Vermont requires licensed childcare staff to complete 12 hours per year for teachers and 14 hours per year for directors of continuing education as a condition of state licensing. Professionalism training counts toward these requirements — topics such as professional development, ethics, and career advancement are recognized qualifying categories under the Vermont AHS DCF CDD continuing education requirements. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Vermont and offers IACET‑accredited Professionalism courses that staff can complete on demand, with all completions tracked automatically in brightwheel.
| Annual CE hours (teachers) | 12 hours per training year |
| Annual CE hours (directors) | 14 hours per training year |
| Training period | Annual |
| Professionalism maps to | professional development, ethics, and career advancement |
| Regulatory authority | Vermont AHS DCF CDD |
| brightwheel approved in Vermont | ✓ Yes — accepted for Vermont CE requirements |
| Training records | ✓ Tracked automatically in brightwheel dashboard |
| Professionalism courses in Vermont | View brightwheel courses |
About Professionalism (CDA VI)
Professionalism — CDA Competency Area VI — covers the dispositions, ethical standards, and professional practices that characterize skilled, reflective early childhood practitioners who are committed to the field and to continuous growth.
Early childhood education is a demanding profession with high turnover and competing pressures. Professionalism training gives educators the ethical framework, reflective skills, and career perspective they need to build sustainable, meaningful careers — benefiting themselves, their teams, and the children and families they serve.
Vermont Professionalism training requirements
Vermont childcare teachers must complete 12 hours of annual continuing education, and directors must complete 14 hours, as a condition of maintaining a license from the Vermont AHS DCF CDD. Professionalism training counts toward these hours — professional development, ethics, and career advancement are recognized qualifying CE topics. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Vermont and offers IACET‑accredited courses aligned with the Professionalism competency area.
Both teachers and directors can complete brightwheel’s Professionalism 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 Vermont licensing audits.
What Professionalism training covers
brightwheel’s Professionalism courses cover the knowledge and skills early childhood educators need to support children in this competency area. Topics include:
STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS) and Professionalism
STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS) is Vermont’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Staff professional development in CDA‑aligned competency areas is a core component of STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS) quality ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training earn higher ratings. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the professional development requirements recognized by STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS), and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate staff training during program quality evaluations.
STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS) →How brightwheel connects to the Vermont training dashboard
Frequently asked questions
Other competency areas available in Vermont
Meet Vermont Professionalism training requirements with brightwheel
Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Professionalism courses accepted in Vermont — with automatic tracking 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.