DESE’s Office of Childhood provides online on-demand training for users to access 24/7. The DESE required training plus a few others are free and other trainings have a $5 fee. Please see MOPD Instructions on ‘Complete an E-Learning Course’ with the sponsor name ‘DESE OOC’ to find DESE courses.

• Users need to complete each course by December 31 of the current year registered. Courses may only be completed one time during the calendar year to receive clock hours.   
• DESE does not provide certificates showing completion. All training records will be in the MOPD system.
• Trainings must be completed one at a time. If an individual completes multiple trainings at a time, credit will be denied.
• Refer to the licensing rules directly regarding clock hour training for further requirements.
• All completed training must be on the MOPD System training report. Inspectors review these reports for compliance. 

• All early childhood professionals working at a licensed or subsidized program must obtain an MOPD Identification (ID) for tracking training. Learn more at the MOPD system website.
• Clock hour training must be approved by DESE’s Office of Childhood. All training found in the MOPD System has been approved by DESE. 
• Clock hours cannot be earned while in ratio with children.
• Online modules cannot be used for group training.
• Child care professionals in licensed child care facilities are required to receive 12 clock hours of training approved by DESE from January 1 to December 31 each year.
• Child care professionals in subsidized child care facilities are required to receive six clock hours of training approved by DESE each contract year. Contract years may differ for each program.
• New staff members or volunteers at licensed programs serving infants must complete infant safe sleep training within thirty days of being hired.
• New staff member or volunteer working in programs receiving subsidy must complete required training before they are given sole responsibility for the supervision of children.
• Child care owners/directors need to claim their organization in the MOPD System to access training reports for their staff.
• The MOPD System will automatically calculate clock hour compliance for those who work in licensed programs. If training hours were not completed in previous years, the system will automatically apply completed clock hours to previous years to reach compliance before applying clock hours to the current year.

Additional Clock Hour Options

The following are the only exceptions considered for clock hour credit that an individual may submit instead of the trainer issuing attendance. Please see the MOPD Instructions for submitting an ‘Individual Training Request’ and getting it reviewed for clock hours:

• College credit if the content relates to children. DESE provides a list of pre-approved child-related college courses.
• Trainings attended in-person outside of Missouri. DESE provides a list of Pre-Approved National Conferences/Trainings.
• School district staff may provide a school PD log for training completed.
• CDA or YDC certificates will count for 12 clock hours for the year it was awarded/renewed.

Trainer Information

• Trainers who wish to host training in Missouri should refer to the Trainer Essentials page to review the process of offering courses as clock hours. 

• The following national models are accepted for CPR/First Aid:
  • American Red Cross
  • American Heart Association
  • American Trauma Event Management (ATEM)
  • Emergency Care and Safety Institute
  • National Safety Council
  • ProTrainings
  • Health and Safety Institute (HSI)
• To receive clock hour credit for CPR and First Aid, the early childhood professional should find a CPR/First Aid trainer within the MOPD System.
• The child care professional must receive official certification from the approved model.   
• Online only CPR/First Aid is not allowed.   
• CPR/First Aid training must be conducted fully in-person or as a blended training that includes online learning with an in-person skills assessment. For blended training, only the in-person component is eligible for clock hour credit.  
• Early childhood professionals should upload their CPR/First Aid card in MOPD on their Education page for it to reflect on staff reports.
• CPR/First Aid trainers must upload their Instructor Certification in the MOPD System to train a course for clock hour credit.
• Clock hour credit will be awarded when the trainer completes the attendance for the training.
• If you cannot find a CPR/First Aid course near you in the MOPD System with the regular event search, you can reach out to a CPR/First Aid trainer in the trainer directory to request they come to your geographic region to teach a course. Full instructions are found in the MOPD Instructions under the topic ‘Search and Register for Training’, step 4.
• See more details on the MOPD system website. 

DESE’s Office of Childhood collaborates with stakeholders across the state to host the Conference on the Young Years each March. The conference was established in 1973 and provides high-quality keynote speakers, over 120 break-out session options, book signings, and networking with vendors over three days to offer at least 17 clock hours to Early Childhood Professionals.