language other than English. Please follow the link on this slide for more information.
Applicants must also submit a personal statement. You should include the following in your personal statement:
Educational Background
Career goals
Why you believe the CPAC program is a good match for you
Applications for spring 2017 are due by March 31, 2017; Please keep in mind that prospective students should submit their application for admission no later than two weeks prior to the start of a course.
You will see the link for the online application for admission at the bottom of this page.

9. Registering for Courses at the CUNY School of Professional Studies
Students are provided with a registration form after they apply and have been admitted into the CPAC program at CUNY SPS.
New students may register for classes by returning the spring 2017 CPAC Registration form.
New students must also return immunization paperwork:
Program staff will advise new students about the structure of the courses, and the benefits of registering for a “bundle” of courses versus individual courses.
Now, I would like to provide you with information about registering for CPAC courses.
(Read first 3 bullet points)
Students must return immunization paperwork even if they are enrolled in online courses, only.
(Read last bullet point)
Online classes are offered asynchronously over the course of 4 weeks. As mentioned earlier, students will sign in to the course site and complete the coursework when it’s convenient for them.
We will the spring 2017 course schedule information to everyone who registered for this webinar.

10. Tuition Assistance Tuition & Fees: One Course: $550.00
Three Courses: $1,400.00
Funding may be available through Quality Scholars:
Visit for additional funding opportunities for students.
Tuition Payment Plan:
We would also like to provide you with tuition information and with information about tuition assistance that may be available to CPAC students.
You will notice the current tuition rates listed for either 1 CPAC course or 3 CPAC courses in the upcoming spring semester at the top of this page.
We encourage you to visit the websites listed on this slide in order to learn more about funding opportunities.
Please note that if you are interested in applying for the Patti Lieberman scholarship for fall 2017 funding, you must submit the application by Tuesday, February 28
Students that are eligible for EIP funding are encouraged to apply to cover the cost of tuition, you will need application information from SPS prior to completing the EIP application
Scholarship opportunities are also available through PDI, please contact Dana Benzo for more information.
In addition, a Tuition Payment Plan is also offered to all students as an alternative in paying for education expenses. More information about the payment plan can be found by clicking on the link at the bottom of this slide.

11. Contact Information
CPAC program, credential and career pathways:
Dana Benzo
Director, NY Early Childhood PDI
CPAC program, including the application and registration processes:
Jennifer DePalma Kimberly Enoch
Program Manager, CUNY SPS Program Director, CUNY SPS
We would now like to provide you with our contact information. You will see our phone numbers and addresses listed on this page.
It is recommended that prior to applying you contact the program’s Academic Director, Dana Benzo to ensure our program is the right fit for your career goals in the early childhood education field.
For questions about the application and registration processes, you may contact me or my colleague, Kim Enoch.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.
In the remaining time that we have left, we would now like to ask you if there are any questions that we can help answer.
(After questions are answered:)
That is all the time we have left this afternoon for questions. We encourage you to reach out to us with any additional questions you may have using the contact information on this page.
Thank you for your time this afternoon. We look forward to welcoming you to the program this spring.