Childcare CPR & first aid requirements

If you work in childcare in Maine — 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 Maine requires

Maine's Rules for the Licensing of Child Care Facilities (10-148 CMR ch. 32, § 12.1.3), overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child and Family Services, require at least one staff member currently certified in first aid and infant, child and adult CPR to be present at all times in each facility. That coverage must hold whenever children are in care.

Anaphylaxis and medication administration

Maine permits prescription and nonprescription medication only with written, signed and dated parental permission, and medicines must be stored completely out of children's reach at the proper temperature (10-148 CMR ch. 32, § 12). The rules do not single out epinephrine, so as a best practice a child's prescribed auto-injector should be kept readily available and staff should be trained to recognize anaphylaxis and act at once.

How our courses meet these requirements

A recognized, standards-based certification — online theory paired with a hands-on skills check — meets Maine’s requirement and keeps your team ready to act.

Don't wait for renewal day

In a choking, drowning or severe-allergy emergency, the caregiver on hand has only seconds before it becomes irreversible, and trained hands respond while untrained ones hesitate. Families trust that the adult with their child is ready for the worst moment. A recognized, standards-based certification — including blended online-and-in-person courses — keeps your facility staffed to the rule and ready in fact.