Training
This page contains links to training resources for child care providers. Some of these training materials are required, others are made available to help people meet annual/ongoing training requirements. All training resources made available by the Office of Licensing (OL) are free.
The Office of Licensing (OL) requires people involved in licensed and approved child care programs to meet certain training requirements. OL understands that individuals who are well trained are more capable of preventing, recognizing, and correcting health and safety concerns. (Caring for Our Children, Fourth ed. p.p. xx) Training must be an ongoing process in order to be effective. Child care providers should implement training as part of their program's regular processes and procedures.
Specific training requirements vary by license, certificate, and exemption type. Providers should be familiar with the requirements that apply to their child care program. Below is an outline of these different training requirements.
New provider training
New child care providers are required to complete this training before being issued a license, certificate, or approved exemption. The provider is the legally responsible person or business that holds a valid license, certificate, or approved exemption from OL.
Preservice training
All individuals associated with licensed and approved child care programs are required to complete this training. This includes providers, directors, designees, caregivers, and other staff. This training must be completed before beginning job duties.
Provider designee training
Provider designees working for licensed family child care programs are required to complete this training before being assigned as a designee. Provider designees are responsible for compliance with licensing rules and requirements when the provider is absent from the program.
Center director training
Directors of center-based child care programs are required to complete this training before being assigned as a director. Center-based programs include those with a license type of center, hourly center, out-of-school time, and commercial preschool.
Annual/ongoing training
All providers, directors, designees, caregivers, and assistant caregivers working for a licensed or approved child care program are required to complete ongoing training each year. The topics and amount of training time required varies.
Click on the dropdown menus below to see the specific annual/ongoing training requirements for each type of license, certificate, and exemption.
Directors, director designees, and caregivers are required to complete 10 hours of annual training each year. If an employee is hired partway through the licensing year, they are required to complete 45 minutes of training per month.
Annual training for each individual must be documented. You may use this template to document training.
Topics required for annual training include:
- Rule sections 7-22 (R381-40)
- Children whose special needs may include a disability
- Recognizing the signs of homelessness and available assistance
- Building and physical premises safety
- Prevention, signs, and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse, and legal reporting requirements
- Pediatric first aid and CPR
- Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergy reactions;
safe handling and disposal of hazardous materials and bio contaminants - Prevention and control of infectious diseases including immunizations
- Administration of medication
- Child and brain development, including the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language principles of child growth
- Precautions in transporting children
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, child maltreatment, and coping with crying babies
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and the use of safe sleeping practices
Directors, director designees, and caregivers are required to complete 10 hours of annual training each year. If an employee is hired partway through the licensing year, they are required to complete 45 minutes of training per month.
Annual training for each individual must be documented. You may use this template to document training.
Topics required for annual training include:
- Rule sections 7-24 (R381-60)
- Children whose special needs may include a disability
- Recognizing the signs of homelessness and available assistance
- Building and physical premises safety
- Prevention, signs, and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse, and legal reporting requirements
- Pediatric first aid and CPR
- Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergy reactions;
safe handling and disposal of hazardous materials and bio contaminants - Prevention and control of infectious diseases including immunizations
- Administration of medication
- Child and brain development, including the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language principles of child growth
- Precautions in transporting children
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, child maltreatment, and coping with crying babies
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and the use of safe sleeping practices
Directors, director designees, and caregivers are required to complete 10 hours of annual training each year. If an employee is hired partway through the licensing year, they are required to complete 45 minutes of training per month.
Annual training for each individual must be documented. You may use this template to document training.
Topics required for annual training include:
- Rule sections 7-21 (R381-70)
- Children whose special needs may include a disability
- Recognizing the signs of homelessness and available assistance
- Building and physical premises safety
- Prevention, signs, and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse, and legal reporting requirements
- Pediatric first aid and CPR
- Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergy reactions;
safe handling and disposal of hazardous materials and bio contaminants - Prevention and control of infectious diseases including immunizations
- Administration of medication
- Child and brain development, including the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language principles of child growth
- Precautions in transporting children
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, child maltreatment, and coping with crying babies
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and the use of safe sleeping practices
Directors, director designees, and caregivers are required to complete 20 hours of annual training each year. If an employee is hired partway through the licensing year, they are required to complete 1 ½ hours of training per month.
Annual training for each individual must be documented. You may use this template to document training.
Topics required for annual training include:
- Rule sections 7-24 (R381-100)
- Children whose special needs may include a disability
- Recognizing the signs of homelessness and available assistance
- Building and physical premises safety
- Prevention, signs, and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse, and legal reporting requirements
- Pediatric first aid and CPR
- Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergy reactions;
safe handling and disposal of hazardous materials and bio contaminants - Prevention and control of infectious diseases including immunizations
- Administration of medication
- Child and brain development, including the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language principles of child growth
- Precautions in transporting children
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, child maltreatment, and coping with crying babies
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and the use of safe sleeping practices
Providers and caregivers are required to complete 10 hours of annual training each year. If an employee is hired partway through the licensing year, they are required to complete 45 minutes of training per month. At least half of the required annual training (5 hours) must be interactive.
Examples of approved interactive training:
- Training offered by OL on licensing rules
- All classes offered by Care About Childcare
- Classes and workshops at child care, early childhood, and parenting conferences
- Real-time, interactive webinars dealing with child care
- Online instruction that requires completing a test for understanding
- Any high school or college class in child development or related subject (Hours of attendance count as clock time if the student attends in person as opposed to working online or independent study. One semester credit equals 15 clock hours and one quarter credit equals 10 clock hours.)
- Attendance at a Child Care Licensing committee meeting
- Training by a child care association, if the certificate has “child care related” in the topic
Topics required for annual training include:
- Rule sections 7-24 (R430-50)
- Children whose special needs may include a disability
- Recognizing the signs of homelessness and available assistance
- Building and physical premises safety
- Prevention, signs, and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse, and legal reporting requirements
- Pediatric first aid and CPR
- Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergy reactions;
safe handling and disposal of hazardous materials and bio contaminants - Prevention and control of infectious diseases including immunizations
- Administration of medication
- Child and brain development, including the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language principles of child growth
- Precautions in transporting children
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, child maltreatment, and coping with crying babies
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and the use of safe sleeping practices
Providers, provider designees, and caregivers are required to complete 20 hours of annual training each year. If an employee is hired partway through the licensing year, they are required to complete 1 ½ hours of training per month. At least half of the required annual training (10 hours) must be interactive.
Examples of approved interactive training:
- Training offered by OL on licensing rules
- All classes offered by Care About Childcare
- Classes and workshops at child care, early childhood, and parenting conferences
- Real-time, interactive webinars dealing with child care
- Online instruction that requires completing a test for understanding
- Any high school or college class in child development or related subject (Hours of attendance count as clock time if the student attends in person as opposed to working online or independent study. One semester credit equals 15 clock hours and one quarter credit equals 10 clock hours.)
- Attendance at a Child Care Licensing committee meeting
- Training by a child care association, if the certificate has “child care related” in the topic
Annual training for each individual must be documented. You may use this template to document training.
Topics required for annual training include:
- Rule sections 7-24 (R430-90)
- Children whose special needs may include a disability
- Recognizing the signs of homelessness and available assistance
- Building and physical premises safety
- Prevention, signs, and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse, and legal reporting requirements
- Pediatric first aid and CPR
- Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergy reactions;
safe handling and disposal of hazardous materials and bio contaminants - Prevention and control of infectious diseases including immunizations
- Administration of medication
- Child and brain development, including the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language principles of child growth
- Precautions in transporting children
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, child maltreatment, and coping with crying babies
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and the use of safe sleeping practices
Directors, director designees, and caregivers who count in ratio are required to complete at least 1 hour of ongoing training for each month they have been employed or volunteered, or 10 hours each exemption year.
Ongoing training for each individual must be documented. You may use this template to document training.
Topics required for ongoing training include:
- Review of the LE DWS approval requirements
- Review of the program's emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Children whose special needs may include a disability
- Recognizing the signs of homelessness and available assistance
- Building and physical premises safety
- Prevention, signs, and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse, and legal reporting requirements
- Pediatric first aid and CPR
- Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergy reactions;
safe handling and disposal of hazardous materials and bio contaminants - Prevention and control of infectious diseases including immunizations
- Administration of medication
- Child and brain development, including the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language principles of child growth
- Precautions in transporting children
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, child maltreatment, and coping with crying babies
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and the use of safe sleeping practices
Providers are required to complete at least 5 hours of ongoing training each exemption year.
Ongoing training must be documented. You may use this template to document training.
Topics required for ongoing training include:
- Review of the DWS FFN approval requirements
- Review of the program's emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Children whose special needs may include a disability
- Recognizing the signs of homelessness and available assistance
- Building and physical premises safety
- Prevention, signs, and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse, and legal reporting requirements
- Pediatric first aid and CPR
- Emergency preparedness, response, and recovery plan
- Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergy reactions;
safe handling and disposal of hazardous materials and bio contaminants - Prevention and control of infectious diseases including immunizations
- Administration of medication
- Child and brain development, including the social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language principles of child growth
- Precautions in transporting children
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, child maltreatment, and coping with crying babies
- Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and the use of safe sleeping practices
