What Are the Requirements to Be a Daycare Teacher in District of Columbia?
To work as a daycare teacher in a licensed District of Columbia child development center, you must be at least 18 with an associate degree or higher in early childhood or a related major.
Other routes include another degree or 60 credits with early childhood credits and supervised experience, and a CDA route requiring an associate or higher degree finished within 4 years of hire.
Staff need first aid and CPR, 21 training hours a year and a background check, and paid caregiving employees must register with OSSE's PDIS.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), under the child development facility licensing rule 5-A DCMR Chapter 1.
At least 18 years old with an associate degree or higher in early childhood or a related major; other degree routes with early childhood credits and supervised experience, or the CDA-plus-degree-in-progress route (degree within 4 years of hire, extendable to 6), also qualify.
At least 18 years old, with 60 college credits or an associate degree, a CDA credential, or a high school diploma plus a CDA earned within 2 years of hire.
Pre-service health and safety training within 30 calendar days of hire; orientation training on further topics follows within 90 days.
At least 21 hours of professional development a year for child development center staff.
Current first aid and CPR certification for every staff member, appropriate to the ages served, with at least 2 certified staff on the premises at all times.
A fingerprint criminal background check before becoming a staff member and at least once every 3 years; a new hire may work while results are pending only if supervised at all times by someone with a qualifying check.
Classroom roles in District of Columbia, by the rule's own titles
- TeacherRole
The center rule's title for the lead-teacher role: at least 18 years old, with an associate degree or higher in early childhood or a related major, or another degree route with early childhood credits and supervised experience.
- Assistant TeacherRole
At least 18 years old, with 60 college credits or an associate degree, a CDA credential, or a high school diploma plus a CDA earned within 2 years of hire.
Who licenses childcare centers in the District of Columbia?
The District of Columbia licenses child development facilities through the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and its Division of Early Learning.
The licensing rule is 5-A DCMR Chapter 1, whose comprehensive rewrite took effect December 2, 2016.
OSSE amended the staff qualification sections effective August 1, 2025.
When a requirement on this page and OSSE's current rulebook disagree, the rulebook governs.
What qualifications does a lead teacher need in the District of Columbia?
DC's center rule calls its lead-teacher role a Teacher.
A Teacher must be at least 18 years old and hold an associate degree or higher in early childhood or a related major.
Other routes include another degree or 60 college credits with at least 12 credits in early childhood education plus 1 year of supervised experience.
A Teacher may also start on a CDA credential while enrolled in an associate or higher degree program, finishing the degree within 4 years of hire — extendable to 6 years with continuous enrollment or an OSSE-approved hardship.
For these rules, 1 year of supervised experience means 1,000 hours averaging at least 20 hours a week.
“A Teacher in a Child Development Center shall be at least eighteen (18) years of age and shall:”
What does an assistant teacher need in the District of Columbia?
An Assistant Teacher must also be at least 18 and qualifies one of three ways: 60 college credits or an associate degree, a CDA credential, or a high school diploma plus a CDA earned within 2 years of hire.
Teachers and Assistant Teachers who held the role on December 20, 2023 and have served continuously for 10 years can instead apply to OSSE for a continuous service certification that waives the education requirements.
What training do you need before you start?
Within 30 calendar days of hire, every staff member must complete pre-service health and safety training covering child abuse prevention and reporting, emergency preparedness, safe sleep and SIDS prevention, shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma, and first aid and CPR.
Orientation training on further topics follows within 90 days of hire.
The 30-day window runs from your date of hire, so a center can bring you on and complete the training with you in that period.
“Within thirty (30) calendar days of date of hire, each staff member shall receive pre-service training”
How many training hours do you need each year?
Child development center staff complete at least 21 hours of professional development every year, and the minimum covers Teachers and Assistant Teachers as center staff.
The same rule sets lower annual minimums for other settings: 12 hours for Child Development Home caregivers and staff, and 15 hours for Expanded Home caregivers and staff.
Annual professional development is separate from the pre-service training you complete in your first 30 days.
“Child Development Center staff shall participate in at least twenty-one (21) hours of professional development annually;”
CPR, first aid and health checks
Every staff member at a licensed DC facility must hold current first aid and CPR certification appropriate to the ages the facility serves, and at least 2 certified staff members must be on the premises at all times.
Staff also need a pre-employment physical examination conducted within 12 months before their start date, plus an annual physical documenting freedom from tuberculosis and communicable disease.
How does the background check work?
DC requires a criminal background check with fingerprints in an FBI-approved format before someone becomes a staff member, and at least once every 3 years for employed staff.
A new hire may work while results are pending only if supervised at all times by a staff member with a qualifying check.
Because the rule times the check to your start as a staff member, ask the hiring director what you need to submit and when.
“Not less than once during each three (3) year period for any currently employed staff member.”
Safe sleep and abusive head trauma training
The 30-day pre-service training list includes the topics that matter most in infant and toddler rooms: safe sleep and SIDS prevention, and shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma.
The rule requires them of every staff member within the first 30 days, not only teachers assigned to infant rooms.
Do you have to register with OSSE's PDIS workforce registry?
Yes.
The rule requires each paid caregiving employee to register with and participate in OSSE's professional development information system (PDIS).
PDIS is DC's early childhood workforce registry, so it is a licensing requirement here rather than an optional professional profile, and it is separate from the criminal background check.
What changed in DC's teacher rules?
OSSE amended the staff qualification sections of Chapter 1 effective August 1, 2025.
The sections as amended carry the Teacher education routes described above, including the CDA route with its 4-year degree window extendable to 6 years, and the continuous service certification for Teachers, Assistant Teachers and Home Caregivers who held the role on December 20, 2023 and have served 10 years continuously.
A proposed rulemaking covering the rest of the chapter was published on the DC register, but our research did not confirm final changes to the training, ratio or fee sections — check OSSE's current rule text for those.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the District of Columbia 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 Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), Division of Early Learning publishes. For the rest of the picture in District of Columbia, see daycare director requirements in District of Columbia, early childhood education programs and scholarships in District of Columbia, and childcare teacher pay in District of Columbia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a CDA to work in a DC daycare?
In DC centers, it depends on the role.
Assistant Teachers can qualify with a CDA, 60 credits, an associate degree, or a high school diploma plus a CDA within 2 years of hire.
Lead Teachers need: an associate degree or higher in early childhood or a related major, another degree route with early childhood credits and supervised experience, or a CDA plus an associate or higher degree within 4 years of hire.
A continuous service certification waives the education requirements for Teachers and Assistant Teachers who held the role on December 20, 2023 and have served 10 continuous years.
How long does it take to become a Teacher in a DC child development center?
The CDA route sets the clearest timeline: you start on a CDA credential while enrolled in an associate or higher degree program and finish the degree within 4 years of hire.
OSSE can extend that to 6 years with continuous enrollment or an approved hardship.
Where a route needs supervised experience, the rule counts 1 year as 1,000 hours averaging at least 20 hours a week.
Do DC daycare teachers need CPR and first aid certification?
Yes.
The licensing rule requires every staff member at a licensed facility to hold current first aid and CPR certification appropriate to the ages the facility serves.
It is not a one-person-per-site rule either: at least 2 certified staff members must be on the premises at all times.
How often do you renew a childcare background check in DC?
The rule requires a criminal background check with fingerprints in an FBI-approved format before someone becomes a staff member, and again at least once every 3 years for employed staff.
A new hire may work while results are pending only if supervised at all times by a staff member with a qualifying check.
How many training hours do DC childcare staff need each year?
At least 21 hours of professional development a year for child development center staff.
The rule sets different annual minimums for home-based settings: 12 hours for Child Development Home caregivers and staff, and 15 hours for Expanded Home caregivers and staff.
More District of Columbia Resources
Sources
- DC child development facility licensing rule — staff qualifications and director requirements (DC Register) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- DC child development facility licensing rule — Teacher qualifications (DC Register) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- DC child development facility licensing rule — Assistant Teacher qualifications (DC Register) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- DC child development facility licensing rule — training and professional development (DC Register) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- DC child development facility licensing rule — staff health requirements (DC Register) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- DC child development facility licensing rule — first aid and CPR (DC Register) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- DC child development facility licensing rule — criminal background checks (DC Register) (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 Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), Division of Early Learning.