What Are the Requirements to Be a Daycare Teacher in Alaska?
Alaska daycare teacher requirements center on readiness, not credentials: no college or CDA is required for center teachers.
Caregivers must be at least 18 to count in the child-to-caregiver ratio, clear a background check, complete orientation within three months of hire, hold pediatric first aid and CPR, and log at least 24 hours of training a year (12 at 15 hours a week or less).
The Child Care Program Office licenses centers under 7 AAC 57 — Anchorage's by its Child Care Licensing office, as Alaska SEED describes the split.
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At a glance
The State of Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO) licenses child care under 7 AAC 57; the Municipality of Anchorage Child Care Licensing (CCL) covers Anchorage — as Alaska SEED describes the split.
No college, CDA or credential required; the rule's education requirements apply to center administrators only. Caregivers must be at least 18 to count in ratio.
The same caregiver standard as lead teachers: at least 18 to count in ratio, background check, at least three written references, orientation and pediatric first aid and CPR.
Facility orientation, including approved health and safety trainings, completed within three months of hire.
At least 24 hours a year relevant to child care and development, including at least one hour on a health and safety topic; part-time caregivers working 15 hours a week or less need 12.
Valid pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR certification for every caregiver.
Checks under AS 47.05.300–.390 and the barrier-crimes rules at 7 AAC 10.900–.990; the department may also review child protection and licensing records for people 16 and older.
Classroom roles in Alaska, by the rule's own titles
- CaregiverRole
The Alaska rule's term for the adults who staff a licensed child care facility: at least 18 to count in the child-to-caregiver ratio, with orientation, annual training, pediatric first aid and CPR and the background check.
- 16- or 17-year-old caregiverRole
Centers only, and only to count in ratio when trained or judged competent, supervised by an adult, within sight or sound of an adult, and no more than one-fourth of the caregiving staff on duty.
Who licenses childcare centers in Alaska?
Alaska licenses child care under 7 AAC 57, the Child Care Facilities Licensing rule: a facility regularly caring for five or more children who are not the caregiver's relatives must be licensed unless an exemption applies (7 AAC 57.010).
Two offices issue licenses — the State of Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO) elsewhere in the state, and the Municipality of Anchorage Child Care Licensing (CCL) inside Anchorage — as Alaska SEED describes the split.
Which office covers a center follows from where the facility sits.
What qualifications does a lead teacher need in Alaska?
Alaska's licensing rule sets no college, credential or CDA requirement for center caregivers — lead teachers included.
The education requirements in 7 AAC 57.300(d) apply to center administrators only, so whether a posting says lead teacher, preschool teacher or head teacher, the state's baseline is the same caregiver standard.
A caregiver in a child care facility must be at least 18 years of age to be counted toward meeting the child-to-caregiver ratio requirements.
Employers can set a higher bar on their own: Head Start programs and school-district pre-elementary classrooms, for example, may require credentials the state does not.
“A caregiver in a child care facility must be at least 18 years of age to be counted toward meeting the child-to-caregiver ratio requirements”
What does an assistant teacher need in Alaska?
Alaska's rule sets no separate assistant-teacher credential: assistants meet the same caregiver rules lead teachers do.
That baseline is at least 18 to count in ratio, a background check under the barrier-crimes rules, and valid pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR certification.
Before you have contact with children, the facility must also obtain at least three written references on you, at least two of them from individuals unrelated to the applicant.
An aide or floater who never counts in ratio is still covered — the background-check rules reach anyone associated with a child care facility.
What training do you need before you start?
New caregivers complete facility orientation, including approved health and safety trainings, within three months of their date of hire.
Examples the rule gives for those trainings are infectious disease and immunizations, SIDS and safe sleep, and medication administration.
References carry a before-contact deadline of their own: the facility must obtain at least three written references on a prospective employee, at least two from individuals unrelated to the applicant, before that person has contact with children.
“the orientation and training required in (a) of this section must be completed within three months from the individual's date of hire.”
How many annual training hours does Alaska require?
Every Alaska administrator and caregiver needs at least 24 hours of annual training relevant to child care and development, and at least one of those hours must cover a health and safety topic.
Part-time caregivers working 15 hours a week or less need 12 hours rather than 24.
The rule places the duty on the facility: it must ensure each administrator and caregiver receives the hours, so keep your own certificates and transcripts current as well.
What are Alaska's CPR, first aid and health check rules?
Every Alaska caregiver must hold valid certification in pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR.
Within the 24 annual training hours, at least one hour must cover a health and safety topic.
One gap to flag: our research did not confirm whether Alaska requires a separate physical exam, TB test or other health screening for center staff — ask the Child Care Program Office, or your hiring center, what health documentation they need before your first day.
“A child care facility shall ensure that each of its caregivers has a valid certification for pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR.”
How does the Alaska daycare background check work?
Background checks for anyone associated with an Alaska child care facility follow AS 47.05.300–.390 and the barrier-crimes rules at 7 AAC 10.900–.990.
The department may also review child protection and licensing records for each caregiver, employee and other individual age 16 or older (7 AAC 57.315).
Ask the center's director what to submit and when.
Our research captured which rules the checks follow, not step-by-step sequencing or how long results take — the Child Care Program Office, or Anchorage CCL, can tell you what to expect.
Can 16- and 17-year-olds work in an Alaska daycare?
A caregiver must be at least 18 to count in the child-to-caregiver ratio.
In centers only, 16- and 17-year-olds may count if they are trained or judged competent, are supervised by an adult, stay within sight or sound of an adult, and make up no more than one-fourth of the caregiving staff on duty.
Both the 18-and-over rule and the center-only exception for younger caregivers are set out in 7 AAC 57.320.
Does Alaska have a childcare workforce registry?
The Alaska SEED Registry tracks training and education for early educators, and membership is free.
A member's education sets their level on the Alaska SEED Career Ladder.
The registry documents your training history alongside the licensing system — the 24-hour annual training rule above comes from 7 AAC 57, not from SEED membership.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Alaska licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state daycare teacher requirements series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the State of Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO) publishes. For the rest of the picture in Alaska, see daycare director requirements in Alaska, early childhood education programs and scholarships in Alaska, and childcare teacher pay in Alaska.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a CDA to work in an Alaska daycare?
No. Alaska's licensing rule sets no college, credential or CDA requirement for center caregivers, lead or assistant; its education requirements attach to the center administrator instead.
The state baseline for a caregiver is being at least 18 to count in ratio, a cleared background check, orientation within three months of hire, pediatric first aid and CPR, and at least 24 hours of training a year.
Individual employers — Head Start programs, for example — can require more than the state does.
How old do you have to be to work at a daycare in Alaska?
At least 18 to count in the child-to-caregiver ratio.
In centers only, 16- and 17-year-olds may count if they are trained or judged competent, are supervised by an adult, stay within sight or sound of an adult, and make up no more than one-fourth of the caregiving staff on duty.
Ask the hiring center how it staffs younger employees.
How many training hours do Alaska daycare teachers need each year?
At least 24 hours of annual training relevant to child care and development, including at least one hour on a health and safety topic.
Part-time caregivers working 15 hours a week or less need 12 hours instead of 24.
The rule applies the annual total to every administrator and caregiver in the facility.
Does Alaska require daycare teachers to be CPR certified?
Yes.
Every Alaska caregiver must hold valid pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR certification, and the rule applies to each caregiver in the facility, not one person per site.
The 24 annual training hours must include at least one hour on a health and safety topic.
What shows up in an Alaska daycare background check?
Alaska runs its checks under AS 47.05.300–.390 and the barrier-crimes rules at 7 AAC 10.900–.990, and the department may also review child protection and licensing records for anyone age 16 or older associated with a facility.
Our research captured which rules the checks follow, not the specific conviction lists, so ask the Child Care Program Office or the hiring center what the barrier-crime list covers before you apply.
More Alaska Resources
Sources
- Alaska Child Care Facilities Licensing rule (Cornell LII) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- thread (Alaska SEED) — 2026 ROOTS Award (retrieved 2026-10-05)
Sourced from the documents listed above. Verified October 2026. This is career and employer information, not licensing or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the State of Alaska Child Care Program Office (CCPO).