Health and Safety Training FAQ
1. Is it expected that the health and safety trainings be completed through Moodle?
No. The completion of the required Health and Safety trainings may be accessed through various learning formats/platforms. They can be taken in a face-to-face classroom setting, through pre-recorded distance learning, college coursework or continuing education unit credits, or real-time virtual training.
It is recommended that child care providers and staff members verify with the training agency/trainer, prior to registering for a session, that the training(s) they are considering have received prior approval by DCDEE.
The information shared regarding the availability of the Health and Safety trainings in Moodle was shared to provide an alternative online option for training, that has
been authorized by DCDEE, that is FREE and is available to the public.
The CCDF – Health and Safety in Child Care trainings, available in Moodle, are specific to North Carolina Child Care Requirements and include eight (8) of the eleven (11) topic areas outlined in Child Care Rule .1102(b) and .1703(c). See Chapter 9 – Child Care Rules, section .1100 & section .1700 for information specific to rule references.
2. Where can I locate training topics that are not available from the DCDEE “Moodle” platform?
To locate training for other topics not available from the DCDEE “Moodle” platform, please reach out to your local CCR&R or Partnership for Children. For your convenience, a link to our county resource page is provided to help you in your search: https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Parent/County-Resource-Lookup. The North Carolina Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center is another option for locating training. Search here to find a trainer in your area.
3. Where can I locate the Recognizing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect training?
The Recognizing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect is available through Prevent Child Abuse NC. For your convenience, a link is provided for you to access the FREE online training Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment.
4. How do I enroll in classes on the DCDEE Moodle platform?
To access Moodle courses, please visit the DCDEE Moodle platform and complete the following steps:
Step 1: Login (right-hand side with NCID username and password).
Step 2: Look at the picture carousel for the one that reads “View Early Childhood Professional Development Training” (click).
Step 3: You will see the different Units at DCDEE. Click on the Unit to see if have training opportunities (e.g., CCDF – Serving Young Children Experiencing Homelessness --> CCDF - Solutions to the Dilemma: Reducing Suspension and Expulsion -->Regulatory – Child Care Rule Rollout -->Foundations – Intermediate NC Foundations ->Foundations - Early Childhood Mental Health Modules --> Foundations - Advanced course Emotional and Social Development --> Subsidy – Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program Rules).
Step 4: If you see a training you like, click on title then look for enrollment options – click ENROLL Me.
For Moodle courses that will not allow self-enrollment, you will need to request enrollment for the course you are seeking. Following your course selection, when self- enrollment is not possible, a link to allow you to request enrollment should populate. Please email Brenda K. Williamson at [email protected] (copy and paste this email address), within your email message include the name of the training you want to register for in Moodle online training. After 48 hours of request (except weekends and holidays), click “MY COURSES” and you will see the training listed for you.
5. How do I navigate the DCDEE Moodle platform?
Directions on how to navigate Moodle, are available from the following link https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Learning-Resources/How-to-Navigate-Moodle.
6. How does the Division monitor completion of the health and safety trainings?
Child Care Rule .1106 and .1703 addresses documentation of training. See Chapter 9 – Child Care Rules, section .1100 & section .1700 for information specific to rule references. Each child care facility shall have a record of training activities in which child care providers and staff members participate, including copies of training certificates or official documentation provided by the trainer. That record shall include the subject matter, topic area in G.S. 110-91(11), training provider, date provided, hours, and name of the child care provider(s) and staff member(s) who completed the training. This documentation shall be on file and current.
Documentation of training received will need to be available for review by DCDEE upon request.
To access a copy of the documentation page needed, please select from the links provided below.
• Health and Safety Training Record
• On-Going Training Documentation log
7. Who is required to take the health and safety training?
All child care administrators and staff members shall complete the health and safety trainings within one year of employment. Staff members include: child care providers, substitute providers, and uncompensated providers. Volunteers, as defined in Rule .0102(52), are not staff members. See Chapter 9 – Child Care Rules, section .0100 for information specific to the rule reference. If counted in the staff/child ratio or assigned direct caregiving responsibility, the volunteer(s) are expected to meet the health and safety training requirement.
This requirement applies to the following facilities:
• All licensed child care centers
• All licensed family child care homes
• All N.C.G.S. 110-106 Religious Sponsored Programs operating with a Notice of Compliance and participating in the Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program
• All license exempt providers receiving CCDF funding
People exempt from the health and safety trainings include: staff members that do not have caregiving responsibilities for a child or group of children, service providers such as speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists, and substitute providers who provider services for less than 10 days in a 12-month period. This information is found in Child Care Rule .1102(a) and .1703(b). See Chapter 9 – Child Care Rules, section .1100 & .1700 for information specific to the rule reference.
What about staff members employed as the cook or van driver?
Employees that do not have direct caregiving and supervising responsibilities and/or are not counted in staff/child ratio, do not have to complete the health and safety trainings. This may include cooks or van drivers. A cook who provides coverage in the classroom at any time, must complete the training. Van drivers, who provide direct supervision and caregiving responsibilities and/or counted in staff/child ratio must complete the health and safety trainings.
8. Why are child care providers being required to take specific health and safety training?
As part of the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant Fund stipulations, states must have pre-service and orientation requirements in place for child care providers.
These requirements were put in place to protect the health and safety of children in child care, promote continuity of access to vouchers for low-income families, better inform parents and the general public about the child care choices available to them, and improve the overall quality of child care and afterschool programs. Pre- service/orientation and ongoing training must cover eleven specific topic areas:
• Prevention and control of infectious diseases, including immunizations;
• Administration of medication, with standards for parental consent;
• Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions;
• Building and physical premises safety, including identification of and protection from hazards that can cause bodily injury such as electrical hazards, bodies of water, and vehicular traffic;
• Emergency preparedness and response planning for emergencies resulting from a natural disaster, or a man-caused event;
• Handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate disposal of bio- contaminants;
• Precautions in transporting children, if applicable
• Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, and child maltreatment;
• First Aid and CPR training;
• Recognizing and reporting child abuse, child neglect, and child maltreatment; and
• Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices.
9. What is the timeframe for completing orientation and the health and safety trainings? Can health and safety trainings move with an employee if they seek employment elsewhere?
New staff will need to complete orientation within the first six weeks of employment and complete the health and safety trainings within their first year of employment.
New staff may use health and safety trainings, received prior to their employment, so long as the training received has been completed within the last 12 months.
Health and safety trainings must be renewed every five (5) years as part of on-going training. Documentation of completion of the health and safety training is required for staff members.
10. What options/trainings are approved to meet the health and safety training requirements?
There are various options available for you to complete the training requirements. They can be taken in a face-to-face classroom setting, through pre-recorded distance learning, college coursework or continuing education unit credits, or real-time virtual training.
Regardless of the method selected for receiving training, DCDEE recommends you verify with the training agency/trainer, prior to registering for a session, that the training(s) you are considering received prior approval by the Division.
11. Do public school teachers have to meet the same health and safety training requirement?
Yes, public school preschool and out-of-school (before/after school) time care teachers/group leaders are required to meet the health and safety training requirements, except they do not have to take training in prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices because they are not licensed to care for infants. However, preschool teachers must complete training in prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, and child maltreatment since it applies to programs licensed to care for children up to age five.
In before/afterschool programs which only serve school-age children, group leaders do not have to take trainings related to sudden infant death syndrome or prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma.
Professional development and training required for public school employees may be counted as long as the training relates to the required health and safety topic areas.
If the principal serves as the administrator, the principal is exempt from completing any of the training requirements.
12. How will compliance of these training requirements be monitored?
As DCDEE consultants conduct monitoring visits to child care facilities, they will be verifying if staff members have completed the required training. Programs will be cited for non-compliance if the health and safety requirements are not in compliance within the required time frame. Failure to comply with child care requirements may result in an administrative action.
13. If a person is enrolled in college coursework and the course title includes “health and safety” and/or the syllabus covers the majority of the health and safety topics, can it count?
Yes, the person must maintain proof of course completion and description of the course or any other supporting documentation to show what topics were covered and successfully completed the course. Examples of proof may include the course description, syllabus, certificate(s), and transcript.
14. Will staff still be able to carry forward training hours to the next year?
Yes, a person may carry forward training hours that are in excess of the previous year’s requirements to meet up to one-half of the current year’s required on-going training hours.
15. Can one training cover multiple health and safety topic areas and if so, can the one training be counted to meet those topic areas?
Yes, training may cover multiple required health and safety topics and may be counted to meet more than one topic area. There is not a specified amount of time required for training sessions. The focus is to ensure training is related to the required health and safety topic area.
16. Do I have to take training in the topic area of precautions for transporting children if the child care program I work for does not transport children?
No, you only need to complete training in the topic area of precautions for transporting children, if applicable.
17. Can I complete the online training during naptime?
Yes, provided the training is self-paced and you maintain compliance with applicable child care requirements including but not limited to child care rule .0713 (Staff/Child Ratios) and .1801 (Supervision). Self-paced training affords you the ability to stop the training as needed to meet the needs of the children in your care.
18. What are the expectations for training related to First Aid and CPR?
First aid and CPR instructors must be certified by an approved agency to train North Carolina child care staff. The instructor’s certification must be current. If you have questions about a trainer, please contact the First Aid and/or CPR agency to express your concerns and confirm the trainer’s status.
CPR and First Aid training shall be renewed on or before expiration of the certification. The training must include content appropriate for the ages of children in care. CPR and First Aid training can no longer be counted toward on-going training hours (contact hours). Child care providers should always verify the instructor’s certification with the national agency and obtain the complete address of the Training Center. The Statement “Taught according to AHA guidelines” or some variation of that statement does not make the course acceptable. If any concerns arise about the training session provided by one of the approved organizations, please direct the concern to the responsible organization or local training center.
Read Be a Smart Consumer of First Aid and CPR Training to make sure you are spending your time and money wisely related to First Aid and CPR training.
19. Does First Aid and CPR count for on-going (contact) hours?
CPR and First Aid may not count toward on-going (contact) hours. CPR and First Aid courses, appropriate for the ages of children in care, should be taken from a trainer recognized by one of the DCDEE approved organizations.
New staff must complete First Aid and CPR training from an approved organization within 90 days of employment and training must be renewed on or before the expiration of the certification.
20. What training can meet the emergency preparedness and response planning topic area?
Trainings related to emergency preparedness and response planning may be counted, provided they meet the topic area outline in Rule .1102(b) and the training meets the DCDEE criteria for an approved training. The NC Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care training required by North Carolina Child Care Rules .0607 and
.1714 would count for both the health and safety training requirement and Rules .0607 and .1714.
21. I teach 3 and 4-year old children. Why do I have to take training on prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices?
Many child care programs are licensed to care for children birth to twelve years of
age. Teachers may be assigned one age group but have to be a substitute in another age group or provide coverage while the primary teacher steps away. Completing training in prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices will ensure you have basic information related to caring for infants.
22. Am I required to have ITS-SIDS training?
If you are an infant teacher or an administrator in a program with infants enrolled or a FCCH operator, then you must complete the NC specific Infant Toddler Safe Sleep and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Risk Reduction in Child Care training. Please refer to sections .0100, .1100 and .1700 (Child Care Rules .0102(26); .1102(f) and
.1703(a)(4) & (c)(11)) within Chapter 9 – Child Care Rules for more information and guidance for ITS-SIDS training.
23. Would Get Ready/Get Set/Go training count for the precautions in transporting children topic area?
Yes.