Credential Exams & Requirements — INA and USNA
Version 1.0 · Last reviewed July 2026 · Review cadence: Monthly (issuer pages control)
Confirm this live card before relying on any number or rule below. This card changes on a Monthly (issuer pages control) cadence.
THE TWO CREDENTIAL EXAMS AT A GLANCE
INA Nanny Credential Exam: 75 multiple-choice questions · 75 minutes · 75% or better to pass · $100 per attempt, free for INA members · four assessment areas (Health & Safety, Child Development, Caring for Children & Their Environment, Professionalism).
USNA Professional Nanny Certification (PNCP): 200 multiple-choice questions · 80% or better to pass · two attempts · $299 certification fee · plus the eligibility prerequisites (age 21+, high-school diploma or GED, 50 training hours, 6,000 hours of paid experience, current CPR and First Aid, background check) and three-year renewal through continuing education.
Testing bodies can adjust a detail from one cycle to the next, so it is worth a quick glance at the INA (nanny.org) and USNA (usnanny.org) pages when you register, to confirm nothing has changed since this edition. The body of knowledge — the four assessment areas and everything beneath them — is what earns the credential, and that is stable.
The issuing organization’s current published requirements control. Verify before registering or applying.
Change Log
Every revision to any card is recorded here with its date, source, affected assets, and reviewer. Superseded cards are retired, never silently edited.
v1.0 — July 2026 — Initial release. All 24 cards extracted from The Professional Nanny Certification Companion, Volume 1 (edited edition of July 13, 2026), which carries the underlying source verification: 2025 AHA/AAP Guidelines for CPR & ECC; Poison Control button-battery guideline; CDC infant-feeding and milestone materials; AAP policies (safe sleep 2022, juice, media 5 Cs, EMS guidance); NIAID 2017; USDA DGA 2025–2030; FARE Emergency Care Plan 2023; StopBullying.gov; Child Welfare Information Gateway; US DOL FLSA fact sheets; IRS Publication 926 (2026); INA and USNA published requirements (accessed May 2026).