Free Online Child Care Training Courses & Classes

The following is a non-exhaustive list of online childcare courses that you can take in order to obtain free training hours for child care providers.

Anne Arundel Community College

• The Parenting Center is one of several free childcare courses that includes topics like self-esteem in children, grandparenting and alternatives to spanking. Users may also locate additional links of interest through this site's general resources section.

Annenberg Learner

• Minds of Our Own access free childcare classes online through Annenberg Learner. This series has 3 videos, each about an hour long, that are part of the Private Universe Project and directed towards parents and teachers. It examines how children learn and looks at prior assumptions about student learning that may need to be reevaluated. Although the videos can all be watched online for free, print guides and a DVD presentation of these videos require a fee.
• The Whole Child: A Caregiver's Guide to the First 5 Years has 13 videos that are each about 30 minutes long and were filmed in preschools, child care centers and homes. Students can learn about children's development, along with developmental activities and methods for specific situations. The textbook and guides, along with the series DVD, may be bought through this website.

Early Years Careers

• Introduction to Child Psychology this is an eight hour introductory course that will help you understand child psychology as a caregiver.
• Attachment in the Early Years a six hour intermediate course on different adaptive and maladaptive attachment styles commonly found in children.
• Early Years Team Work and Leadership an eight hour course at the intermediate level, this course gives caregivers the tools that they will need to be part of a team taking care of young children.

The Johns Hopkins University

• Child Health and Development offers PDF lecture slides and MP3 recordings for the majority of the 14 lectures in this course. Students can access writing assignments and readings from a free PDF version of the textbook; however, an e-mail address is required.

OnGuardOnline.gov

• Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids about Being Online provides tools for adults to help children remain safe while online. The video may be viewed online or downloaded in several formats. PowerPoint slides are available for group presentations. Users may also download and print other articles related to the topic.

The Open University

• Exploring Children's Learning gives students instructional materials for this 20-hour, intermediate course including text with illustrations and links to readings. Learners will study 4 theories of child development: social learning, constructivism, behaviorism and social constructivism.
• The Role of Play in Children's Learning investigates the value of play and adults' roles in children's play in this intermediate course. Learning materials may be viewed online, printed or downloaded. Self-guided activities are included throughout the lessons.

Utah State University

• The Power of Positive Parenting accessing daycare classes online free is easy through Utah State University. This course is based on Dr. Glenn Latham's book of the same name. The 27 lessons of this course are available in video, audio and text and delve into topics such as proactive responses to behaviors, dealing with anger, alternatives to spanking, eliminating tantrums, toilet training and sibling rivalry.

Study.com's courses offer one of the most cost-efficient ways to pursue a degree or certificate program outside of enrolling in a college or university class. While the website doesn't offer courses specifically in child care, it does offer courses commonly found in related degree programs for teachers or child care providers.

Unlike most free online courses, which usually don't award academic credit to students who complete them, the Psychology 102: Educational Psychology course can be used to earn an alternative form of real college credit. Learning materials include free lesson transcripts as well as short video lessons and self-assessment quizzes available to registered members who pay a nominal fee. Chapters in this course include:

• History and Educational Aims - Find out how educational psychology is applied in the classroom and get an overview of the theories used to explain how people learn.
• Cognitive Perspective in Psychology - Explore the basic types of memories and discover their roles in organizing and processing new information. Examine problem solving strategies and tips for advancing students' creativity.
• Behavioral Perspective in Psychology - Watch examples of how classical and operant conditioning, reinforcement schedules and shaping can be used to modify behavior.
• Motivation in Learning - Learn how social-cognitive learning theory, attribution theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs explain behaviors related to motivation.
• Individual Differences in Children - Identify methods for measuring intelligence and the impact of factors like culture, parenting style and disability on student learning.

What Requirements Are There For Childcare Workers?

The requirements for childcare workers vary by state and also vary based on the specific work that a given worker is doing. Many positions that involve working with young children require a criminal background check, while some require training or certification. Be sure to look up the requirements where you live when preparing to work in child care.

Do I Need a Degree to Be a Childcare Worker?

A university degree is not typically required in order to work in childcare, though some positions may prefer post-secondary education. Those who do wish to get a degree can look into associate's or bachelor's degrees in fields like early childhood education, child psychology, special education, and more.