Rhode Island requires licensed childcare staff to complete annual continuing education, set by the RI Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Child Care Licensing. Centers and school‑age programs require 24 hours per year; family child care homes require 12 hours per year. Physical and Intellectual Development training counts toward these hours — curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development are recognized qualifying categories. brightwheel is formally CELP‑approved and offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses that staff can complete on demand, with approval codes on every completion certificate.
| Total CE hours | 24 hours per year (year‑round programs) |
| Cadence | 2 hours/month for partial‑year programs; substitutes: 12 hrs/yr flat |
| Physical and Intellectual Development maps to | curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development |
| Regulatory authority | RI Dept. of Human Services (DHS), Office of Child Care Licensing |
| brightwheel status | ✓ CELP‑approved — approval code on every certificate |
| Total CE hours | 12 hours per calendar year |
| Cadence | 1 hr/month for partial‑year; assistants/subs <20 hrs/wk: 6 hrs/yr |
| Physical and Intellectual Development maps to | curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development |
| Regulatory authority | RI Dept. of Human Services (DHS), Office of Child Care Licensing |
| brightwheel status | ✓ CELP‑approved — approval code on every certificate |
brightwheel is formally approved by CELP (the state’s PD approval hub) — not just accepted. Approval codes appear on every completion certificate and count toward the full required hours. brightwheel does not auto‑post to RISES; educators submit certificates through their CELP account.
| Physical and Intellectual Development courses in Rhode Island | View brightwheel courses |
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.
Rhode Island Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements
Rhode Island childcare staff must complete annual continuing education as a condition of maintaining a license from the RI Department of Human Services (DHS) — 24 hours per year for centers and school‑age programs, or 12 hours per year for family child care homes. Physical and Intellectual Development training counts toward these hours — curriculum development, cognitive development, and language development are recognized qualifying CE topics. brightwheel is formally CELP‑approved and offers 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 Rhode Island 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:
BrightStars and Physical and Intellectual Development
BrightStars is Rhode Island’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Staff professional development in CDA‑aligned competency areas is a core component of BrightStars quality ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training earn higher ratings. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the professional development requirements recognized by BrightStars, and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate staff training during program quality evaluations.
BrightStars →How brightwheel connects to the Rhode Island training dashboard
Frequently asked questions
Other competency areas available in Rhode Island
Meet Rhode Island Physical and Intellectual Development training requirements with brightwheel
Brightwheel offers IACET‑accredited Physical and Intellectual Development courses accepted in Rhode Island — 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.