West Virginia requires licensed childcare staff to complete 15 hours per year of continuing education as a condition of state licensing. Families training counts toward these requirements — topics such as family engagement, cultural competence, and community partnerships are recognized qualifying categories under the West Virginia DHS Bureau for Children and Families continuing education requirements. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in West Virginia and offers IACET‑accredited Families courses that staff can complete on demand, with all completions tracked automatically in brightwheel.
| Annual CE hours (teachers) | 15 hours per training year |
| Training period | Annual |
| Families maps to | family engagement, cultural competence, and community partnerships |
| Regulatory authority | West Virginia DHS Bureau for Children and Families |
| brightwheel approved in West Virginia | ✓ Yes — accepted for West Virginia CE requirements |
| Training records | ✓ Tracked automatically in brightwheel dashboard |
| Families courses in West Virginia | View brightwheel courses |
About Families (CDA IV)
Families — CDA Competency Area IV — covers the knowledge and skills educators need to build positive, respectful, and collaborative relationships with the families they serve, honoring diversity in culture, language, and family structure.
Family engagement is one of the strongest predictors of children’s school readiness and long‑term outcomes. Early childhood educators who build genuine partnerships with families bridge the home‑school divide and give children a foundation of consistency and trust that extends well beyond the classroom.
West Virginia Families training requirements
West Virginia childcare staff must complete 15 hours of annual continuing education as a condition of maintaining a license from the West Virginia DHS Bureau for Children and Families. Families training counts toward these hours — family engagement, cultural competence, and community partnerships are recognized qualifying CE topics. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in West Virginia and offers IACET‑accredited courses aligned with the Families competency area.
Staff complete brightwheel’s Families 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 West Virginia licensing audits.
What Families training covers
brightwheel’s Families courses cover the knowledge and skills early childhood educators need to support children in this competency area. Topics include:
WV Tiered Reimbursement System and Families
West Virginia does not have an active QRIS. In its place, the state operates a Tiered Reimbursement System — a 3‑tier quality incentive administered by the WV Department of Human Resources Bureau for Children and Families. Tier I represents baseline licensing; Tier II requires 18 professional development hours per year per staff member, satisfactory Environment Rating Scale scores, and documented staff qualifications; Tier III requires NAEYC accreditation. WV STARS tracks and verifies training hours — brightwheel Professional Development hours can count toward Tier II annual training requirements when logged through WV STARS.
WV Tiered Reimbursement System →How brightwheel connects to the West Virginia training dashboard
Frequently asked questions
Other competency areas available in West Virginia
Meet West Virginia Families training requirements with brightwheel
Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Families courses accepted in West Virginia — with automatic tracking built in.
View full course roster