There is a strong national movement to improve the quality in child care programs nationwide and an important part of this movement includes professional preparation standards. Stakeholders in New York State (NYS) have developed the NYS Children's Program Administrator Credential (CPAC), designed to meet the need for increased knowledge in child care administration. In response, Empire State College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY), developed four models to help practitioners meet the new requirement: study group, independent study, residency, and online. The purpose of this article is to examine the development of the credential, discuss the collaborative process involved in the development of the different modes of study, followed by a discussion of the strengths and challenges of each model.