--- title: "Missouri ECE Professional Development Requirements" id: "20857" type: "page" slug: "missouri" published_at: "2026-05-22T04:01:31+00:00" modified_at: "2026-06-09T00:52:42+00:00" url: "https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/" markdown_url: "https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri.md" excerpt: "Missouri ECE professional development requirement summary Missouri requires licensed childcare staff to complete annual continuing education as a condition of maintaining their childcare facility license. The Missouri DESE Office of Childhood sets the training requirement at 12 hours per year..." taxonomy_language: - "English" --- [Brightwheel](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/) › [ECE Professional Development](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/) › [Missouri](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/) › Missouri ECE Professional Development Requirements # Missouri ECE Professional Development Requirements ## Missouri childcare staff must complete 12 hours of annual continuing education as a condition of state licensing. Missouri ECE professional development requirement summary Missouri requires licensed childcare staff to complete annual continuing education as a condition of maintaining their childcare facility license. The Missouri DESE Office of Childhood sets the training requirement at 12 hours per year for all licensed childcare staff. brightwheel Professional Development courses are accepted toward Missouri’s continuing education requirements, and staff completion is tracked automatically within brightwheel. brightwheel courses auto‑post completed hours to the Missouri MOPDS Registry. Missouri childcare training requirements at a glance | Annual CE hours (teachers) | 12 hours per training year | | --- | --- | | Training period | Annual | | Regulatory authority | Missouri DESE Office of Childhood | | brightwheel approved in Missouri | ✓ Yes — accepted for Missouri CE requirements | | Auto‑posts to Missouri MOPDS Registry | ✓ Yes — completed course hours post automatically to staff registry accounts | | Courses available in Missouri | View courses across 8 CDA competency areas | ## Browse courses by competency area in Missouri Each competency area maps to CDA standards and satisfies Missouri’s continuing education requirements. Select a competency area to explore available courses. [CDA ISafe and Healthy EnvironmentHealth and safety, nutrition, emergency preparedness, classroom setupView courses →](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/safe-healthy-environment/) [CDA IIPhysical and Intellectual DevelopmentChild growth, developmental milestones, motor skills, cognitionView courses →](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/physical-intellectual-development/) [CDA IIISocial and Emotional DevelopmentSocial-emotional learning, behavior guidance, relationships, inclusionView courses →](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/social-emotional-development/) [CDA IVFamiliesFamily communication, partnerships, cultural responsivenessView courses →](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/families/) [CDA VProgram ManagementAdministrative operations, staff management, licensing complianceView courses →](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/program-management/) [CDA VIProfessionalismProfessional standards, ethics, advocacy, career developmentView courses →](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/professionalism/) [CDA VIIObservation and DocumentationObservational methods, documentation, assessment tools, portfoliosView courses →](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/observation-documentation/) [CDA VIIIChild DevelopmentCross-cutting child development principles across all domainsView courses →](https://brightwhedev.wpengine.com/ece-professional-development/missouri/child-development/) ## Quality Assurance Report (QAR) and brightwheel Quality Assurance Report (QAR) Quality Assurance Report (QAR) is Missouri’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. Staff professional development in CDA‑aligned competency areas is a core component of Quality Assurance Report (QAR) quality ratings — programs that demonstrate ongoing staff training earn higher ratings. brightwheel’s IACET‑accredited courses align with the professional development requirements recognized by Quality Assurance Report (QAR), and the automatic tracking dashboard makes it straightforward to demonstrate staff training during program quality evaluations. [Quality Assurance Report (QAR) →](https://www.childcareaware.org/resources/state-by-state-resource-map/) ## Frequently asked questions — Missouri How many continuing education hours do childcare teachers need in Missouri? Missouri requires all licensed childcare staff to complete 12 hours of annual continuing education. Is brightwheel Professional Development accepted in Missouri? Yes. Brightwheel Professional Development is accepted for continuing education in Missouri. Courses are IACET‑accredited and align with CDA competency areas recognized by the Missouri DESE Office of Childhood. Staff complete courses on demand, and administrators track all completions automatically within brightwheel. Does brightwheel auto‑post completed hours to the Missouri registry? Yes. Brightwheel courses auto‑post completed hours directly to the Missouri MOPDS Registry. Staff add their registry ID once in their brightwheel Professional Development profile — every course completed after that is recorded automatically. What competency areas does brightwheel cover in Missouri? Brightwheel offers courses across all 8 CDA competency areas — Safe and Healthy Environments, Physical and Intellectual Development, Social and Emotional Development, Families, Program Management, Professionalism, Observation and Documentation, and Child Development. All competency areas are recognized by the Missouri DESE Office of Childhood for annual CE credit. How does brightwheel track training for Missouri compliance audits? When a staff member completes a brightwheel course, it is automatically recorded in their staff profile and in the administrator training dashboard. Administrators can generate training completion reports at any time — no spreadsheets or manual tracking required. ## State‑accepted professional development courses in brightwheel Brightwheel offers expert‑led, IACET‑accredited PD courses accepted in Missouri — with automatic tracking and Missouri MOPDS Registry auto‑posting built in. [View full course roster](https://info.brightwhedev.wpengine.com/professional-development-courses?state=missouri) [https://iacet.org/ap/140328/](https://iacet.org/ap/140328/) **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.