Is CPR Certification Required for Daycare Staff in Wisconsin?

The short version

If you operate or work in a Wisconsin certified child care program, you need department-approved infant/child CPR training. Separately, you now also need pediatric first aid training — a newer requirement with deadlines landing in late 2026. Both must produce a certificate of completion that you submit to your certification agency.

Who the requirement covers

Certified child care operators and caregivers approved to work in certified settings must complete the training. Substitute caregivers get a grace period — the pediatric first aid requirement does not apply until they have worked 240 hours.

Licensed group centers operate under a separate chapter of the administrative code, and center directors should confirm their specific licensing requirements with their licensing specialist. The practical outcome is usually the same: someone with current CPR training needs to be present with children.

How often you have to renew

This is where most providers get tripped up. The renewal clock is set by the certificate itself:

• If your CPR certificate carries an expiration date, renew by that date. American Heart Association cards are valid for two years.
• If your certificate has no expiration date, Wisconsin requires you to renew it every year.

That second rule is the reason a cheap certificate can end up costing more. A card with no expiration date puts you on an annual renewal cycle. A two-year AHA card puts you on a two-year cycle. Same class time, half the renewals.

Pediatric first aid is a one-time requirement — with a catch

Caregivers complete pediatric first aid once as initial training. Refresher courses are recommended but not mandated on a fixed cycle. Wisconsin accepts several formats, including an infant/child CPR course that has pediatric first aid built into it.

That last point matters for scheduling. If you take a combined course — like Pediatric First Aid, CPR & AED — you satisfy both requirements in one sitting instead of booking two separate trainings.

Does AED training count?

For certification purposes, AED instruction is not mandatory. Licensing requirements differ, and any center with an AED on the wall should have staff trained to use it regardless of what the minimum rule says. An AED that nobody is confident operating is decoration.

What to do about gaps

Certification workers verify current CPR status during reviews. If your card lapsed, get it renewed rather than waiting for the review — gaps may be handled with reasonable discretion depending on circumstances, but that is discretion, not a right.

Time spent on CPR renewal counts toward your continuing education requirements, so the hours are not lost.

Practical advice for center directors

• Track expiration dates in one place. A shared spreadsheet with every caregiver's card and expiry beats discovering a lapse mid-review.
• Stagger renewals. If your whole staff certified together, your whole staff expires together. Split renewals across the year.
• Train on site. Bringing an instructor to your center means no staff travel, no coverage gaps, and everyone certified the same day. Group training is usually cheaper per person than sending people out individually.
• Keep the paperwork. Documentation goes to your certification agency — scan cards the day they are issued.

Bottom line

Wisconsin requires infant/child CPR training for child care providers, pediatric first aid is now required alongside it, and the renewal cycle depends on whether your certificate has an expiration date. A two-year AHA card with pediatric first aid included is the cleanest way to cover both requirements with the fewest renewals.

Sources: Wisconsin DCF Child Care Certification Policy Manual, sections 4.10 (CPR Training) and 4.12 (Pediatric First-Aid).