Tennessee

The training in this category is approved by the Tennessee Department of Human Services, Child and Adult Care Licensing Department to be used towards yearly in-service hours.

What childcare training resources exist in Tennessee?

The Tennessee Department of Education Division of Early Learning oversees all services, programs, and facilities pertaining to early childhood and out of school learning. The Division of Early Learning is also the home to all of Tennessee childcare professional development and licensing tools. While there are many great tools available to childcare professionals from the Division of Early Learning, here’s two that we’ve found to be very useful.

Training Opportunities for Childcare Providers  lists ongoing training opportunities that educators can take to advance their knowledge and skills. Some of these ongoing training opportunities are face-to-face or online, and some are even free!

Licensing Resources are provided by the Tennessee Division of Early Learning in one centralized website for all things licensing. This site helps members of the early childhood workforce easily find information on license status, resources about license preparation, and flexibility for out-of-state licensure candidates. Early childhood educators can also find a list of commonly requested childcare licensing forms on the Tennessee Department of Human Services website.

How many ongoing hours of professional development training are required in Tennessee?

According to the Tennessee Department of Human Services Child Care Agencies Frequently Asked Questions revised in 2018, all staff members must complete certain ongoing training requirements per year.

An educator in a childcare center must complete a minimum of twelve (12) clock hours of training each year. Three (3) of these hours must be from developmental learning standards, three (3) hours on pre-literacy skills, and six (6) hours of health and safety training.

These ongoing training hours vary for new educators, existing assistant directors, new assistant directors, current directors, new directors, and educators working in a family childcare home and group childcare home. Please visit (https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/human-services/documents/FAQ%20Provider%20Responses%20Final%2011-19-18.pdf) to learn what requirements are needed for your specific role.