They say time flies when you are having fun! That saying is true at CDA where we just celebrated our 45th anniversary creating positive change in our community.  CDA was founded by Charlene Tressler in 1974, who through her personal struggles as a single parent, became committed to helping families. Charlene opened a small child development center at a local church in Otay Mesa, consisting of 24 children aged two to five huddled together in one classroom. Her vision of a small community preschool has evolved into what is now a multiservice nonprofit agency with over 244 employees serving more than 4,269 families & 21,410 children across its programs. Today, CDA is the fourth largest Alternative Payment Program in the State of California and the largest sponsor of the Federal USDA Child Care Food Program in California.   At our annual conference we celebrate many accomplishments reflected on not only the path of our agency over the last 45 years, but also how our families and our employees share an interconnected journey. It is no mistake that the butterfly and its transformative miracle, metamorphosis, are CDA’s symbol. The butterfly and its path reminds us that we are constantly in motion- it represents our journey, our accomplishments, and CDA’s transformation to take on new opportunities to better serve and meet the needs of our clients.   Many of our clients walk through our doors under difficult circumstances such as poverty, and homelessness. Through the benefit of subsidized child care, child nutrition, and the support and encouragement from CDA employees, our clients find a pathway out of poverty and a chance to create a better life for themselves and for their children. We believe that all families deserve an equal start to high-quality education and supportive services that will promote children’s healthy development and future success.   In this newsletter, I would like to share several stories of the positive transformation CDA brings to families, employees and to the community. Enjoy! Rick Richardson President and CEO

CDA Celebrates “Storytime!” Fundraiser Goal

On Friday, August 16, 2019 we celebrated the conclusion of our fundraiser for our Preschool Literacy Program- “Storytime!” The event took place at Hilltop Child Development Center in Chula Vista. Over 40 guests attended, among them donors and community partners who were recognized for their commitment to CDA’s programs.

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CDA Participates in Poverty Simulation On Thursday, September 12, 2019 a few of our CDA staff and local community partners participated in our first Poverty Simulation. The experience provided insights on how empathy and customer service are integral for the work we do, as well as increasing our community partnerships to meet the complex and interconnected needs of families.

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Community Leaders Visit CDA Preschool On Friday, August 16th, 2019 we were honored to have special guests visit our Hilltop Child Development Center to learn more about our California State Preschool Program and Nutrition Program. Guests also received the infamous CDA Hilltop tour lead by Susan Holley, our Early Childhood Program Coordinator. Special thanks to Assemblymember Todd Gloria for championing access to quality early care and education!

CDA Celebrates 45 Years Creating Positive Change On Friday, August 23 we had our 2019 Annual Conference. This is one of the few times a year when all 200+ CDA team members come together. Our theme this year was “45 years creating positive change.” We reflected on our journey, the journey of the clients we serve, as well as the journey of our employees. We'd like to thank our guest speaker, Dr. Brian Miller who shared insights in the field of secondary trauma, trauma informed supervision, implementation processes.

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Together, we create positive change. We believe in creating opportunities for low-income families to succeed. Every day, we provide families access to high-quality early education, affordable child care, and nutritious meals.

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