Center Child Care Licensing Requirements (September 2008):
Minimum Early Childhood Education (ECE) Preservice Qualifications and Annual Ongoing Training Hours for Teachers and Master Teachers

KEY:

N/A = Not applicable
NL = Not licensed
U = Unspecified number of hours required
CDA credential = Child Development Associate Credential awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition
CCP = Certified Child Care Professional Credential awarded by the National Child Care Association

Notes:

For the purposes of this document, a licensed program is required to have permission from the State to operate and must meet specified child care center standards. Several States have county or city licensing regulations, which may supersede State requirements; this table does not include such regulations.

¹ States:includes the District of Columbia for a total of 51 entities. Back to data table

² Master Teacher: Seventeen States (Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia) require at least one teacher in a program or classroom to be qualified at a higher level. This position is often called a lead teacher, head teacher, chief caregiver, fully qualified teacher, child care associate, or supervisor by the States. This role has been generically labeled “master teacher” to reflect that this person is required to have more training, experience, and/or skills than other teachers. Back to data table

For the purpose of this document, both a teacher and a master teacher may be solely responsible for a group of children

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 Early Childhood Education 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 Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, the Certified Child Care Professional (CCP) Credential, or the National Administrator's Credential Semester or Credit Hours in Early Childhood Education or Related Field Semester or Credit Hours in Early Childhood Education or Related Field and Additional College Education Predegree Certificate Program – requires college-level coursework and is awarded college credit Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Related Field Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Related Field Early Childhood Teacher Certification – requires a Bachelor’s degree Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education or Related Field Doctorate in Early Childhood Education or Related Field
highest

*Alabama: Twelve clock hours of training must be completed within 30 days of hire. Back to data table

*Alaska: One master teacher (“child care associate”) is required for every 30 children in attendance. A child care associate with a Bachelor’s degree in child development or equivalent is required to participate in 45 clock hours of training in child development, every 3 years.  Back to data table

*California: Requirements reported are for staff in preschool programs; separate qualifications are required for infant and school-age staff. Teachers hired with the qualifications listed in this table must obtain a minimum of two units each semester until the educational requirement of 12 total semester quarter-units is achieved—one of the qualification alternatives for a master teacher (“fully qualified teacher”). Back to data table

*Connecticut: A designated master teacher (“head teacher”) must be onsite for at least 60 percent of operation hours; the head teacher may also be the director. Back to data table

*Florida: A master teacher is required for every 20 children in attendance. All child care personnel must complete a single course of training in early literacy and language development of children ages birth through 5 within 12 months of date of employment in the child care industry. Back to data table

*Iowa: Ten clock hours of ongoing training are required in the first year of employment; 6 clock hours are required each year thereafter. Back to data table

*Kansas: Staff preservice qualifications are required per unit (group) and are determined by group size/age of children. The qualifications reported in the table are required of at least one staff member in a unit enrolling 13–24 children. Units with fewer than 13 children require one staff person to have at least 6 months experience; units with more that 24 school-age children require one staff person to have at least a CDA credential and 1 year of experience. Back to data table

*Kentucky: Six clock hours of child development training are required in the first year of employment; 12 clock hours are required each year thereafter. Back to data table

*Louisiana: Louisiana regulates two types of centers: Class A and Class B. Class B center information is reported in the table; Class A center regulations require more ongoing training. Back to data table

*New Mexico: New staff members must complete a 45-hour entry level course, an approved three-credit ECE course, or an approved equivalent within 6 months of employment. Back to data table

*New York: The master teacher preservice requirements reported in this table are for head of the group for preschool children. There are separate requirements for head of the group for infants and toddlers and school age head of the group. For ongoing training, 15 clock hours must be completed within 6 months after hire, counting toward the total of 30 clock hours required every 2 years thereafter. Back to data table

*North Carolina: Master teachers (“lead teachers”) must enroll in the North Carolina Early Childhood Credential coursework within 6 months of hire and must receive the credential within 18 months. The required amount of ongoing training hours for teachers and master teachers varies depending on qualifications: staff with a Bachelor’s or advanced degree must complete 5 clock hours; staff with an Associate’s degree or a NC Early Childhood Administration Credential must participate in 8 clock hours; staff with a predegree certificate or diploma, or the NC Early Childhood Credential or equivalent must complete 10 clock hours; and staff with 10 years of experience must complete 15 clock hours. Back to data table

*Ohio: Fifteen clock hours of ongoing training are required annually for 3 years, until 45 hours are accrued. Staff with a higher education degree, or an early childhood credential, are not required to participate in ongoing training. Back to data table

*Oklahoma: Within 3 months of hire, staff must participate in an Oklahoma Training Approval System’s Tier II entry-level training course that provides at least 20 clock hours of training. Staff who have previously received this training are not required to repeat it unless there is a 2-year break in service. At least one master teacher is required for every 60 children for which a center is licensed. Back to data table

*Pennsylvania: In centers that serve 45 or fewer children, at least one master teacher (“group supervisor”) must be onsite a minimum of 30 hours a week. In centers that serve more than 45 children, a group supervisor is required for every group or partial group of 45 children. Back to data table

*Rhode Island: Rhode Island stipulates four roles that may be solely responsible for a group of children, each with progressively higher qualifications and/or responsibilities: 1) teacher assistant; 2) associate teacher; 3) teacher; and 4) head teacher. The table reports the requirements for the teacher assistant under the Teacher columns, and the teacher under the Master Teacher columns. While a head teacher may be responsible for a group of children, his/her primary role is administrative—the head teacher is responsible for the development and implementation of the educational/developmental curriculum and program, the organization of children’s groups, and staff performance and development. Back to data table

*South Carolina: Teachers must obtain 6 clock hours of training in the first 6 months; 10 clock hours of ongoing training are required in the first year of employment; 15 clock hours are required each year thereafter. Back to data table

*Tennessee: Two clock hours of department-approved orientation training must be taken within the first 30 days of employment. During the first year of employment, a teacher must take at least 18 clock hours of training or one college course in administration, child development, early childhood education, health/safety, or other related field; 6 clock hours of this training must be completed within 6 months of hire. Back to data table

*Texas: Caregivers with less than 6 months prior experience in a regulated child-care center must attain 8 hours of preservice training in child development or have documentation of equivalent child care training. Back to data table

*Vermont: Vermont’s regulations specify three types of center teachers who may be solely responsible for a group of children: 1) master teachers; 2) teachers; and 3) teaching associates. The requirements reported in the table are for teaching associates and master teachers. To be qualified as a teacher, a Bachelor’s degree in ECE or a related field and 1 year of experience is required. The 12 clock hours of ongoing training are applied toward meeting an Individual Professional Development Plan as defined by the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, the Local Standards Board, or the Professional Standards Board of the Department of Education. Back to data table

*Virginia: Teachers who are hired with no preservice qualifications other than a General Educational Development certificate must receive a minimum of 12 clock hours of training related to the care of children within 1 month after hire or promotion. Back to data table

*Washington: Within 6 months of hire, teachers must register with the Washington State Training Registry System, and complete a minimum of 20 clock hours of approved training. Back to data table

*Wisconsin: Approved noncredit courses involve at least 36 clock hours of training. Back to data table

Updated September 2008

*Refer to NCCIC Child Care Database for detailed state information (http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/cclicensingreq/cclr-teachers.html)
** Data obtained from National Child Care Information Center.