California doesn’t have a single “X hours per year” licensing requirement. The most universal PD obligation is CDP renewal — 105 hours every 5 years — for credentialed teachers and directors. brightwheel courses qualify as Category 2 CDP renewal activities (staff development programs). No state pre‑approval of vendors is required; your individual professional growth advisor confirms eligibility. Completed hours can be tracked through the California ECE Workforce Registry.
| Primary PD obligation | CDP renewal — 105 hours per 5‑year permit term |
| Who must complete CDP renewal | Staff holding a California Child Development Permit (CDP) |
| brightwheel CDP category | Category 2 — Staff development programs |
| State pre‑approval of vendors | Not required — CTC does not maintain an approved vendor list |
| Advisor confirmation required | Yes — professional growth advisor confirms course eligibility per individual |
| Regulatory authority (credentialing) | California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) |
| Regulatory authority (facility licensing) | Title 22 (Community Care Licensing, CDSS) |
| brightwheel eligible for CDP renewal | ✓ Yes — Category 2 activities |
| Auto‑posts to CA ECE Registry | ✓ Yes (registry transitioning mid‑2026 — verify current status with your county) |
| Courses available in California | View courses across 8 CDA competency areas |
Browse courses by competency area in California
Each competency area maps to CDA standards and satisfies California’s continuing education requirements. Select a competency area to explore available courses.
Safe and Healthy Environment
Health and safety, nutrition, emergency preparedness, classroom setup
Physical and Intellectual Development
Child growth, developmental milestones, motor skills, cognition
Social and Emotional Development
Social-emotional learning, behavior guidance, relationships, inclusion
Families
Family communication, partnerships, cultural responsiveness
Program Management
Administrative operations, staff management, licensing compliance
Professionalism
Professional standards, ethics, advocacy, career development
Observation and Documentation
Observational methods, documentation, assessment tools, portfolios
Child Development
Cross-cutting child development principles across all domains
Quality Counts California and brightwheel
Quality Counts California (QCC) is California’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Professional development is a key component of QCC ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training in recognized competency areas earn higher quality ratings. brightwheel’s CDA‑aligned, IACET‑accredited courses support the Professional Development domain of QCC assessment, and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate compliance during QCC evaluations.
Quality Counts California →Frequently asked questions — California
State‑accepted professional development courses in brightwheel
Brightwheel offers expert‑led, IACET‑accredited PD courses that qualify for California CDP renewal — with automatic tracking and registry auto‑posting built in.
View full course roster
Accreditation: Brightwheel is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.