Hawaii requires licensed childcare staff to complete annual continuing education as a condition of maintaining their childcare facility license. The Hawaii DHS sets the training requirement at 16 hours per year for all licensed childcare staff. brightwheel Professional Development courses are accepted toward Hawaii’s continuing education requirements, and staff completion is tracked automatically within brightwheel.
| Annual CE hours (teachers) | 16 hours per training year |
| Training period | Annual |
| Regulatory authority | Hawaii DHS |
| brightwheel approved in Hawaii | ✓ Yes — accepted for Hawaii CE requirements |
| Training records | ✓ Tracked automatically in brightwheel dashboard |
| Courses available in Hawaii | View courses across 8 CDA competency areas |
Browse courses by competency area in Hawaii
Each competency area maps to CDA standards and satisfies Hawaii’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
Hawaii QRIS Pilot and brightwheel
Hawaii does not currently operate an active statewide QRIS. Instead, it runs a limited QRIS Pilot launched in February 2012, covering licensed Family Child Care Homes, Group Child Centers, and Infant & Toddler Centers. The 3‑tier pilot is administered by the University of Hawaii Center on the Family and funded jointly by the Hawaii Department of Human Services and the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation. Professional development in CDA competency areas supports quality tier advancement within the pilot. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the training and competency standards recognized by the Hawaii QRIS Pilot.
Hawaii QRIS Pilot →Frequently asked questions — Hawaii
State‑accepted professional development courses in brightwheel
Brightwheel offers expert‑led, IACET‑accredited PD courses accepted in Hawaii — with automatic tracking built in.
View full course roster