Childcare CPR & first aid requirements
First Aid & CPR Vermont
If you work in childcare in Vermont — whether at a daycare, preschool, home-based care, or camp — first aid and CPR certification is not optional. It's a licensing requirement, and for good reason: children are among the most vulnerable to choking, allergic reactions, and injuries. Being prepared to respond can mean everything.
What Vermont requires
Vermont's Child Development Division, part of the Department for Children and Families, requires under licensing rule 7.1.2 that at least one staff member currently certified in pediatric first aid and in infant and child CPR be on the premises at all times children are present. Staff counted in the staff-to-child ratios must earn that certification within three months of starting work and keep it current from then on. The rule leaves no window uncovered: whenever children are in the building, a certified responder is there with them.
Anaphylaxis and medication administration
Vermont rule 5.6.11 requires prescription rescue medication such as epinephrine pens to be kept immediately accessible for emergencies — never locked away where seconds would be lost. Under rule 5.6.2, only staff who have completed a Division-approved training course may administer medication, and always with written parental permission. For a child with a life-threatening allergy, that means the epinephrine auto-injector is within reach and someone trained to use it is on hand every moment the child is in care.
How our courses meet these requirements
A recognized, standards-based certification — online theory paired with a hands-on skills check — meets Vermont’s requirement and keeps your team ready to act.
Don't wait for renewal day
Anaphylaxis and cardiac arrest in a child unfold in seconds, and Vermont's rules exist because the caregiver in the room is the one who has to act. Certification gives your staff the confidence to reach for the auto-injector or begin CPR without hesitation — and it gives parents the assurance that the people they trust most are genuinely ready. A recognized, standards-based course that blends online learning with a hands-on skills check meets Vermont's three-month deadline and keeps your program license-ready.