This study investigated whether Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate holders in two San Francisco, California, Bay Area counties (Contra Costa and Alameda) felt that CDA certification had increased their professional self-esteem and career development within Head Start. It was hypothesized that the higher the teacher's level of formal education before certification, the less value she or he would attribute to the CDA certificate. Until recently, California did not recognize the CDA credential. Therefore, it was thought that teachers who held the state Children's Center Permit prior to being required to obtain CDA certification would have more negative attitudes about the CDA certificate than those not holding the state permit. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Generally, CDA certification was reported to enhance professional self-esteem by nearly all of the population surveyed, regardless of prior level of education. CDA certification was reported to enhance career development within Head Start for nearly as many as those surveyed, again regardless of prior level of education. Whether or not the CDA certificate holder had previously acquired the Children's Center Permit and whether or not the CDA certificate holder chose to become certified seemed to have no effect on attitude toward the value of the certificate. (The history of the development of the CDA from inception to the present is also described; related materials, including data collection instruments, are appended.) (Author/RH)