What Are the Requirements to Be a Daycare Teacher in Delaware?
To work as a daycare teacher in a licensed Delaware center, you must be at least 18 and qualify as an early childhood teacher or assistant teacher.
Lead-teacher routes include a diploma plus a CDA, 9 early childhood or child development credits, TECE 1 and 2 or Delaware's apprenticeship, plus 12 months of experience with children.
Staff document qualifications with Delaware First, complete orientation before working with children, and get fingerprinted before starting.
Staff working 25 or more hours weekly complete 18 clock hours of training a year.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL), which now sits under Title 14 (Education), licenses Delaware child care centers.
At least 18; routes include a high school diploma plus a CDA, 9 early childhood or child development credits, TECE 1 and 2 or the Delaware DOL apprenticeship, plus 12 months of experience.
At least 18 with a high school diploma, plus 3 early childhood credits and 3 child development credits, or TECE 1, and 6 months of experience with children.
Orientation before working with children, including safe sleep, shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma in infant programs, food allergies and child abuse reporting; medication administration within two months.
18 clock hours a year for staff working 25 or more hours a week, including at least 2 hours of health or safety; 9 clock hours for staff under 25 hours.
First aid and CPR certification within two months of hire for all staff except aides; at least one certified staff member must be there whenever children are.
Fingerprints for Delaware State Police (SBI) and FBI checks before starting work; no time alone with children until the Criminal History Unit determines eligibility.
Classroom roles in Delaware, by the rule's own titles
- Early childhood teacherRole
The rule's title for the lead classroom role: at least 18, qualified through routes such as a diploma plus a CDA, 9 early childhood or child development credits, TECE 1 and 2 or the Delaware DOL Early Childhood Apprenticeship, plus 12 months of experience with children birth through grade 2.
- Early childhood assistant teacherRole
At least 18 with a high school diploma, 3 early childhood credits plus 3 child development credits or TECE 1 (or a DOE-accepted high school ECE career pathway), and 6 months of experience with children.
- Early childhood internRole
A younger route the rule provides: an intern may count in the staff/child ratio at 16 (15 in a high school ECE program), must be under direct observation, and must be at least four years older than the children in care.
Who licenses childcare centers in Delaware?
Delaware child care centers are licensed by the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL), which now sits under Title 14 (Education).
The rules a center and its classroom staff follow are 14 DE Admin Code 933, DELACARE: Regulations for Early Care and Education and School-Age Centers, which replaced the former 9 DE Admin Code 101.
Delaware counts a program as a licensed early care and education center when it serves 13 or more children, counting children related to the licensee.
What qualifications does a lead teacher need in Delaware?
Delaware's rule titles the lead classroom role the early childhood teacher, and a licensee must ensure an early childhood teacher is at least 18 years old.
The qualification table sets routes such as a high school diploma plus a CDA, 9 credits in early childhood education or child development, TECE 1 and 2, or the Delaware Department of Labor Early Childhood Apprenticeship, combined with 12 months of experience with children from birth through grade 2.
As we read the official chapter, the qualification table is an image rather than text, so our transcription comes from OCR of the official PDF — confirm the exact routes and degree options with OCCL before you rely on one.
“A licensee shall ensure an early childhood teacher is at least 18 years old”
What does an assistant teacher need in Delaware?
The assistant role is the early childhood assistant teacher.
An assistant teacher must be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma, and complete 3 credits in early childhood education plus 3 in child development, or TECE 1, or finish a Department of Education-accepted high school early childhood education career pathway, along with 6 months of experience with children.
Centers must keep a 1:4 ratio of early childhood teachers to assistant teachers, caregivers, interns and aides, so the two roles work alongside each other under that staffing rule.
What training do you need before you start?
Before working with children, Delaware center staff complete orientation on topics the rule lists, including safe sleep, shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma for infant programs, food allergies and child abuse reporting.
Medication administration training is due within two months.
Separately from training, a staff member submits true and accurate documentation of their qualifications to Delaware First, the state's qualification and credentialing system, within 60 days of hire.
“submits, within 60 days of hire, true and accurate documentation to Delaware First”
How many training hours do you need each year?
Delaware center staff working 25 or more hours a week complete 18 clock hours of training annually, including at least 2 hours of health or safety training.
Staff working fewer than 25 hours a week complete 9 clock hours of annual training.
“shall complete 18-clock-hours of training annually including at least two hours of health or safety training.”
CPR, first aid and health checks
All Delaware center staff except aides must earn first aid and CPR certification within two months of hire, and at least one staff member holding those certificates must be present whenever children are.
Staff also need a health appraisal and a TB test or a medical professional risk assessment that verifies the person does not pose a threat.
The health items are completed within one year before the start date and on file within the first month of employment.
How does the background check work in Delaware?
Delaware staff must be fingerprinted by the Delaware State Police for state (SBI) and FBI criminal history checks before starting work.
Staff who have resided outside Delaware in the last five years must contact each state of residence for criminal history and child abuse checks.
An adult abuse registry check is also required, and a staff member may not be alone with children until the Criminal History Unit reviews the comprehensive background check and determines eligibility.
Specific questions about an individual check go to the Office of Child Care Licensing.
“A staff member may not be alone with children until CHU reviews the comprehensive background check and determines eligibility.”
Can you work in a Delaware daycare at 16 or 17?
The early childhood teacher and assistant teacher roles start at 18.
The rule also sets an early childhood intern position with a lower age floor: an intern may count in the staff-to-child ratio at 16, or at 15 when enrolled in a high school early childhood education program.
Interns must be under direct observation and must be at least four years older than the children in their care.
Did Delaware change its childcare teacher rules recently?
Yes.
OCCL now sits under Title 14 (Education), and the current center rule is 14 DE Admin Code 933, DELACARE: Regulations for Early Care and Education and School-Age Centers, formerly 9 DE Admin Code 101.
Checklists that still cite the Title 9 chapter as the current rule are out of date, so confirm any older summary against the current chapter.
Does Delaware help pay for a CDA or a degree?
For teachers planning the next credential: Delaware pays completion incentives of $1,000 for a CDA and $10,000 for an associate or bachelor's degree after 6 months of continued employment in a licensed program, under the quality improvement program and policy guide the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood published for FY27.
The amounts are program-year figures, so confirm the current incentive with DIEEC or OCCL before you count on one.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Delaware 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 Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL), under Title 14 (Education) publishes. For the rest of the picture in Delaware, see daycare director requirements in Delaware, early childhood education programs and scholarships in Delaware, and childcare teacher pay in Delaware.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a CDA to work in a Delaware daycare?
Not always — it depends on the role.
Delaware's lead classroom role, the early childhood teacher, can qualify with a high school diploma plus a CDA, 9 credits in early childhood education or child development, TECE 1 and 2, or the Delaware DOL Early Childhood Apprenticeship, plus 12 months of experience with children from birth through grade 2.
Assistant teachers can qualify with a high school diploma plus 3 early childhood credits and 3 child development credits, or TECE 1, plus 6 months of experience with children.
Can a 16-year-old work at a daycare in Delaware?
Yes, in a limited way.
In a licensed Delaware center, the rule sets an early childhood intern position with a lower age floor: an intern may count in the staff-to-child ratio at 16, or at 15 when enrolled in a high school early childhood education program.
Interns must be under direct observation and must be at least four years older than the children in their care.
The early childhood teacher and assistant teacher roles themselves start at 18.
What is Delaware First?
Delaware First is the state's qualification and credentialing system for early childhood staff.
The center regulations require a staff member to submit true and accurate documentation of their qualifications to Delaware First within 60 days of hire.
If you are new to Delaware's system, the Office of Child Care Licensing or your hiring center can explain how to open a Delaware First record.
When can a new Delaware childcare staffer be alone with children?
Only after the Criminal History Unit reviews the comprehensive background check and determines eligibility.
Staff must be fingerprinted by the Delaware State Police for SBI and FBI checks before starting work, and anyone who lived outside Delaware in the last five years needs criminal history and child abuse checks from each state of residence.
Orientation topics are also due before working with children.
Does Delaware pay teachers to earn a CDA?
Delaware pays completion incentives of $1,000 for a CDA and $10,000 for an associate or bachelor's degree after 6 months of continued employment in a licensed program, under the quality improvement program and policy guide the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood published for FY27.
The amounts are program-year figures, so confirm the current incentive with DIEEC or the Office of Child Care Licensing before you count on one.
More Delaware Resources
Sources
- DELACARE: Regulations for Early Care and Education and School-Age Centers (Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Program and Policy Guide for the Delaware Quality Improvement System for Early Care and Education Programs (Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood) (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 Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL), under Title 14 (Education).