Participants may enroll in the same training multiple times. This may be because they want a refresher on the content, or to earn additional in-service hours or because the training is part of a required professional growth plan.

We want you to know that providers may participate in the same in-service training within the same 12-month period; however, in-service hours (STARS) will only be awarded for the initial training date. 

It is not your responsibility to track participants who take your training multiple times within the 12-month period. Providers are responsible for adhering to this policy (See Policy 305. In-Service Hours) and we will make sure to communicate this policy to them. 

We are also moving toward collecting annual training delivery data.

Right now, trainers are able to enter a three-year training delivery window for online and self-paced/correspondence training. During this three-year renewal cycle (2021-2024) we would like all trainers to enter their trainings into MERIT yearly.  

If your training entry is listed as an unscheduled training in MERIT, it must have a start and end date in the same calendar year (See Policy 406. Maintaining Records). Please make sure to adjust the training dates for your scheduled trainings.

DCYF will be conducting quality assurance checks for all trainings. The data will be used to inform training renewal for the next renewal cycle.