Tennessee requires licensed childcare staff to complete 12 hours per year for teachers and 18 hours per year for directors of continuing education as a condition of state licensing. Social and Emotional Development training counts toward these requirements — topics such as guidance and discipline, teacher‑child interaction, and social skills are recognized qualifying categories under the Tennessee DHS continuing education requirements. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Tennessee and offers IACET‑accredited Social and Emotional Development courses that staff can complete on demand, with all completions tracked automatically in brightwheel. brightwheel courses auto‑post completed hours directly to the Tennessee TNPAL Registry.
| Annual CE hours (teachers) | 12 hours per training year |
| Annual CE hours (directors) | 18 hours per training year |
| Training period | Annual |
| Social and Emotional Development maps to | guidance and discipline, teacher‑child interaction, and social skills |
| Regulatory authority | Tennessee DHS |
| Notes | TN DHS Report Card for Family and Group Child Care Homes (Authorization No. 345763, Feb 2019): Minimum Standards require Primary Educator = 18 clock hrs/yr; Educator = 12 clock hrs/yr. Source: Tennessee DHS childcare facility standards documentation. |
| brightwheel approved in Tennessee | ✓ Yes — accepted for Tennessee CE requirements |
| Auto‑posts to Tennessee TNPAL Registry | ✓ Yes — completed course hours post automatically to staff registry accounts |
| Social and Emotional Development courses in Tennessee | View brightwheel courses |
About Social and Emotional Development (CDA III)
Social and Emotional Development — CDA Competency Area III — is one of the eight foundational knowledge domains defined by the Council for Professional Recognition. It covers the skills and understanding educators need to nurture children’s emotional wellbeing, guide behavior constructively, build positive relationships, and create environments where every child feels secure, seen, and capable of growth.
The early years — birth through age 5 — are the most critical window for social‑emotional development. Children who develop strong self‑regulation, empathy, and relationship skills in these years enter school with a significant advantage in both learning readiness and behavioral adjustment.
Tennessee Social and Emotional Development training requirements
Tennessee childcare teachers must complete 12 hours of annual continuing education, and directors must complete 18 hours, as a condition of maintaining a license from the Tennessee DHS. Social and Emotional Development training counts toward these hours — guidance and discipline, teacher‑child interaction, and social skills are recognized qualifying CE topics. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Tennessee and offers IACET‑accredited courses aligned with the Social and Emotional Development competency area.
Both teachers and directors can complete brightwheel’s Social and Emotional Development courses on demand — each course is 1 hour, self‑paced, and includes an assessment with a certificate of completion. All completions are recorded automatically in the brightwheel administrator dashboard, making compliance documentation straightforward for Tennessee licensing audits.
What Social and Emotional Development training covers
brightwheel’s Social and Emotional Development courses cover the knowledge and skills early childhood educators need to support children in this competency area. Topics include:
Star-Quality Child Care Program and Social and Emotional Development
Star-Quality Child Care Program is Tennessee’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Staff professional development in CDA‑aligned competency areas is a core component of Star-Quality Child Care Program quality ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training earn higher ratings. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the professional development requirements recognized by Star-Quality Child Care Program, and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate staff training during program quality evaluations.
Star-Quality Child Care Program →How brightwheel connects to the Tennessee TNPAL Registry
Frequently asked questions
Other competency areas available in Tennessee
Meet Tennessee Social and Emotional Development training requirements with brightwheel
Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Social and Emotional Development courses accepted in Tennessee — with automatic tracking and Tennessee TNPAL 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.