San Diego is home to an enormous childcare community — from licensed home daycares to preschools, after-school programs, and youth organizations across the county. Whether you work at a licensed daycare, a school district or a youth program, one requirement comes up again and again: CPR and First Aid certification. CPR Heroes has trained staff at organizations across San Diego County, including the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Chula Vista Elementary School District, and San Diego Unified School District. If you're new to the field, or an employer trying to get your team compliant, here's what you actually need to know.
California's requirements, in plain language
Childcare licensing in California is regulated under Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, enforced by the Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division. For a facility to be licensed — whether it's a family child care home or a full childcare center — at least one person with current pediatric CPR and pediatric First Aid training must be on-site any time children are present, including during off-site activities like field trips.
To become a licensed provider, California also requires a minimum of 16 hours of training covering pediatric CPR, pediatric First Aid, and preventive health practices. This training must be renewed every two years, since CPR, first aid skills, and guidelines change over time.
An important distinction: EMSA-approved vs. AHA certification
Here's where things get a little more nuanced, and it's worth understanding before you sign up for a class. For the specific state licensing requirement (the training a facility's licensed provider or director must hold to legally operate), California's Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) requires a specialized, EMSA-approved Pediatric CPR and First Aid course.
CPR Heroes offers American Heart Association-certified CPR and First Aid training, including pediatric CPR and pediatric First Aid — the exact skill set most relevant to anyone working around infants and young children. This is the certification most widely recognized by employers, schools, and organizations for general staff requirements. If you're a teacher, daycare employee, after-school staff member, or program employee (rather than the facility's licensed provider of record), AHA pediatric certification is very often exactly what your employer is looking for.
If you're specifically the licensed provider or director responsible for your facility's state license, check with the Community Care Licensing Division or your employer to confirm whether your role requires the EMSA-approved pathway instead — CPR Heroes' AHA-based course is not a substitute for that specific requirement.
Why this matters beyond compliance
Requirements aside, this is a training that genuinely gets used. Young children are, by nature, curious and a little accident-prone: choking, falls, and breathing emergencies are simply part of working around kids, whether you're running a toddler room, coaching an after-school sports program, or supervising summer camp. Having real, hands-on CPR training isn't just a box to check for licensing; it's a skill that childcare professionals across San Diego rely on more often than most people realize.
Getting your team certified
CPR Heroes offers hands-on, American Heart Association-certified CPR and First Aid training, including pediatric CPR and pediatric First Aid, designed for exactly this audience. We've trained staff at organizations including the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Chula Vista Elementary School District, and San Diego Unified School District, along with daycare staff, preschool teachers, and after-school program employees throughout San Diego, Chula Vista, National City, Bonita, Eastlake, Imperial Beach, and Coronado. We offer on-site group training for organizations with 4 or more staff members, so your whole team can get certified together without everyone needing to travel or take time off separately.
