Written by Carin Mangimeli

A new Minnesota state law (9502.0315 to 9502.0445 see 245A.50 Sub d. 2.a.) established August 13, 2010 now requires at least one staff member in childcare facilities licensed by the state to have a current CPR certification to be at the facility at all times.  This means that at least one or more early childhood teachers, paraprofessionals or teacher’s aides must be trained in CPR. If the children leave the facility on a field trip or other facility sponsored event, a staff member trained in CPR must accompany the children.

The staff member must have completed the initial 4-6 hour CPR training within 90 days of the start of their employment in a daycare center, unless the training has been completed within the last three years elsewhere.  The training must be completed no less than every three years and must be documented in the staff member’s personnel records.

Most facilities should train at least two full-time employees in case of turnover or illness.

CPR certification can be obtained through local classes taught by American Heart certified instructors.  For a list of public classes visit our public calendar of classes at /minnesota/#public.

The state already requires every child care worker in a childcare facility licensed by the state to be certified in First Aid. First aid certifications include choking prevention and assistance, as well as the treatment of traumatic injuries.  However, though the State required staff members to attend training for a certain number of hours per year, that training could range from a variety of topics and CPR or First Aid was not required.

The new law is in the wake of several infant deaths at childcare facilities where workers did not have CPR training. The workers would have the training to help a choking child, but did not have training on how to resuscitate the child after the object was removed from the child’s mouth. A recent survey by the National Association of Resource and Referral Agencies reported at least 85% of parents mistakenly believe that ALL child care providers are trained in first aid and CPR.