Indiana requires licensed childcare staff to complete 12 clock hours per year of continuing education as a condition of state licensing — the same floor applies to directors, teachers, and caregivers alike. Physical and Intellectual Development training counts toward these hours — curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development are recognized qualifying categories under the Indiana FSSA continuing education requirements. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Indiana and offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses that staff can complete on demand, with all completions tracked automatically in brightwheel.
| Annual CE hours (all staff, incl. directors) | 12 hours per training year |
| Training period | Annual |
| Physical and Intellectual Development maps to | curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development |
| Regulatory authority | Indiana FSSA |
| brightwheel approved in Indiana | ✓ Yes — accepted for Indiana CE requirements |
| Training records | ✓ Tracked automatically in brightwheel dashboard |
| Physical and Intellectual Development courses in Indiana | View brightwheel courses |
Some sources cite a “20‑hour” figure — that applies only to lead caregivers who don’t meet Indiana’s educational qualifications (12 base hours + 8 additional). Paths to QUALITY™ (PTQ), Indiana’s QRIS, separately requires 15 hours/year at Level 2 and 20 hours/year at Level 3 — those are QRIS requirements above the licensing floor, not the licensing requirement itself.
About Physical and Intellectual Development (CDA II)
Physical and Intellectual Development — CDA Competency Area II — covers the skills educators need to support children’s cognitive, language, and physical growth through intentional, developmentally appropriate learning experiences from birth through age 5.
The first five years represent the most rapid period of brain development in the human lifespan. Educators who understand how children build language, think, and develop physically are better equipped to design environments and interactions that accelerate school readiness and close developmental gaps early.
Indiana Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements
Indiana childcare staff must complete 12 clock hours of annual continuing education as a condition of maintaining a license from the Indiana FSSA — the same floor applies to directors, teachers, and caregivers alike. Physical and Intellectual Development training counts toward these hours — curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development are recognized qualifying CE topics. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Indiana and offers IACET‑accredited courses aligned with the Physical and Intellectual Development competency area.
Both teachers and directors can complete brightwheel’s Physical and Intellectual 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 Indiana licensing audits.
What Physical and Intellectual Development training covers
brightwheel’s Physical and Intellectual Development courses cover the knowledge and skills early childhood educators need to support children in this competency area. Topics include:
Paths to QUALITY and Physical and Intellectual Development
Paths to QUALITY is Indiana’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Staff professional development in CDA‑aligned competency areas is a core component of Paths to QUALITY quality ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training earn higher ratings. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the professional development requirements recognized by Paths to QUALITY, and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate staff training during program quality evaluations.
Paths to QUALITY →How brightwheel connects to the Indiana training dashboard
Frequently asked questions
Other competency areas available in Indiana
Meet Indiana Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements with brightwheel
Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses accepted in Indiana — 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.