Recent changes made by the Council for Professional Recognition to the Child Development Associate (CDA) credentialing program create an opportunity to redesign high school child development programs. On April 1, 2011, the Council for Professional Recognition lifted the age restriction in the CDA credentialing requirements, now allowing students who are under 18 and are enrolled in early childhood education programs to apply for the CDA credential test if they have met all of the certification requirements. The new policy potentially will allow high school child development educators to realign their curriculum sequence to match the CDA requirements, giving high school students interested in early childhood careers the opportunity to earn a nationally recognized professional certificate. The benefits of increasing real-world opportunities for high school students interested in early childhood education is a valuable step toward creating a more meaningful educational experience for high school students and the children they will teach in the future.