Childcare Courses in Florida - FL

Trusted Approved Florida Training Organization

ChildCareEd is an IACET-Accredited Provider, and Florida recognizes CEUs from IACET-accredited organizations as accepted professional development. This means ChildCareEd courses may be used toward Florida’s annual in-service training requirements for licensed child care professionals statewide.

Our online courses support Florida child care workers in meeting ongoing training expectations for:

• Child Care Centers
• Family Day Care Homes
• Large Family Child Care Homes
• School-Age Child Care Programs
  

Important Note:

Florida requires certain state-mandated trainings that must be completed through the DCF Child Care Training System or other Florida-approved providers. These include (but are not limited to) DCF Introductory Training (40 hours), competency exams, Safe Sleep/Shaken Baby, EMSA-equivalent CPR/First Aid skills verification, Medication Administration, Fire Extinguisher training, and other state-system courses. ChildCareEd does not replace those Florida-required trainings. We provide approved annual in-service professional development only.

Who Needs Florida Child Care Training?

Whether you’re a new child care employee who has finished the DCF Introductory Training, a Family Day Care Home provider, a center teacher, a school-age professional, or a director, ChildCareEd offers convenient online courses that support Florida’s professional development rules.

Our self-paced online trainings help fulfill Florida’s:

• Annual In-Service Training Requirements (10 hours / 1.0 CEU each fiscal year)
• Ongoing professional development for staff in licensed programs
• CDA Credential coursework (120 hours) aligned with national standards and accepted toward Florida in-service when topic areas match state guidelines

Annual Training for Florida Child Care Providers

Florida requires all licensed child care personnel to complete 10 hours of annual in-service training every fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).

ChildCareEd offers online, self-paced, CEU-eligible courses in all Florida-accepted in-service topic areas.

How to choose your 10 hours fast:

1. Select a 10-hour annual in-service bundle (best value and simplest).
2. Or mix individual courses until you reach 10 total clock hours / 1.0 CEU.
3. Download certificates and keep them with your program’s annual training records.

CDA Credential & Renewal Courses 

Taking ChildCareEd’s 120-hour CDA training is a recognized pathway to earning the Florida Child Care Staff Credential because Florida accepts the National CDA as a “National Early Childhood Credential.” 

Here’s how it connects:

• ChildCareEd provides the full 120 hours of CDA coursework required by the Council for Professional Recognition. Once you complete the training (and your portfolio/verification steps through the Council), you earn your National CDA credential.
• Florida DCF lists the National CDA as an approved option to qualify for the Florida Staff Credential under the National Early Childhood Credential pathway.
• After receiving your CDA, you submit it in your DCF Child Care Training Account through the Credential Application Portal to get your Florida Staff Credential verified.

Important Florida add-ons: Even with a CDA, Florida requires providers to also meet state-specific items like DCF Introductory Training competency exams and an approved Early Literacy requirement, if not already completed. 

Earn or renew your Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential completely online.

ChildCareEd provides the full 120 hours of CDA training, and CDA coursework may also count toward Florida annual in-service training when the subject area fits Florida’s accepted training categories.

CDA Training Programs Offered:

• Birth to Five CDA Credential with Portfolio Review
• CDA Infant/Toddler Credential with Portfolio Review
• CDA Preschool Credential with Portfolio Review
• CDA Family Child Care Credential with Portfolio Review
• CDA Home Visitor Credential Birth to 5
• CDA Infant/Toddler Renewal
• CDA Preschool Renewal
• CDA Family Child Care Renewal

Child Care Licensing Contact Information

Please contact Florida DCF to confirm requirements, as standards may change.

Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) – Child Care Training & Licensing

• Phone Number: 1-888-352-2842
• Child Care Licensing Website
  

Your local licensing counselor can verify exactly which trainings must be completed in the state system vs. which may be completed as annual in-service through ChildCareEd.