On Nov. 19, 2014, President Obama signed the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 into law. This law reauthorizes the child care program for the first time since 1996, and represents a historic re-envisioning of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program. The law made significant advancements, including defining health and safety requirements for child care providers.
As part of the law, states1 must have health and safety training requirements and training and professional development requirements in place by Sept. 30, 2016. Health and safety requirements and training include the following 11 topic areas:
- Administration of medication;
- Prevention and control of infectious diseases;
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and use of safe sleep practices;
- Prevention and response to food allergies;
- Building and physical premises safety;
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma;
- Emergency preparedness and response training;
- Storage of hazardous materials and bio-contaminants;
- Precautions in transporting children, if applicable2;
- First-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); and
- Nutrition and physical activity.
The Division of Early Learning (DEL) offers both synchronous (i.e., classroom) and asynchronous (i.e. online) courses that cover the 11 topic areas. Classroom courses are available through DEL’s Professional Development Information System (PDIS). To view the catalog and register for classroom courses, please visit the PDIS website at https://dcpdis.org. Online courses are available through Quorum, which may be accessed at http://www.quorumlearning.com.
For questions about the CCDF health and safety training requirements, please contact DC Child Care Connections, Hurley and Associates, LLC (H&A) at [email protected] or (202) 905-2358. For questions and assistance with PDIS or Quorum, please contact the OSSE Early Childhood Education (ECE) Help Desk at (202) 478-5903 or [email protected].
- The term “state” means the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- This training topic is only required for providers that offer transportation services to children.
Related Content: Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant | Professional Development Information System (PDIS) | Quorum | DC's Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R)
