Frequently Asked Questions

Questions?  We have answers! Our FAQs are categorized by Individuals, Trainers, RBPD Specialists, and Training Sponsor Organizations.  Click the corresponding tab below to view the frequently asked questions for the category you are interested in.

Can’t find what you are looking for?  No problem. Contact us!

Individuals FAQs

A registry, sometimes called a “workforce registry,” is an information system that:

  • Recognizes professional achievements and commitment to continued growth.
  • Defines and identifies high-quality professional training opportunities.
  • Places individuals on a career level based upon verified educational information to provide a standard framework for professional growth.
  • Captures data to better understand the workforce.
  • Informs policymakers and partners.

Achieve, the Minnesota Center for Professional Development runs Minnesota’s Registry, and Develop is the Registry tool we use to do our work.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) uses verified aggregate data from Develop to learn more about the state of Early Childhood Education in Minnesota and make informed policy decisions. Don’t worry! Your Data Privacy is always a top priority for agencies using Develop. Aggregate Data is a summary or collected data that cannot be traced back to one person. When you have complete and accurate information verified in Develop, you help inform good policies and support increased compensation for the field.

Once you have an Individual Profile in Develop, you can apply for Individual Membership. It’s free, and you can apply directly from your Develop Individual Profile. Membership applications and documentation, like college transcripts, are reviewed and processed by us here at Achieve. A current Individual Membership may be required for some initiatives like Parent Aware, Regional grants, and REETAIN bonuses.

With an Individual Membership, you can do all the things you can with an Individual Profile plus …

  • Submit acceptable documentation to Achieve for verification of your:
    • Higher education degrees and coursework
    • Credentials, diplomas and other endorsements
    • Training hours taken outside of the Develop system
  • Be awarded a Career Lattice Step and issued a Career Lattice e-Certificate
  • Use your Career Lattice Step to explore Achieve MNCPD’s Virtual Career Guide
  • Apply for Trainer or Relationship Based Professional Development (RBPD) Membership approval (additional requirements apply)
  • Participate in Parent Aware and Child Care Aware of Minnesota grant and scholarship programs
  • Represent Minnesota’s early care and education professionals in national studies that benefit the early childhood and afterschool workforce.

The MN Career Lattice outlines twelve career steps those working in the Childhood Care and Education field can reach to move forward in their careers. It helps employers easily identify qualified candidates for open positions, and is used for Child Care Aware of Minnesota Grants and Scholarship Programs, as well as Parent Aware.

The steps on the MN Career Lattice begin with Foundational Awareness and end with a doctorate degree. If you do not have a high school diploma or GED, you can still become an Individual Member in Develop! However, you cannot earn a Career Lattice Step above Foundational Awareness.

View the Career Lattice to learn the requirements for each step, and check out Achieve’s Virtual Career Guide to learn how you can use your Step to advance your career in Early Childhood Care and Education!

Follow these steps to become a Develop member and earn a Career Lattice Step:

  • Step 1: Submit your Individual Membership Application online.
    Log in to your Develop Individual Profile to start your online application. Check out Develop’s Individual Membership Application Guide for step-by-step instructions (with pictures!) to guide you through the online application process.
  • Step 2: Send your documents to Achieve within 15 business days of your online application.
    Your Career Lattice step will be determined based on the Acceptable Documentation you send to Achieve. A document to verify your high school graduation date is required to earn a step above Foundational Awareness.
  • Step 3: Allow up to 6 weeks for your application and documents to be processed.
    All applications are processed in date order, and you can view what date we are working on by visiting www.mncpd.org. As Achieve finalizes your application, we will award your Career Lattice Step.

For more information, please visit our Individual Membership Companion Guide.

Individual Membership in Develop and your Career Lattice Step are valid for 1 year. After 1 year, your Individual Membership and Career Lattice Step will show as Expired. You will still have access to your Individual Profile and Learning Record, but you must submit a renewal application to continue to enjoy the additional benefits of Individual Membership.

Renewing your Individual Membership is quick, easy, and free! Develop will even send you reminder emails when it is time to renew.

See Achieve’s blog post, Why do you have to renew your Individual Membership every time you submit documents? to learn more about why you must renew your Individual Membership in Develop every time you need new training and/or education documents reviewed and entered on your profile.

Renewing your Individual Membership is quick, easy, and free! Develop will even send you reminder emails when it is time to renew. Your Individual Membership Application Process begins the same as your original application:

  • Step 1: Submit your Individual Membership Renewal Application online.
    Log in to your Develop Individual Profile to start your online application. Check out Develop’s Individual Membership Application Guide for step-by-step instructions (with pictures!) to guide you through the online application process.
    All your information will be saved from your initial application. All you need to do is update anything that has changed!
  • Step 2: Send any new documents to Achieve OR Select I have no documentation to submit.
    After
    you submit your Individual Membership renewal application online, you must complete one of the following steps within 15 business days:

    • Send Acceptable Documentation to Achieve
      OR
    • Select I have no documentation to submit and Confirm on your Develop profile.If you do not complete either of these two options, you will receive reminder emails from Develop to complete your application. After 15 business days, the Develop system will cancel your application submission due to inactivity.

*Remember* All your information was saved from your initial application. If you sent documents that were already verified by Achieve during your original membership application, do not send them again. See Achieve’s Blog, To Send or Not to Send, for more helpful tips!

For more information, please visit our Individual Membership Companion Guide.

Check out the Acceptable Documentation policy to learn exactly what kinds of documents Achieve can verify on your Individual Profile and Learning Record when you are a member in Develop. If you are applying to become a Trainer or RBPD Specialist, you may have special documentation requirements. See the Trainer Approval guide and/or RBPD endorsement requirements for more information.

Remember, you never need to send Achieve documentation of things that are already verified. See Achieve’s Blog, To Send or Not to Send, for more helpful tips!

You can send your documents to Achieve via email, mail, or fax. We strongly recommend sending documents electronically, via email or fax. Please note, Official Transcripts from an accredited college or university must be ordered from the school and sent directly to Achieve from the school or transcript clearinghouse. See the Acceptable Documentation Policy for more information.

Send documents to:

  • Email: support@mncpd.org
  • Mail: Achieve
    2908 Marketplace Dr. #103
    Fitchburg, WI 53719
  • Fax: 877-379-2467

Achieve will send you a confirmation email and leave a Staff Note on the Summary tab of your Develop Profile as soon as we check in your documents.

Remember, Achieve can only verify outside training and education on your Develop Profile and Learning Record during the Individual Membership Application Process. We advise you to take full advantage of your yearly membership! Hold on to any training documentation that is not verified electronically on your Individual Profile and Learning Record and send it all to Achieve once each year when it’s time to renew your membership. Need to renew your membership early? Sure! There is no penalty for that, but keep in mind your membership expiration date will change.

If you send documents to Achieve without submitting an application first, they will be kept on file to be processed with your next Individual Membership application or renewal, subject to the Document Retention Policy. Achieve will send you a confirmation email letting you know we have received your documents and your next steps to have them reviewed and verified.

You can choose NOT to send any documents with your Individual Membership application. You must indicate this choice on your Individual Develop Profile within 15 business days of submitting your application online. If you choose to submit your application without sending documents, your Career Lattice Step will be assigned using the information and documentation already on file for you.

Once you select this option, your application will move into process. To double-check that it went through properly, you can Return to your profile, and the Summary tab will show a message saying whether it has gone through, or if it still needs to you to confirm that you will not be sending any documents.

Your Career Lattice step is re-evaluated each time you renew your Individual Membership in Develop, based on the documents received with your application and anything we already have on file and verified for you.

View the Career Lattice to learn the requirements for each step, and check out Achieve’s Virtual Career Guide to learn how you can use your Step to advance your career in Early Childhood Care and Education!

Have a document that might increase your Career Lattice step and need to renew your membership early? Sure! There’s no penalty for that, but keep in mind your membership expiration date will change. See Achieve’s Individual Membership Companion Guide for more information.

Achieve does not determine Child Care Licensing requirements. Please contact your licensor with any questions related to their specific training requirements. The general number for Licensing is (651) 431-6500.

Please contact Parent Aware directly with any questions related to your Parent Aware rating or QDP (Quality Documentation Portfolio). They can be reached by email at support@parentaware.zendesk.com.

See Develop’s How to Print your Learning Record Guide for detailed instructions, with pictures! If you still have questions, contact the Develop Help Desk at support@develophelp.zendesk.com.

Every college and university registrar’s office has their own process for ordering official transcripts, and many charge a small processing fee. You can find information on the school’s website, or by contacting the Registrar’s office. Search the web for your school’s name and “order official transcripts” to find your school’s transcript ordering instructions quickly and easily, even if your school has closed!

Trainer FAQs

Trainer types are directly tied to the Career Lattice Step assessment based on your individual membership. The individual membership is also needed for trainers to meet renewal requirements.

Please review our current Trainer types and their requirements in the Trainer Membership Companion Guide.

Your trainer application will be completed within six weeks of receiving your application and documents. You can view the application date we are currently processing on our website.

Please follow these steps to submit your trainer application:

  • Log in to Develop as an individual.
  • Click Become a Trainer.
    • Click Apply.
  • Enter your information for each tab.
    • Click Save and Continue throughout the application.
  • Click Submit Application.
  • Send all documents needed for the Trainer Type you are applying for.

After we receive your documents it will take up to six weeks for us to process your trainer approval application.

Review our Trainer Membership Companion Guide for more information.

A future Training Event can be scheduled after your course is approved. To schedule a future Training Event, please:

  • Log in to your Develop account.
  • Click Training Entry on the left column.
  • Click the Courses tab.
  • Find the Course Status drop down menu and select Approved.
  • Click the Filter Courses button (all approved courses will show up below the search box).
  • Click the Course you’d like to create an event for.
  • Click Schedule Event.
  • Work through the event application and enter all information.
    • Save and click Submit.
    • Your event will be assigned an Event ID#.
    • It may take up to 3 days for your event to be approved.

*Make sure to get Develop ID#s from attendees at the Training Event. This will make entering attendance easier. 

Attendance must be entered within three days of the Training Event.

To enter attendance, please:

  • Log in to your Develop account.
  • Click Training Entry on the left column.
  • Click the Events tab.
  • Click the Event you need to enter attendees on.
  • Find the Manage Event drop down.
  • Select Manage Roster.
  • Locate: + Attendee to add an attendee.
  • Enter each attendee by Individual ID# or name.
  • Click Complete Registration.

RBPD Specialist FAQs

Review our current RBPD endorsements and their specific requirements, including and awarded Career Lattice Step before applying.

Please follow these steps to submit an RBPD Specialist application

  • Check to see that you meet the RBPD endorsement requirements, including and awarded Career Lattice Step before applying.
  • Log in to Develop as an individual.
  • On your Professional Profile Summary page, click the box next to Become an RBPD Specialist.
  • Click Apply/Renew.
  • Enter your information for each tab and click Save and Continue throughout the application.
  • Click Submit Application on the last page of the application.
  • Send us documentation specific to your selected endorsement to complete the application. Email, fax, or mail your documentation to Achieve.

Email: support@mncpd.org

Fax: (877) 379-2467

Mail: Achieve – The MN Center for Professional Development
          2908 Marketplace Drive, Suite 103
          Fitchburg, WI 53719

The RBPD Specialist approval process takes up to six weeks.

We will complete your RBPD Specialist application within six weeks of receiving your application documentation.

Please follow these steps to find an RBPD Specialist:

  • Log in to Develop as an individual.
  • Click Search for Training on the left column.
  • Click the Trainer Directory tab.
  • Click the RBPD Specialists tab. A search form will appear.
  • Search by name/ID, assessment, endorsements, county or keyword and click Search for RBPD Specialists.
  • Click on the resulting name for more information about each RBPD Specialist.

Yes, hours spent with an approved RBPD Specialist count as approved professional development hours. These hours can advance your Career Lattice step. However, hours classified as Technical Assistance will not advance your Career Lattice step.