WASHINGTON STATE CHILD CARE LICENSING TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR STARS MERIT
Child care providers in Washington State are required to take initial training as well as ongoing annual training to maintain their child care license. All training is logged in the Department of Early Learning's MERIT (Managed Education and Registry Information Tool) system, Washington State's Professional Development Registry.
These requirements apply to:
- All family child care providers.
- Directors, program supervisors, site coordinators and lead staff in child care centers and school-age programs.
Family Home Child Care programs, Child Care Centers and School-Age programs must follow their respective WACs to meet the needs of the children and families they serve. Learn more about the licensing WAC requirements for each program by visiting DEL’s child care licensing rules page.
Initial requirements include a 30-hour course on Child Care or School Age Basics, as well as CPR/First Aid, Bloodborne Pathogens and HIV/AIDS training.
Ongoing annual training requirements providers to complete at least 10 hours of continuing education each year. Trainers must be STARS-approved for the training to be eligible for STARS credit.
How to get credit for your STARS classes
SafeGard Classes Online can help! We offer easy-access online courses to meet all your STARS requirements. Our trainers are STARS-approved so you can be assured of receiving STARS credit for you classes (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome-SIDS is the only non-STARS-approved class, as DEL requires a specific DEL Safe Sleep course).
To meet your initial requirements, we have individual courses as well as 2 discounted packages available:
- WA State Child Care package - includes the 30-hour Child Care Basics course, Bloodborne Pathogens, and HIV/AIDS courses, all online in a mobile-friendly format.
- WA State School Age package - includes the 30-hour School Age Basics course, Bloodborne Pathogens, and HIV/AIDS courses, all online in a mobile-friendly format.
For ongoing training, we have a wide range of individual courses, multi-class bundles and discounted 10-hour packages to meet your 10 hour requirement:
- All About Infants
- All About Preschoolers
- All About Toddlers
- Assessing and Supporting Children
- Building on the Basics
- Developing Your Curriculum
- Fitness and Nutrition
- Growing as a Teacher
- Interacting with Others
- Managing the Business
- Program Administration
- Working with Children
No matter if you're just getting started or a seasoned child care provider, we've got what you need to meet your STARS Merit requirement!
