Child Care Facility Training Requirements

Child care personnel must begin training within the first 90 days of employment in the child care industry by:

• starting a Part I or Part II course,
• taking a child care competency exam, or
• earning an educational exemption.

All of the 40-hour required training must be completed one year from the date the training began. Child care personnel must pass competency exams for the 40 hours of training to demonstrate their competency or receive an educational exemption.

PART 1 (30 hours)

• Child Care Facility Rules and Regulations (6 hours)
• Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (4 hours)
• Health Safety and Nutrition (8 hours)
• Child Growth and Development (6 hours)
• Behavioral Observation and Screening (6 hours)

PART II (10 hours)

• Understanding Developmentally Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
  AND one (1) of the following:
  • Infant and Toddler Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
  • Preschool Appropriate Practices (5 hours)
  • School-Age Appropriate Practices (5 hours)

  OR

  • Special Needs Appropriate Practices (10 hours)
    Note: Training is available online or instructor-led.

  Additional Required Training Timeframes

  
  Prior to caring for children

  Universal Precautions/Exposure Plan

  Child Care facilities shall develop a written exposure plan regarding universal safety precautions. All child-care personnel are required to be educated on the facility’s exposure plan regarding standard precautions before beginning to work and annually thereafter. The DCF Child Care Personnel Orientation Course (5 hours) provides general information on this topic that may be used to supplement a facility specific training offered by the child-care provider.

  Note: By December 31, 2021, the facility shall maintain a specific number of child care personnel (as outlined in the Child Care Facility Handbook) with current CPR certification and first aid training that are on site at the facility at all times children are in care.

  
  Within First 30 Days of Employment

  Fire Extinguisher Training

  All child care personnel must complete training in the use and operation of a fire extinguisher. The DCF Child Care Personnel Orientation Course (5 hours) provides general information on this topic that may be used to supplement a facility specific training offered by the child care provider.

  Safe Sleep/Shaken Baby Syndrome Training

  Child care personnel, who work in a facility that offers care to infants must have training regarding guidance on safe sleep practices and preventing shaken baby syndrome.

  • DCF Health, Safety and Nutrition (8 hours)
  • DCF Safe Sleep Practices for Child Care (1 hour)
  • Early Learning Florida’s Safe Sleep Practices (1 hour).
  
  Within One (1) Year of Employment

  Early Literacy

  Complete 5 hours of literacy training through one of the following:

  • Early Literacy for Children Birth to Three (5 hours) online course
  • Emergent Literacy for Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Instructors (5 hours) online course
  • One of the department’s approved literacy training courses
  • One college level early literacy course (for credit or non-credit) if taken within the last five years
  
  Prior to Commencement

  Medication Administration

  Prior to administering medication to children, child care personnel responsible for administering medication must complete training on proper medication administration procedures. The DCF Child Care Personnel Orientation Course (5 hours) provides general medication administration information; however, specific medical conditions would require more individualized training regarding administering medication for that condition.

  Transportation

  Prior to transportation of children, child care personnel participating in the transportation of children must complete one of the following courses.

  • DCF Transportation Safety course (2 hours)
  • Early Learning Florida’s Precautions in Transporting Children
  • Division of Early Learning's Transportation in Child Care Programs