To work at a daycare, you generally need to be at least 18 (16 in some states for supervised assistant roles), pass a federally mandated criminal background check across multiple state and federal databases, clear a tuberculosis screening and basic health assessment, hold current pediatric CPR and first aid certifications, meet your state’s education or credential requirement, and complete mandated reporter training. Federal law through the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act sets the floor; your state’s licensing rules fill in the rest, and the specifics shift depending on whether you’re applying as an assistant, a lead teacher, or a director.
Age and Work Authorization
Most states set the minimum age at 18 for lead teachers and primary caregivers. Some allow assistants as young as 16, but those younger workers almost always have to be directly supervised by an adult staff member whose own background check is complete. Under-18 workers also face limits on which tasks they can perform and how many hours they can work.
Daycares, like any U.S. employer, have to verify that you can legally work here. You’ll fill out Form I-9 and show acceptable identification, such as a passport or a driver’s license paired with a Social Security card.1U.S. Department of Labor. I-9 Central Licensed facilities tend to be strict about getting this paperwork done on day one, because licensing inspectors check it.
The Criminal Background Check
This is the single biggest requirement, and the one with no room for shortcuts. Federal law requires every state receiving childcare development funds to run a comprehensive background check on every prospective hire. The check pulls from state criminal and sex offender registries in your current state and in any state you’ve lived in during the past five years, state child abuse and neglect registries in those same states, the FBI fingerprint database, the National Crime Information Center, and the National Sex Offender Registry.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 9858f – Criminal Background Checks
Before your first day, at a minimum your FBI or in-state fingerprint check and a sex offender registry search have to come back clear. The remaining components can be completed within 90 days of hire, and during that window you can only work under the direct supervision of someone whose full check is already finished.3Child Care Technical Assistance Network. 1.2.0.2 Background Screening – CFOC Basics
Convictions That Permanently Disqualify You
Federal law lists convictions that permanently bar you from childcare work: felonies involving murder, child abuse or neglect, crimes against children (including child pornography), spousal abuse, rape or sexual assault, kidnapping, arson, or physical assault or battery.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 9858f – Criminal Background Checks Violent misdemeanors committed as an adult against a child, including child abuse, child endangerment, and sexual assault, are also permanent bars. Registration on any sex offender registry disqualifies you permanently.
Drug-related felonies carry a five-year disqualification, after which some states allow an individualized review.4Administration for Children and Families. CCDF-ACF-PI-2019-05 Refusing to consent to the background check or lying during the process is itself an automatic disqualifier.
Renewals and Changing Jobs
Background checks have to be renewed at least every five years.5HeadStart.gov. Background Checks FAQs If you change employers, plan to go through the full process again. Federal law doesn’t set up a system for transferring a clearance between facilities, so each new employer typically runs its own. Fees range from under $10 to over $100 depending on the state and the type of check.
Health Screenings
Expect a tuberculosis screening before you start. The CDC recommends a TB blood test or a two-step Mantoux skin test for anyone entering a childcare or healthcare setting, along with a risk assessment and symptom check.6Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Baseline Tuberculosis Screening and Testing for Health Care Personnel A positive screen doesn’t automatically disqualify you. If there’s no evidence of active TB, you can still work after consulting your healthcare provider and the licensing authority.7HeadStart.gov. Tuberculosis
Most states also require a general health assessment or a physician’s statement confirming you’re physically able to do the job and free of communicable diseases, typically at hire and again every two years. Many states want documentation of immunizations for measles, mumps, rubella, and pertussis, and some facilities ask for a seasonal flu shot.
Drug testing isn’t federally mandated for most private childcare workers, but a lot of facilities run pre-employment urine tests as standard practice, and some states require testing at facilities that receive federal childcare funding. Random and reasonable-suspicion testing is common at larger centers.
CPR, First Aid, and Safe Sleep Training
Anyone working directly with children needs current certifications in infant and child CPR, first aid, and AED use. Pediatric CPR techniques are different from adult techniques, and a standard adult CPR card doesn’t satisfy the requirement. Certifications from the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association are accepted in every state. Red Cross CPR certifications last two years, with an abbreviated renewal course available at recertification.8American Red Cross. CPR Renewal and Recertification
If you’ll be in a room with infants under 12 months, you’ll likely need additional training in safe sleep practices and SIDS prevention. Federal guidance recommends that childcare programs follow American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep recommendations, and many states have made this a specific training requirement for infant room staff.9Child Care Technical Assistance Network. Safe Sleep Information for Child Care Providers Topics include sleeping positions, crib safety, and recognizing signs of abusive head trauma.
Education and Credentials
Entry-level positions typically require a high school diploma or GED. For assistant roles, that’s often enough to get hired, though most states expect you to start accumulating early childhood training hours soon after your start date.
The credential that carries the most weight at the entry and mid-career level is the Child Development Associate (CDA). It involves 120 clock hours of professional education across eight subject areas, 480 hours of hands-on work experience with children, a professional portfolio, a written exam, and a verification visit from a professional development specialist who observes you in the classroom.10CDA Council. 5 Steps to Obtain a CDA Credential The initial online application costs $525, and renewal runs $250 every three years.11CDA Council. 2025 Pricing Update
Lead teacher and center director positions usually require at least an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a related field. The degree is what lets you design curriculum, supervise staff, and take on administrative work. If you’re planning a long-term career in childcare, that path is worth mapping out early even if your current role doesn’t require it.
Mandated Reporter Training
Every state classifies childcare workers as mandated reporters. You’re legally required to report suspected child abuse or neglect, and the obligation sits on you personally. You can’t hand it off to a supervisor. Federal law through the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act requires every state receiving federal child protection funding to maintain mandatory reporting laws and provide training for the people covered by them.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 5106a – Grants to States for Child Abuse or Neglect Prevention and Treatment Programs
In practice, that means you’ll complete mandated reporter training either before you start or within your first weeks on the job. It covers recognizing physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect, plus the reporting procedure for your state. Penalties for failing to report range from misdemeanor to felony charges depending on the state, and can bring professional sanctions and civil liability. A good-faith report that turns out to be unfounded is legally protected everywhere. A knowingly false report isn’t. You don’t need proof to make a report; you need reasonable suspicion.
Ongoing Training to Keep the Job
Clearing the hiring requirements isn’t the end of it. Every state requires childcare workers to complete a minimum number of continuing education hours each year, typically between 10 and 24 for teachers and caregivers, with directors often required to do more. Topics usually include child development, health and safety, guidance and discipline, emergency preparedness, and preventing communicable diseases. Infant room staff often have annual requirements covering safe sleep, shaken baby syndrome, and early brain development. Some states add yearly refreshers on medication administration and food allergy response.
Many state licensing agencies offer free or low-cost online options, and employers often cover the cost or run in-house sessions. The hours have to be documented. Licensing inspectors check training records, so keep your own copies of certificates and transcripts.
Conduct and Privacy Expectations
Beyond the formal credentials, daycares expect strict compliance with rules on children’s privacy and professional boundaries. Most centers prohibit personal phones and cameras in classrooms. Posting photos of children on social media without explicit written parental permission is grounds for termination at virtually every licensed facility, and some states treat it as a licensing violation.
Confidentiality matters more here than in most workplaces because you’re handling developmental assessments, family information, and sensitive situations that parents trust you to keep private. Sharing a child’s behavioral or developmental information outside the program, even casually, can create legal exposure for you and the facility. If you see a coworker doing something that puts children at risk, you’re expected to report it through your facility’s chain of command, and if abuse or neglect is involved, your mandated reporter duty overrides any workplace loyalty.