15-Hour SC Health and Safety Pre-Service Certificate and SC Continuing Education Services for Early Care and Education Professionals
On November 19, 2014, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 was signed into law. The law reauthorized the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program for the first time in 18 years and made expansive changes to protect the health and safety of children in child care, promote continuity of access to subsidies for low-income families, better inform parents and the general public about the child care choices available to them, and improve the overall quality of early learning and afterschool programs.
Training Requirements
As part of the new law, the State must have both pre-service (during an orientation period) and ongoing minimum health and safety training requirements in place for child care providers who serve children receiving CCDF assistance, the training must cover the following topics:
- Prevention and control of infectious diseases
- SIDS and the use of safe sleep practices
- Administration of medication
- Prevention of and response to food allergies
- Building and physical premises safety
- Prevention of shaken baby syndrome & abusive head trauma
- Emergency preparedness & response planning
- Storage of hazardous materials & bio-contaminants
- Precautions in transporting children
- First-aid and CPR
- Nutrition and physical activity
As of August 1, 2018 the SC Health and Safety Pre-Service Certificate will cover the topics listed above over 15 hours and thirteen courses. The SC 15–hour Health and Safety Pre-Service Certificate is required for ABC Quality/SC Voucher administrators and teachers, but available for all early care and education providers and staff.
Earn Continuing Education Credits
Upon completion of the SC 15-Hour Health and Safety Pre-Service Certificate, South Carolina is pleased to offer 12 hours of free Continuing Education to child care employees. These free courses are designed to help teachers, caregivers, and directors come closer to meeting the new SC licensing training requirements for 15 hours of annual training from at least three of the following areas: Child Guidance, Health and Safety, Nutrition, Special Needs, Professional Development, or Program Administration to include bloodborne pathogens training as required by OSHA. When planning when to complete your additional 12 hours of free Continuing Education training, please consider SC’s annual training cycle that begins each January. The 12 hours of free Continuing Education hours of training will be added to your account following completion of the SC 15-hour Health and Safety Pre-Service Certificate and will remain available for a period of 1 ½ years.
