With the 2025-26 school year beginning, it’s time for educators to ensure that they are up-to-date on mandated reporter training and clearances.
Some resources to help with this include Pennsylvania’s page for clearances and background checks, the state’s Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s (OCDEL) announcement earlier this year on the Child Protective Services Law, and iLookOut, where they can find new online courses.
Clearances
Mandated reporter training is required every five years and is based on the date of an individual’s last certification. Under state law, public school employees are required to provide updated clearances every 60 months – or, five years.
The three clearances include:
Clearances must be obtained for employees of child care facilities, any individual with ownership interest in a certified child care facility and those who participate in the organization, any legal entity applying to open a new certified child care facility, or any individual residing in a certified child care facility.
More information on the background checks can be found on the state’s website.
OCDEL Announcement
Earlier this year, OCDEL Deputy Secretary Shante A. Brown sent out an announcement to inform certified child care providers of the requirements for child care facilities in the state and to clarify provision hiring requirements for those hired on or after Feb. 1.
Aside from clearances, the announcement covered the following mandated reporter training topics: the minimum number of hours, providing evidence of completion, and the timeframes for obtaining or renewing the training.
iLookOut
Lastly, early educators looking to update mandated reporter training should visit the iLookOut for Child Abuse Project, which provides online courses about protecting and supporting children and their families free of charge. Visitors to the site will learn how to support at-risk children and meet required training with interactive, video-based storyline training. The site includes eight- to 12-minute micro-learning exercises and is available to all Pennsylvania-mandated reporters.
iLookOut is a multimedia, online learning program that prepares mandated reporters to meet their professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities for identifying and reporting suspected child abuse. It engages learners through real-life scenarios incorporating video and narrative that raise concerns about possible child abuse.
