Minnesota requires annual in‑service training, set by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Center directors and staff working more than 20 hrs/week need 24 hours per year; staff working 20 hrs or less need 12 hours. Family child care providers working 500+ hrs/year need 16 hours; those working fewer need a 1‑hour minimum. Physical and Intellectual Development training counts toward these hours — curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development are recognized qualifying categories. brightwheel is a confirmed Develop‑approved Training Sponsor Organization (TSO) and offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses that staff can complete on demand.
| Center director / staff >20 hrs/wk | 24 hours per calendar year |
| Center staff, 20 hrs/wk or less | 12 hours per calendar year |
| Family child care, 500+ hrs/yr | 16 hours per calendar year |
| Family child care, <500 hrs/yr | 1 hour minimum per calendar year |
| Physical and Intellectual Development maps to | curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development |
| Regulatory authority | Minnesota DCYF |
| brightwheel approved in Minnesota | ✓ Yes — accepted for Minnesota CE requirements |
| Auto‑posts to Minnesota Develop Registry | ✓ Yes — completed course hours post automatically to staff registry accounts |
| Physical and Intellectual Development courses in Minnesota | View brightwheel courses |
Family child care providers use a calendar‑year cycle (Jan 1–Dec 31), effective January 1, 2025. Orientation hours don’t count toward the in‑service total. brightwheel is a confirmed Develop‑approved Training Sponsor Organization (TSO), so completions post automatically.
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.
Minnesota Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements
Minnesota requires annual in‑service training, set by DCYF — from 1 hour to 24 hours per year depending on role and hours worked. Physical and Intellectual Development training counts toward these hours — curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development are recognized qualifying CE topics. brightwheel is a confirmed Develop‑approved Training Sponsor Organization (TSO) and offers IACET‑accredited courses aligned with the Physical and Intellectual Development competency area.
Staff 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 Minnesota 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:
Parent Aware and Physical and Intellectual Development
Parent Aware is Minnesota’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Staff professional development in CDA‑aligned competency areas is a core component of Parent Aware quality ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training earn higher ratings. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the professional development requirements recognized by Parent Aware, and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate staff training during program quality evaluations.
Parent Aware →How brightwheel connects to the Minnesota Develop Registry
Frequently asked questions
Other competency areas available in Minnesota
Meet Minnesota Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements with brightwheel
Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses accepted in Minnesota — with automatic tracking and Minnesota Develop 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.