1. 1. A facility director is 21 years of age or older and provides the licensee with documentation of one of the following:

   1. a. At least 24 months of child care experience, a high school or high school equivalency diploma, and

      1. i. Six credit hours or more in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field from an accredited college or university; or
      2. ii. At least 60 actual hours of instruction, provided in conferences, seminars, lectures, or workshops in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field, and an additional 12 hours of instruction, provided in conferences, seminars, lectures, or workshops in the area of program administration, planning, development, or management;

   2. b. At least 18 months of child care experience; and

      1. i. An N.A.C., C.D.A., or C.C.P. credential; or
      2. ii. At least 24 credit hours from an accredited college or university, including at least six credit hours in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field;
   3. c. At least six months of child care experience and an associate degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field; or
   4. d. At least three months of child care experience and a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field;

2. 2. A facility director’s designee is 21 years of age or older and provides the licensee with documentation of one of the following:

   1. a. At least 12 months of child care experience, a high school or high school equivalency diploma; and

      1. i. Three credit hours or more in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field from an accredited college or university; or
      2. ii. At least 30 actual hours of instruction, provided in conferences, seminars, lectures, or workshops in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field;

   2. b. At least 12 months of child care experience; and

      1. i. An N.A.C., C.D.A., or C.C.P. credential; or

         ii At least 24 credit hours from an accredited college or university, including at least six credit hours in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field;

   3. c. At least six months of child care experience and an associate degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field; or
   4. d. At least three months of child care experience and a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field;

3. 3. A child educator is 18 years of age or older and provides the licensee with documentation of one of the following:

   1. a. Six months of child care experience if working with enrolled children five years old and younger, or three months of child care experience if working with school-aged children; and

      1. i. A high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma; or
      2. ii. At least 12 credit hours from an accredited college or university, including at least six credit hours in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field;
   2. b. Associate or bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field; or
   3. c. N.A.C., C.D.A., or C.C.P. credential;

4. 4. An assistant child educator is 16 years of age or older and provides the licensee with documentation of one of the following:

   1. a. Current and continuous enrollment in high school or a high school equivalency class;
   2. b. High school or high school equivalency diploma;
   3. c. Enrollment in vocational rehabilitation, as defined in A.R.S. § 23-501; or
   4. d. Employment or service as a volunteer in a licensed child care facility for 12 months;
5. 5. A child educator aide is 16 years of age or older;

6. 6. A student-aide provides the licensee with documentation of participation in:

   1. a. An educational, curriculum-based course in child development, parenting, or guidance counseling; or
   2. b. A vocational education or occupational development program; and
7. 7. A volunteer is 15 years of age or older.

A licensee shall ensure that staff members meet the following qualifications for employment or volunteer service at a facility:

Historical Note

Adopted effective December 12, 1986 (Supp. 86-6). Section repealed; new Section adopted effective October 17, 1997 (Supp. 97-4). R9-5-401(1)(a) has been corrected to reflect staff qualifications on file and as published in the 97-4 Code Supplement (04-4). Amended by exempt rulemaking at 16 A.A.R. 1564, effective September 30, 2010 (Supp. 10-3). Amended by final rulemaking at 31 A.A.R. 2015 (June 27, 2025), effective August 3, 2025 (Supp. 25-2).