Child Care Licensing & Red Cross Courses

Child care licensing is regulated at the state level, often requires on-site visits from inspectors, and typically requires candidates to meet a myriad of highly specific criteria. At the American Red Cross, we do not license facilities, nor is our certification intended to meet state child care licensing requirements. Instead, our child care certification courses can help provide you with a base of knowledge that allows you to responsibly care for children and infants inside and outside the home. If you're interested in becoming a state-licensed child care provider, please contact the licensing agency in your area.

Child Care Training

The American Red Cross offers three child care certification courses, each of which can you help build the skills necessary for providing high-quality care to infants and children when their parents cannot be with them.

Our Babysitting Basics course gives those ages 11 and older information on caring for kids in their neighborhood. And our Babysitter's Training course gives people ages 11 to 15 more in-depth instruction on babysitting and child care. As a professional caregiver seeking state licensure, our Advanced Child Care Training course can help you gain (or refresh) your skills. And although childcare licensing requirements differ by state, by reviewing and practicing the skills covered in the course we can help you prepare for the licensing procedure.

In the Advanced Child Care Training Course, you'll learn:

• Basic Care for Infants and Children
• Child Behavior and Discipline
• Age-Appropriate Activities
• Safety
• Professionalism
• Leadership

First Aid and CPR/AED Training

The childcare licensing agency in your state may require you to become certified in First Aid and CPR/AED. To help you achieve certification, we offer in-person and online safety training courses designed to give you the skills needed to help in times of crisis. Once successfully completed, you'll receive certification credentials for two years, and free access to our refresher materials throughout your certification period, which allows you to practice your skills on your schedule.

Certification Made Simple. Fast. Easy. Digital.

The American Red Cross makes babysitting training and certification fast, simple and easy. And with Red Cross Digital Certificates you'll get anytime, anywhere access to your certificates; plus the ability to print, share, and download them wherever and whenever you like. Digital certificates can be viewed, printed or shared online and can be accessed anytime through your Red Cross Account. Each certificate includes a unique ID and a QR code which meets employment requirements and allows employers to easily confirm your certificate is valid. Class participants and employers can visit https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/digital-certificate and enter the ID found on the digital certificate (or scan the QR code with a standard QR reader using a smart device) to access a copy of the valid certificate with student training information.

Click here for instructions on accessing your certification online.