WASHINGTON STATE NEW TRAINING AND CREDENTIALS
The Washingt State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) has made some changes to the training and credential requirements for child care professionals in the state. The purpose is to provide early learning professionals with a clear path to further their education.
The general qualifications for staff now include the new certificate requirements. See WAC 110-300-0100 for more detailed information.
The new training requirements, referred to as Washington State Stackable Certificates, vary by position. There are 3 levels of "stackable" certificates:
- Initial certificate (12 credits)
- ECE Short Certificate (20 total with credits from previous level)
- ECE State certificate (47-52 total with credits from previous level)
The new requirements have been in effect since August 1, 2019 but the DCYF is allowing 5 years to meet the new requirements.
While this might seem a little overwhelming at first, SG Classes Online would like to help! You can earn 12 credits toward any of these certificates by earning your Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential. There are many benefits to a CDA:
- The CDA is a nationally-recognized credential (not just WA State)
- Earning your CDA is significantly cheaper than 12 credits through a college
- Our CDA classes are all online so you can take them anytime, anywhere
- The process is self-paced so you can work at your convenience
- Our classes are STARS-approved so you'll earn STARS hours as well
The CDA is a multi-step process that includes 120 hours of training in early childhood education. We've got discounted training packages to help you get started:
- For 1 -4 staff: $259 each for the 120 hour (12 Credits) CDA training package
- For 5-9 staff: $229 each for the 120 hour (12 Credits) CDA training package
- For 10+ staff: $199 each for the 120 hour (12 Credits) CDA training package
The annual requirement for 10 hours of STARS-approved training will still apply to all providers. See our 10-hour STARS packages for discounted training to meet your annual STARS requirement.
While you can use these classes for STARS credit as well, you may have other staff that simply need their 10 hours of STARS training. For every 5 CDA training packages you order, we'll throw in a 10 hour STARS package FREE! For more information, please contact us or call us at 253.277.1939 to get started!
New providers will still be required to complete the 30 hour Child Care Basics course before becoming licensed and being unsupervised around children.
For more information, here are some additional resources:
Foundational Quality Standards for Early Learning Programs Guidebook (English)
Foundational Quality Standards for Early Learning Programs Guidebook (Spanish)
Foundational Quality Standards for Early Learning Programs Guidebook (Somali)
Foundational Quality Standards for Early Learning Programs Guidebook (Russian)
