How old are blue compact dwarf galaxies?

Using the nearby Blue Compact Dwarf galaxy (BCD) VII Zw 403 as example, we illustrate three methods to place ages on the old stellar populations of spatially resolved starburst systems: 1. integrated color gradients and population synthesis, 2. integrated spectral line gradients, 3. single-star colors and position-dependent color-magnitude diagrams (CMD). The first technique is most frequently used to date BCDs but is also the most ambiguous; the second one has not been used widely although it has great potential for systematic dating of large samples of BCDs using ground-based spectroscopy (see the contributions on Elliptical galaxies in this volume); the third one, owing to the large distances of BCDs, requires space-borne data and can only be exploited to its fullest with imagers that allow for both high spatial resolution and deep limiting magnitudes in the visual and near IR.