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State Requirements for Minimum Preservice Qualifications, and Annual Ongoing Training Hours for FCC Home Providers in 2007

Licensing is a process administered by State governments that sets a baseline of requirements below which it is illegal for facilities that provide child care services to operate, unless the facility is legally exempt from licensing. States have regulations that include the requirements child care facilities must comply with and policies to support enforcement of those regulations. Additional information about licensing is available on NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/topics/topic/index.cfm?topicId=2 . A directory of all State child care licensing agencies is available on NCCIC’s Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/display.cfm?title=licensing .

The following includes information about State licensing requirements for early care and education (ECE) preservice qualifications and annual ongoing training requirements for family child care (FCC) home providers. These data are preliminary results from The 2007 Child Care Licensing Study (in press), by the National Association for Regulatory Administration (NARA) and NCCIC. Final study materials will be posted on NARA’s Web site at www.naralicensing.org . NCCIC does not endorse any organization, publication, or resource.

States 1 Providers in Small FCC Homes Providers in Large/Group FCC Homes
ECE Preservice Qualifications ECE Training Required in Initial Licensure Period Ongoing Clock Hours ECE Preservice Qualifications ECE Training Required in Initial Licensure Period Ongoing Clock Hours
Alabama 24 clock hours of training None 20/year 24 clock hours of training None 20/year
Alaska None None 12/year None None 20/year
Arizona*

NL (voluntary certification)

 None None 12/year
Arkansas None Family child care provider training within 6 months of licensure 10/year NC
California* 15 clock hours of training in preventive health practices None 0 15 clock hours of training in preventive health practices None 0
Colorado* 15–clock hour course None 15/year 15–clock hour course and 3 years of experience None 15/year
Connecticut None None 0 None None 1% of hours worked
Delaware* None 15 clock hours of training in the first year of licensure 12/year Certificate from a vocational/technical school child care program and 18 months of experience None 15/year
District of Columbia None None 9/year

NC
Florida* 30-hour Family Child Care Training Course with a score of 70 or better on competency exam, and 5 clock hours of approved training in early literacy and language development None 10/year State or national ECE  credential (held for at least 1 year), 30-hour Family Child Care Training Course with a score of 70 or better on competency exam, and 5 clock hours of approved training in early literacy and language development 10-hour specialized training module with a score of 70 or better on competency exam within 6 months of licensure 10/year
Georgia None None 10/year None None 10/year
Hawaii* None None U CDA credential and 1 year of experience None 0
Idaho* NL (voluntary license)

NL (voluntary license)
Illinois* None None 15/year CDA credential None 15/year
Indiana None None 0 None None 0
Iowa* None None 12/year None None 12/year
Kansas* None None 0 None None 5/year
Kentucky None 6 clock hours of training within the first 3 months, and 6 clock hours of training within the first year 12/year None 6 clock hours of training within the first 3 months, and 6 clock hours of training within the first year 12/year
Louisiana

NL (voluntary registration)

NC
Maine None None 12/year

NC
Maryland 8 clock hours of approved training None 12 over 2 years NC
Massachusetts None None 15 over 3 years 5 clock hours of large FCC training approved by the licensing office, and 3 years of experience None 30 over 3 years
Michigan None None 10/year None None 10/year
Minnesota   6 clock hours of training within first year of licensure 6/year None 6 clock hours of training within first year of licensure 6/year
Mississippi* CDA or Mississippi Child Care Director’s credential and 2 years experience Training on child care regulations, new director orientation, and playground safety within 6 months 15/year CDA or Mississippi Child Care Director’s credential and 2 years experience Training on child care regulations, new director orientation, and playground safety within 6 months 15/year
Missouri None None 12/year CDA credential None 12/year
Montana None None 8/year None None 8/year
Nebraska None None 12/year None None 12/year
Nevada None 6 clock hours of training within first year of licensure or employment 15/year None 6 clock hours of training within first year of licensure or employment 15/year
New Hampshire None None 6/year None None 6/year
New Jersey

NL (voluntary registration)

NC
New Mexico None 45-hour entry level course within 6 months of licensure or employment 12/year None 45-hour entry level course within 6 months of licensure or employment 12/year
New York* None None 30 over 2 years None None 30 over 2 years
North Carolina* None None 12/year

NC
North Dakota None 6-hour basic child care course in the first year of licensure 9/year None 6-hour basic child care course in the first year of licensure 10/year
Ohio*

NL

 None None 15/year
Oklahoma None None 12/year Vo-tech occupational child care diploma and 6 months of experience None 15/year
Oregon* Family Child Care Overview session None 8 over 2 years None None 15/year
Pennsylvania None None 12 over 2 years None None 6/year
Rhode Island Approved FCC training program None 24 over 2 years CDA credential and completion of an approved FCC training program None 15/year
South Carolina* None None 0 None None 15/year
South Dakota

NL (voluntary registration)

 CDA credential None 10/year
Tennessee None Department of Human Services–sponsored child care orientation class within the first 3 months of licensure 4/year None Department of Human Services–sponsored child care orientation class within the first 3 months of licensure 8/year
Texas* None None 20/year 72 clock hours of training in child development, 30 clock hours of training in business management, and 3 years experience None 20/year
Utah* None 5 clock hours of approved training within 90 days of licensure 0 None None 20/year
Vermont CDA credential and 2 years of experience None 12/year

NC
Virginia

NL (voluntary registration)

 None None 6/year
Washington None 20 clock hours of approved training within 6 months of licensure U

NC
West Virginia* None None 8/year None 15 clock hours of training within 6 months of licensure and 6 months of experience 15/year
Wisconsin* None 40 clock hours of approved training within 6 months of licensure 15/year

NC
Wyoming* None None 30 over 2 years 100 clock hours of approved training and 2 years experience None 30 over 2 years
Total Number of States with Requirement 9 12 38 15 9 37

Key:

CDA = Child Development Associate Credential awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition
CCP = Certified Child Care Professional Credential awarded by the National Child Care Association
ECE = Early childhood education
FCC = Family child care
NC = No category of facility
NL = Facility not licensed
U = Unspecified number of hours required

Notes:

For the purposes of this document, a licensed program is required to have permission from the State to operate and must meet specified family child care standards. Some States may call their regulatory processes certification or registration; the term licensed is used to represent all regulatory processes. Several States have county or city licensing regulations that may supersede State requirements; this table does not include such regulations.

States includes the District of Columbia for a total of 51 entities. Back

Many States have multiple alternatives to qualify for roles. This table reports the alternative that requires the least amount of ECE training. If a State has requirements for experience, high school completion, age, or training not specified in ECE (such as first aid/CPR) that can substitute for ECE training, it is reported as “None.” Below is the “hierarchy of qualifications,” which shows the order in which qualification alternatives are placed to determine the minimum amount of ECE preservice training.

lowest
  • Secondary School Education – i.e., high school vocational programs
  • Clock Hours of Training in  ECE or Related Field – 1 clock hour = 60 minutes
  • Early Childhood Credential – includes credentials that do not require courses be taken for college credit, such as the CDA credential, the CCP Credential, or the National Administrator's Credential
  • Semester or Credit Hours in ECE or Related Field
  • Semester or Credit Hours in ECE or Related Field and Additional College Education
  • Predegree Certificate Program – requires college-level coursework and is awarded college credit
  • Associate’s Degree in ECE or Related Field
  • Bachelor’s Degree in ECE or Related Field
  • Early Childhood Teacher Certification – requires a bachelor’s degree
  • Master’s Degree in ECE or Related Field
  • Doctorate in ECE or Related Field
Arrow facing down, illustrating that the minimum amount of ECE preservice training starts with the lowest being the top of the following list, with the highest at the bottom of the list.
Highest

*Arizona: The provider must have a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent and by September 1, 2009, and have completed 60 hours of training in early education, child development, or a closely related field. Back

*California: Preventive Health Practices coursework includes many ECE-related topics, such as working with children with special needs, management, prevention of childhood injuries, and child nutrition. Back

*Colorado: Separate rules exist for infant and toddler providers and experienced provider homes. Back

*Delaware: In a large FCC home, the second staff person must have 12 clock hours of approved training annually. Back

*Florida: Large/group FCC home operators have one opportunity, if they choose, to exempt from one or more of the department’s Introductory Child Care Training courses prior to attending training by successful completion of corresponding competency examinations with a weighted score of 70 or better. Back

*Hawaii: To obtain initial registration or to renew registration in a small FCC home, the provider must submit written evidence describing efforts made to increase knowledge in 2 or more of 12 areas specified by the State. Back

*Idaho: Voluntary licensing is available for FCC homes. State certification is required for large FCC homes, which includes obtaining a fire inspection and criminal history check for staff. Back

*Illinois: Group home providers must provide 15 clock hours of training for their assistants every year. Back

*Iowa: Homes caring for five or fewer children are not required to register. Iowa registers three types of FCC homes: categories A, B, and C. The data reported in the table for small FCC are for category A homes. Requirements for category C homes are reported under large FCC. Back

*Kansas: Homes caring for one to six children are required to be registered. Kansas has two types of licensed FCC homes. A licensed child care home can care for up to 10 children with 1 adult. The data in this table reflect the requirements for a licensed group child care home that can care for up to 12 children with 2 adults. For both small and large/group FCC providers, current accreditation by the National Association for Family Child Care can be substituted for the annually required 5 clock hours of training. Back

*Mississippi: The qualification and training requirements listed are for the operator of a child care home (i.e., director of a child care facility). There are less stringent requirements for other staff (i.e., caregivers). Before a temporary license may be upgraded to a regular license, the facility owner/operator and director shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of staff development training on the Regulations Governing Licensure of Child Care Facilities, 3 hours of New Director Orientation, and 3 hours training in playground safety. Back

*New York: Providers are required to complete 15 clock hours of training within the first 6 months of registration. This training counts toward the 30 hours for the first 2-year period of registration. Back

*North Carolina: Providers in small family child care homes with 10 or more years of experience are required to have 8 clock hours of ongoing training annually. Back

*Ohio: Staff are required to participate in 15 clock hours of ongoing training each year for 3 years only. Staff with a higher education degree or an early childhood credential are not required to participate in ongoing training. Back

*Oregon: The ongoing training requirement for small FCC providers begins when a registered family child care provider submits a second or subsequent renewal application. Before a large/group home may provide care to more than two children less than 24 months of age, the provider must have at least 30 clock hours of training specific to infant and toddler care. Back

*South Carolina: The qualifications and training reported for large homes is for the operator. Other staff in large homes are required to complete 10 clock hours of training annually. Back

*Texas: Requirements listed in the table are for primary caregivers. A primary caregiver with 5 or fewer years of experience as a primary caregiver in a licensed (large) or registered (small) child care home must complete at least 6 of the required ongoing clock hours in management techniques, leadership, or staff supervision. Primary caregivers with more than 5 years experience must complete at least 2 of the required ongoing clock hours in management techniques, leadership, or staff supervision. Other staff must participate yearly in at least 15 clock hours of training. Back

*Utah: Small FCC requirements reported in the table are for homes required to have residential certificates. Back

*West Virginia: Large FCC requirements listed in the table are for operators. Additional staff must obtain 8 clock hours of training each year. Back

*Wisconsin: If the provider is licensed to care for infants and toddlers, 10 additional clock hours must be in infant and toddler care. Back

*Wyoming: The large home requirements reported in the table are for directors. Less stringent requirements are specified for other staff in large homes. Back

Updated October 2008

 
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