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. Professionalism training counts toward these hours — professional development, ethics, and career advancement are recognized qualifying categories under the Indiana FSSA continuing education requirements. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Indiana and offers IACET‑accredited Professionalism 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 |
| Professionalism maps to | professional development, ethics, and career advancement |
| Regulatory authority | Indiana FSSA |
| brightwheel approved in Indiana | ✓ Yes — accepted for Indiana CE requirements |
| Training records | ✓ Tracked automatically in brightwheel dashboard |
| Professionalism 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 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.
Indiana Professionalism 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. Professionalism training counts toward these hours — professional development, ethics, and career advancement are recognized qualifying CE topics. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in Indiana 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 Indiana 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:
Paths to QUALITY and Professionalism
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 Professionalism training requirements with brightwheel
Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Professionalism 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.