This guide provides information on how to determine from a training certificate whether the training is state-approved for licensing credit.

Generally, for a training to be accepted by DECAL for licensing credit, it must meet the following requirements:

1. The trainer must be approved and have a unique trainer code (TR-BFTS-###) OR
2. The organization must be approved and have a unique organization code (either AE-BFTS-## OR TR-ASO-###) AND
3. The training must be approved and have a unique training code (TG-BFTS-### OR TG-ASO-####)

Trainings offered as part of an approved conference are also accepted; approved conferences will have unique codes (C-BFTS-###).

In summary, you are looking for the following codes on a training certificate:

• TR-BFTS-### and TG-BFTS-###, OR
• TR-ASO-### and TG-ASO-###, OR
• C-BFTS-###, OR
• AE-BFTS-##*

*Effective April 2021, GaPDS launched a new approval process for training organizations. All Approved Entities (AEs) will be required to apply for Approved Sponsor Organization status in order to continue to offer training accepted for licensing credit. All AE designations will expire on December 31, 2021.
Certificates with AE codes should only be accepted if the training date is prior to January 1, 2022.

Georgia Training Approval does not approve CPR and First Aid trainings. The Bright from the Start rules and regulations for child care state the following concerning CPR and First Aid: "The first aid program must be done by certified or licensed health care professionals and must deal with the provision of emergency care to infants and children".

The certificate should provide enough information for the consultant to determine that the trainer and training were approved at the time of the training. We ask trainers to include the following information on their certificates:

• Title of training
• Trainer code (TR-BFTS-###)* AND Training code (TG-BFTS-###)* OR Approved Sponsor Organization code (TR-ASO-###)* AND Training code (TG-ASO-###)*
• Workforce Knowledge and Competency standard(s), approved for each training
• Number of approved clock hours
• Location of training
• Date of training
• Trainer’s signature
• Training expiration date
• A statement to the effect that the class is state-approved by Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

*Conference certificates only need a conference code (C-BFTS-###). Approved Entity certificates only need an approved entity code (AE-BFTS-###); the date on AE certificates must be prior to January 1, 2022 to be accepted.

To verify that a trainer and training are currently state-approved:

1. Go to the website gapds.decal.ga.gov.
2. Under the Trainings tab, select “Search Approved Trainings.”
3. Select one of the buttons to search by trainer, trainings, or conferences.
4. Enter search criteria in the fields provided to pull up a list of trainers, trainings, or conferences. The search results will show basic information about the trainers, the trainings, or conferences.
5. Click on the trainer name, or the name of the training or conference to pull up additional details.

If you have questions about the approval status of any training, contact Georgia Training Approval at 404-267-2760 or TrainingApproval@decal.ga.gov .

State-approved trainers are individuals who have been approved to provide clock hour training to child care professionals employed in Georgia's licensed child care learning centers and family child care learning homes. All state-approved trainers must be assigned a designation of Trainer I, Trainer II, Trainer III, or Specialty Trainer. Upon approval, trainers are also assigned an expiration date three or five years (depending on their designation) from the date of approval. Trainers must renew before this expiration date to maintain their state-approved status. Expired trainers may not provide stateapproved training.

Conferences approved by Georgia Training Approval will have a code of C-BFTS-###. No more than six (6) hours of state-approved training may be granted for a conference. Individual trainers and trainings  involved in the conference do not need to be approved; Georgia Training Approval grants approval status to the entirety of the conference, and approval status is represented by a valid conference code.

An Approved Entity (AE) is an organization that was reviewed and accepted by Georgia Training Approval to offer training for child care licensing credit to early care and learning professionals in Georgia. Approval status is represented by a valid Approved Entity code: AE-BFTS-###. All Approved Entity designations will expire December 31, 2021. Certificates with an AE code may be accepted only if the training date is prior to January 1, 2022.

An Approved Sponsor Organization (ASO) is an organization that has been reviewed and accepted by Georgia Training Approval to offer training for child care licensing credit to early care and learning professionals in Georgia. Training organizations may apply for the ASO designation in April 2021. Approval status will be represented by a valid Approved Sponsor Organization code: TR-ASO-###.

Workforce Knowledge and Competencies (WKCs) guide the development and delivery of quality professional learning opportunities for Georgia’s early learning and school age workforce. The WKCs answer the question, “What should early learning and school age professionals working with young children know and do?” There are competencies for the early learning and school age workforce as well as for administrators and directors. WKCs for early learning and school age professionals are designated on certificates by the prefix ECE, followed by a number representing the competency and standard addressed by the training: for example, ECE 1.4. A training may have been approved with multiple WKCs.

The competencies for administrators and directors are designated by the prefix ADM, followed by a number representing the competency area: for example, ADM 2. Click to review the competencies for Program Administrators. Again, trainings may address more than one competency. Trainings may also address both early learning and administrator competencies.