August 26, 2025 Early Childhood Educators Should Ensure Clearances, Mandated Reporter Training Updated for New School Year 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: Department of Human Services Child Abuse History Clearance Pennsylvania State Police Request for Criminal Records Check Federal Criminal History Record Information 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.
October 2, 2024 Mandated Reporter Training Offered for Free Through iLookOut Penn State College of Medicine is inviting teachers and other child care staff to complete their mandated reporter training for free through iLookOut. Learn More The mandated reporter training requirements can be completed at no cost through iLookOut’s online, interactive, and story-based training. It can be completed over multiple sessions on a smartphone, tablet, or computer. The training includes two parts: Mandated Reporter Training: a three-hour, interactive video-based storyline Advanced Training: a three-hour series of five- to 12-minute animated micro-learning exercises Training Benefits Those complete the trainings will be able to: Satisfy Act 31 mandated reporter training requirements and Act 126 requirements for Pennsylvania teachers Receive six hours of early childhood professional development credit from the PA Key Learn how to better support at-risk children and their families Help to determine the most effective way to prepare mandated reporters Receive a $15 gift card for completing both trainings and a follow-up quiz The training sessions can be completed on iLookOut’s website.
September 10, 2024 Early Childhood Educators Should Update Mandated Reporter Training for New School Year Early childhood educators looking to update mandated reporter training for the school year should visit iLookOut for new online courses. Update Mandated Reporter Training Educators are required to keep up to date with their required three hours of Act 31-mandated reporter training. The iLookOut for Child Abuse Project offers 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 their families 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. Participants can receive a $15 gift card for completing iLookOut’s mandated reporter training. About iLookOut 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. Part of Penn State College of Medicine’s Department of Humanities and Center for the Protection of Children, iLookOut engages learners through real-life scenarios that raise concerns about possible child abuse. Through video and narrative, interactive learning activities help participants acquire and operationalize knowledge to protect children from harm. For more information and to update mandate reporter training, visit iLookOut’s website.
May 6, 2024 iLookOut Enrolling for Free Mandated Reporter Training iLookOut’s enrollment is currently open for mandated reporter training. The iLookOut Core Training was designed to ensure that professionals can master basic information about how to identify signs of child abuse. Learn More iLookOut’s Core Training provides instructional activities along with various didactic exercises and resource handouts, requiring participants to master the learning objectives. iLookOut is a multimedia, online-learning program that prepares mandated reporters through evidence-based training to meet their professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities for identifying and reporting suspected child abuse. The iLookOut Training can be completed over multiple sessions on your smartphone, tablet, or computer, and has two parts: Mandated Reporter Training: interactive video-based storyline (three hours total) Advanced Training: 5-12-minute animated micro-learning exercises (three hours total) Those who participate in both trainings can: meet their required three hours of Act 31 mandated reporter training meet Act 126 requirements for PA teachers receive six hours of early childhood Professional Development credit from the PA Key receive a $15 gift card for completing the training sessions. During the course, they will learn about supporting at-risk children and their families. For more information, visit the iLookOut website.
