North Carolina requires annual ongoing training, set by the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), tiered by each staff member’s own education credential — from 5 hours (4‑year ECE degree) to 20 hours (no college credential, the most common bracket). Family child care operators require 16 hours. Physical and Intellectual Development training counts toward these hours — curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development are recognized qualifying categories. brightwheel Professional Development is accepted in North Carolina and offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses that staff can complete on demand, with all completions tracked automatically in brightwheel.
| 4‑year ECE degree | 5 hours per year |
| 2‑year ECE degree or NC Admin. Credential | 8 hours per year |
| ECE certificate/diploma or NCECC | 10 hours per year |
| 10+ years documented ECE experience | 15 hours per year |
| None of the above (most common bracket) | 20 hours per year |
| Family child care home operator | 16 hours per year |
| Physical and Intellectual Development maps to | curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development |
| Regulatory authority | North Carolina DHHS DCDEE |
| brightwheel approved in North Carolina | ✓ Yes — accepted for North Carolina CE requirements |
| Training records | ✓ Tracked automatically in brightwheel dashboard |
| Physical and Intellectual Development courses in North Carolina | View brightwheel courses |
North Carolina’s requirement isn’t teacher/director‑based — it’s tiered by each staff member’s own education credential, from 5 hours (4‑year degree) to 20 hours (no college credential; the most common bracket for entry‑level staff). Part‑time staff (<40 hrs/wk) may prorate. DCDEE WORKS does not accept in‑service training records from any external provider — brightwheel certificates are retained in staff files, not auto‑posted.
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.
North Carolina Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements
North Carolina’s training requirement is tiered by each staff member’s education credential, set by DCDEE — from 5 hours (4‑year ECE degree) to 20 hours (no college credential). 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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:
Pathways to the Stars and Physical and Intellectual Development
Pathways to the Stars is North Carolina’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Staff professional development in CDA‑aligned competency areas is a core component of Pathways to the Stars quality ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training earn higher ratings. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the professional development requirements recognized by Pathways to the Stars, and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate staff training during program quality evaluations.
Pathways to the Stars →How brightwheel connects to the North Carolina training dashboard
Frequently asked questions
Other competency areas available in North Carolina
Meet North Carolina Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements with brightwheel
Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses accepted in North Carolina — 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.