Arizona requires licensed childcare staff to complete annual continuing education, with the hours required depending on provider type. As of the August 2025 rule update, ADHS‑licensed child care centers must complete 24 hours per year (up from 18); group homes and DES‑certified family child care providers require 12 hours per year; DES‑contracted centers require 18 hours per year in health and safety topics, though the higher 24‑hour ADHS floor applies to centers holding both. brightwheel Professional Development courses are accepted toward Arizona’s continuing education requirements across all three tracks, and brightwheel courses auto‑post completed hours to the AZECWR Registry.
| Total CE hours | 24 hours per year |
| Cadence | Every 12 months from hire‑date anniversary, in at least 2 subject areas |
| Regulatory authority | Arizona DHS (ADHS) Bureau of Child Care Licensing |
| brightwheel approved | ✓ Yes |
| Auto‑posts to AZECWR | ✓ Yes |
| Total CE hours | 12 hours per year |
| Cadence | Every 12 months, health & safety training |
| Regulatory authority | ADHS‑licensed group homes / DES‑certified family child care |
| brightwheel approved | ✓ Yes |
| Auto‑posts to AZECWR | ✓ Yes |
| Total CE hours | 18 hours per year (per DES contract text) |
| Cadence | Every 12 months, in at least 2 health & safety subject areas |
| Regulatory authority | Arizona DES (Department of Economic Security) |
| brightwheel approved | ✓ Yes |
| Auto‑posts to AZECWR | ✓ Yes |
A center that is both ADHS‑licensed and DES‑contracted must meet both requirements at once. Since ADHS’s 24‑hour requirement is higher, it is the effective floor for those centers — DES’s contract language (18 hours) has not yet been updated to reflect the August 2025 ADHS increase.
| Courses available in Arizona | View courses across 8 CDA competency areas |
Browse courses by competency area in Arizona
Each competency area maps to CDA standards and satisfies Arizona’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 First and brightwheel
Quality First is Arizona’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Staff professional development in CDA‑aligned competency areas is a core component of Quality First quality ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training earn higher ratings. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the professional development requirements recognized by Quality First, and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate staff training during program quality evaluations.
Quality First →Frequently asked questions — Arizona
State‑accepted professional development courses in brightwheel
Brightwheel offers expert‑led, IACET‑accredited PD courses accepted in Arizona — with automatic tracking and AZECWR 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.