Classes & Coursework

Click here to view our Class Calendar and register for your classes online!

Child Care Aware^® of Eastern Kansas offers classes to assist you in meeting your licensing requirements and beyond. If you are new to the child care profession (staff or program), click here and select the "Starting a Child Care Business" tab. Required classes, additional information and helpful links can be found in this section.

Click on a title below for more information.

Click here to view our Class Calendar and register for your classes online!

Please note that classes are tailored for specific audiences. Please reference the following audience key when selecting a class.

Approved Audience Key:

All (A)
Directors (D)
Family Child Care (F)
Infant (I)
Toddler (T)
Licensing Surveyor or Regulatory Staff (L)
Preschool (P)
School-Age (S)
Youth (Y)
Other (O)
Appropriate for Parents (*)

Registration for professional development events occurring on a weekday ends at noon the business day prior to the scheduled class' date. Registration for professional development events occurring on a Saturday ends at 8 a.m. the Friday before the class is scheduled.

To view all of the Child Care Aware^® of Eastern Kansas professional development policies and a printable registration form, click here.

Following an update to CDC mask and distance guidance for those fully vaccinated, the following changes were made to address Child Care Aware® of Eastern Kansas in-person classes offerings:

Face coverings are encouraged.
Physical social distancing guidelines will remain in effect under the guidance of the CDC.
Unvaccinated class participants must continue to wear a face-covering during the duration of the class.
Fully vaccinated class participants may choose not to wear a face-covering.
Class sizes will be limited so that social distancing can be maintained.
If you are feeling unwell or exhibiting any signs and symptoms of COVID-19, you should stay home. Please leave a voice mail message to notify us of your absence prior to the start of the class so a refund or transfer can be issued. As a rule of thumb, when in doubt, please stay home.

This policy offers guidance to support in-person learning opportunities. Supplemental guidance will be updated and released as directed by the CDC. (Updated 7/6/21)

Our online courses are instructor-led, but allow for flexible schedules and participation within the course time frame. We use discussion boards, videos, images, self-evaluation tools and action plans to make our online learning fun and a great way to connect with other early childhood professionals without having to leave your home or office! Our classes usually run one week and award 3 hours of in-service credit. If you are new to online learning, don’t worry – we will help! Below is a list of some of the online classes we offer:

The Journey to Independence: Applying Child Development in Daily Practice
Teaching Critical Thinking Skills Through Loose Materials
Beyond the Book Nook: Creating a Literacy Rich Environment
Growing Engineers: How to Teach Beginning Engineering Concepts Through Block Play
Lesson Planning Made Easy
The Artful Room – Supporting and Displaying Children’s Art

Click here to visit our online Class Calendar to see which online classes are coming up!

Child Care Aware^® of Kansas Online Learning

Child Care Aware^® of Kansas offers affordable, self-paced online classes that you can begin at any time and access 24/7. A variety of classes are available – from 2-hour classes to 45-hour modules to renew your CDA, or even 120-hour modules to complete your first CDA (Child Development Associate). Classes are also available in Spanish!

To see class options and to register, click here.

Child Care Aware® of Kansas – Call 855-750-3343 or Click here to visit their training calendar.
Swim and Safety Instruction Institute (Northeast Kansas) – Instructor: Haley Prekopy. Click here to visit their Facebook page for more information and a place to request training and class registration. Contact through email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CPR & First Aid by Tina (Northeast Kansas) – Call 785-221-3609 for a class schedule.
Connect Care (Douglas County) – Click here to visit their website and to view the class schedule.
CPR 4 You LLC (Douglas County) – Click here to visit their website and to view the class schedule.
DCCCA (Douglas & Shawnee Counties) – Call 785-841-4138 for a class schedule.
Tanisha Troutt (Southeast Kansas) – Call 620-875-9360 for a class schedule.
Cynthia Bradley & Pershaun Hendricks (Topeka & Surrounding within 1 hour) – Call 785-580-3846 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
Lela Smith (Northeast Kansas) – Call 785-249-0677 for a class schedule. (CPR & First Aid instructor through EMS.)
LMH Health (Lawrence) – Call 785-505-5800 or visit lmh.org/wellness/events/ for more information and class schedule.
The B.E.S.T. Solutions - Kimberly Stewart (Northeast/North Central Kansas) – Call 785-363-0011 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Child Care Aware^® of Eastern Kansas does not endorse the above services.

The Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals in Kansas and Missouri detail what professionals who work with young children and families need to know and are able to do to provide quality early care and education. Click here to view a PDF of the latest edition of the Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals in Kansas and Missouri.

Inside, you will find an introduction that provides background information about what Core Competencies are and why they are important. Following the introduction are the competencies themselves. They are divided into eight content areas, colored coded in this document for easy use. Each of the eight areas contains five levels that range from the skills and knowledge an entry level professional needs to know, to the more advanced skills and knowledge possessed by someone with an advanced degree.

CDA
The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education (ECE) and is a key stepping stone on the path to career advancement. There are many benefits of earning the CDA including:

Advance your career.
Meet job requirements.
Reinforce your commitment to early childhood education.
Provide parents with peace of mind.
Understand developmentally appropriate practice.
Increase your confidence.

For more information about the CDA, go to www.cdacouncil.org.

Accreditation
Accreditation is a stamp of quality that means a program meets nationally recognized guidelines for high-quality early care and education. Child care centers may be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Family child care providers may be accredited through the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). School-age programs may be accredited through the Council of Accreditation (COA). For more information about the accreditation process, visit the links below:

Director Credential
The Kansas Early Childhood Director Credential, issued by the Kansas Association for the Education of Young Children (KSAEYC), provides directors with a pathway to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to be successful in the early learning industry. It also provides a system to recognize and document these achievements. For more information, click here.

College Coursework
View the Directory of Kansas Community Colleges Early Childhood Programs PDF for a list of colleges with early childhood programs. The directory contains each college’s contact information, program information, and more.