What Are the Requirements to Be a Daycare Teacher in North Dakota?
To work as a daycare teacher in a licensed North Dakota center, you must be at least 14 — staff under 16 need written parental consent — and complete a department-approved basic child care course, orientation, and infant/pediatric CPR and pediatric first aid.
The lead-teacher-level role — the rule's supervisor — needs an associate degree in early childhood, a CDA or approved diploma, Montessori certification, or a high school diploma plus 1 year of child care experience.
Annual training runs 7 to 13 hours a year, and staff need a fingerprint-based criminal history check.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, under NDCC chapter 50-11.1 and Administrative Code chapters 75-03-08, 75-03-09 and 75-03-10.
The rule's supervisor role: an associate degree in early childhood, a CDA or an approved diploma, Montessori certification, or a high school diploma or equivalency with at least 1 year of experience in a child care or similar setting.
Staff may be as young as 14 — under age 16 with written parental consent — plus the basic child care course, CPR and first aid, orientation and prorated annual training.
A department-approved basic child care course within 90 days of employment, plus documented orientation during the first week.
7 to 13 department-approved hours a year by hours worked, plus 1 hour of safe sleep training before caring for infants and 1 hour of mandated reporter training.
Infant and pediatric CPR with AED and pediatric first aid, due within 90 days and before unsupervised access to children.
A fingerprint-based criminal history check — two fingerprint sets via BCI — valid five years, or less if you leave early childhood employment for more than 180 days; the department may charge up to $30 for the check.
Classroom roles in North Dakota, by the rule's own titles
- SupervisorRole
The lead-teacher-level role in the center chapter: an associate degree in early childhood, a CDA or an approved diploma, Montessori certification, or a high school diploma or high school equivalency with at least 1 year of experience in a child care or similar setting.
- Staff memberRole
The assistant-teacher-level baseline: at least 14 years old (under age 16, with written parental consent), plus the department-approved basic child care course, infant and pediatric CPR with AED plus pediatric first aid, first-week orientation and 7 to 13 training hours a year by hours worked.
Who licenses childcare centers in North Dakota?
North Dakota licenses early childhood programs through the Department of Health and Human Services under North Dakota Century Code chapter 50-11.1.
The administrative rules split by setting: chapter 75-03-08 covers family child care homes, chapter 75-03-09 covers group child care, and chapter 75-03-10 covers child care centers.
This page reads the center chapter from a teacher's side — what the rule asks of the people centers hire as daycare teachers, assistants and supervisors.
What qualifications does a lead teacher need in North Dakota?
North Dakota's center chapter calls its lead-teacher-level classroom role the supervisor, under North Dakota Administrative Code 75-03-10-11.1.
A supervisor must hold one of the following: an associate degree in early childhood; a CDA or an approved diploma; Montessori certification; or a high school diploma or high school equivalency with at least 1 year of experience in a child care or similar setting.
Supervisors also complete the department-approved basic child care course within 90 days and 13 hours of department-approved training a year.
Read each job posting for the qualifications the center that wrote it asks for.
“A high school diploma or high school equivalency with at least one year of experience in a child care or similar setting;”
What qualifications does an assistant teacher need in North Dakota?
North Dakota's center chapter does not set a separate assistant-teacher qualification in our research; an assistant teacher is a staff member under the chapter's general staff rule.
That baseline starts with age: staff may be as young as 14, with written parental consent required for each staff member under age 16.
The rest of the baseline is the department-approved basic child care course within 90 days of employment, documented orientation in the first week, infant and pediatric CPR with AED plus pediatric first aid, and 7 to 13 hours of department-approved training a year by hours worked — the sections below cover each piece.
Our research did not capture a separate education requirement, such as a diploma, for staff below the supervisor level; ask ND HHS Early Childhood Services about the current rule text before you assume either way.
“Shall be at least fourteen years of age, provided that each staff member under age sixteen has written parental consent for employment as a staff member”
What training do you need before you start?
North Dakota's early deadlines start in week one: staff must receive documented orientation during the first week of employment, covering emergency procedures, sanitation, children's special needs, program activities, policies and child abuse reporting laws.
The department-approved basic child care course is due within 90 days of employment.
Certification in infant and pediatric CPR with AED and in pediatric first aid is also due within those 90 days, and always before you have unsupervised access to children — the health and safety section below covers it in detail.
“Shall certify completion of a department-approved basic child care course within ninety days of employment;”
How many training hours do you need each year?
North Dakota prorates annual training by hours worked, under 75-03-10-12 as amended April 1, 2024.
Staff working 30 or more hours per week certify 13 hours of department-approved training a year, those at 20 to 30 hours certify 11 hours, those at 10 to 20 hours certify 9 hours, and staff working under 10 hours certify 7 hours.
Two additions sit on top: 1 hour of safe sleep training before you care for infants, and 1 hour of mandated reporter training.
“If working thirty or more hours per week, certify thirteen hours of department-approved training annually;”
CPR, first aid and health checks
Center staff must hold certification in infant and pediatric CPR with AED and in pediatric first aid.
The rule sets two deadlines at once: the certifications are due within 90 days of employment, and they must be in place before you have unsupervised access to children.
On medical checks, our research did not capture a staff health examination requirement in the center chapter; ask ND HHS Early Childhood Services what documentation, if any, your center needs before your first shift.
How does the North Dakota childcare background check work?
North Dakota requires fingerprint-based criminal history checks — two fingerprint sets through the BCI — for license applicants, staff and emergency designees, and for household members of home-based programs.
A check is valid for five years, after which the department requires another one, and it stops being valid if the person leaves early childhood employment for more than 180 days.
The department may charge up to $30 for the check.
Ask your center's director what to submit and when.
“a criminal history record check conducted under this section and subsection 3 of section 50-06-01.9 is valid for five years, after which the department shall require another criminal history record check.”
How old do you have to be to work in a North Dakota daycare?
The staff floor in North Dakota's center chapter is 14 years of age, and each staff member under age 16 needs written parental consent for employment (North Dakota Administrative Code 75-03-10-12).
The rule also requires compliance with child labor law.
Under the U.S. Department of Labor's federal child labor rules, hour limits apply to 14- and 15-year-olds, while 16- and 17-year-olds may be employed for unlimited hours; state law may differ.
Does North Dakota have an early childhood workforce registry?
Yes — North Dakota runs the Early Childhood Workforce Registry, formerly known as Growing Futures, for early childhood professionals.
The agency describes it as a free tool professionals can use if they want to, and registry membership places a person on a Career Pathway with categories B through J.
“The Early Childhood Workforce Registry, or the Registry, was previously known as Growing Futures.”
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the North Dakota 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 North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Early Childhood Services publishes. For the rest of the picture in North Dakota, see daycare director requirements in North Dakota, early childhood education programs and scholarships in North Dakota, and childcare teacher pay in North Dakota.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a CDA to work in a daycare in North Dakota?
Not for regular center staff.
The staff requirements our research captured in North Dakota Administrative Code 75-03-10-12 — the age minimum, the department-approved basic child care course, CPR and first aid, orientation and annual training — do not include a CDA.
A CDA is one route to the supervisor role, the chapter's lead-teacher-level title, alongside an associate degree in early childhood, Montessori certification, or a high school diploma plus 1 year of experience.
Can a 14- or 15-year-old work at a North Dakota daycare?
The rule allows center staff as young as 14.
A staff member under age 16 needs written parental consent for employment, and the rule requires compliance with child labor law.
Under federal child labor rules, hour limits apply to 14- and 15-year-olds, while 16- and 17-year-olds may work unlimited hours; state law may differ, so confirm the hours that apply to you before you accept a schedule.
How long is a North Dakota childcare background check valid?
Five years.
North Dakota requires fingerprint-based criminal history checks — two fingerprint sets through the BCI — for license applicants and center staff, and a check is valid for five years unless the person leaves early childhood employment for more than 180 days.
The department may charge up to $30 for the check.
Ask your center what to submit and when.
Does every North Dakota daycare teacher need CPR?
Center staff must certify in infant and pediatric CPR with AED and in pediatric first aid.
Both are due within 90 days of employment, and the certification must be in place before you have unsupervised access to children.
The CPR and first aid requirement sits alongside the department-approved basic child care course, which is also due within the first 90 days.
How many training hours do part-time North Dakota daycare teachers need?
Annual training is prorated by hours worked: staff at 10 to 20 hours per week certify 9 hours a year, and those working under 10 hours certify 7 hours, against 11 hours at 20 to 30 hours and 13 hours at 30 or more.
On top of the prorated total sit 1 hour of safe sleep training before caring for infants and 1 hour of mandated reporter training.
More North Dakota Resources
Sources
- North Dakota Century Code chapter 50-11.1 (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- North Dakota Administrative Code chapter 75-03-10 (child care centers) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- ND HHS Early Childhood Services — Early Childhood Workforce Registry (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- U.S. Department of Labor — Fact Sheet #43, Child Labor Non-Agriculture (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 North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Early Childhood Services.