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 confidently and 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 training courses, each of which can help you build the skills necessary for providing high-quality care to infants and children. Our Babysitting Basics online course is targeted to those babysitting beginners, ages 11 and above that seek basic babysitting and child care knowledge. For a more comprehensive, in-person experience, our Babysitter’s Training course is available for ages 11-16. As a professional caregiver seeking state licensure, our Advanced Child Care Training course can help you gain (or refresh) your skills. 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 Red Cross makes babysitting training and certification fast, simple and easy. With our our digital certificates, you can access, print, share, and download your certificates anytime, anywhere. Each certificate includes a unique ID and QR code, meeting employment requirements and allowing employers to verify its validity. To access a valid certificate with student training information, visit https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/digital-certificate and enter the ID or scan the QR code.

Click here for instructions on accessing your certification online.