How to Start a CNA School in Delaware (2026 Guide)

Delaware is a small state with an outsized need for nurse aides. Sussex County has become one of the East Coast's fastest-growing retirement destinations, and long-term care operators from Wilmington to Rehoboth are competing for the same limited pool of CNAs. With only a modest roster of approved training programs statewide, a well-run new school here doesn't struggle to fill a classroom.

Two things make Delaware distinctive. First, the training bar is high: 150 hours, split by regulation into 75 classroom and 75 clinical — double the federal minimum. Second, you'll need two approvals: the Division of Health Care Quality (DHCQ, part of Delaware Health and Social Services) approves your CNA training program, and the Delaware Department of Education must separately issue you a certificate of approval as a private business and trade school. Plenty of founders discover the second requirement late and lose months.

We work with CNA and allied-health schools on daily operations — enrollment, records, payments, messaging — so we've watched this process from the founder's side many times. This guide covers the full path. One honest note up front: this is operational guidance, not legal advice. Verify everything with the agencies named here, because rules and fees change.

Quick Facts: CNA School Requirements in Delaware

Item	Delaware Requirement
Total training hours	150
Classroom/clinical split	75 classroom/lab + 75 clinical, fixed by the state
Credential issued	Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Approving agency	Division of Health Care Quality (DHCQ), Delaware Health and Social Services
Application	Program approval from DHCQ before operating; curriculum per Regulation 3220 + Appendix A
Second approval	Certificate of approval as a private business and trade school, Delaware Dept. of Education
Exam vendor	Prometric (written/oral + skills)
Registry	Delaware CNA Registry (managed by Prometric for DHCQ)
Typical time to approval	Roughly 4–8 months across both agencies
Instructor requirement	RN supervisor: 2 yrs experience incl. 1 yr in a nursing facility; ratios 24:1 classroom, 8:1 clinical/lab

Step 1 — Form Your Business Entity

You'll be forming your company in the corporate capital of America. Delaware entities file with the Delaware Division of Corporations; an LLC Certificate of Formation costs $110 (as of this writing — check current fees), and Delaware LLCs pay a $300 annual franchise tax every June 1. There's no annual report for LLCs, just the tax.

One step out-of-state founders often miss: every business operating in Delaware also needs a Delaware business license from the Division of Revenue, obtained through the state's One Stop portal. Some municipalities require a local business license on top of that — check your town or city.

Once formed, get your free EIN from the IRS and open a dedicated business bank account. Both DHCQ and the Department of Education will look at how professionally you operate; separated finances are the first signal.

Step 2 — Register for State Taxes

Delaware has no sales tax — but don't celebrate too early, because it has a gross receipts tax that applies to most businesses' revenue, including services. Rates vary by business category and there's a monthly exclusion, so have your accountant classify your school correctly with the Delaware Division of Revenue when you register through One Stop.

When you hire instructors, you'll need employer withholding with the Division of Revenue and an unemployment insurance account with the Delaware Department of Labor. Set both up before your first payroll.

Step 3 — Secure Your Location, Classroom, and Skills Lab

With 75 classroom/lab hours to deliver, your space needs to work hard: a classroom for theory plus a skills lab with at least one hospital bed, a mannequin, wheelchair and transfer equipment, hygiene supplies, vital-signs equipment, and handwashing access. Delaware's regulation requires students to master each skill competency, observed by the RN instructor, before performing it on a resident — so your lab is where certification actually happens, not a nice-to-have.

Mind the ratios when you size the room: Delaware caps classroom instruction at 24 students per instructor and lab/clinical at 8 students per instructor. A 20-seat classroom with an 8-station lab rotation is a realistic model. Check municipal zoning before signing a lease, and remember the Department of Education may conduct an on-site evaluation of your school as part of its certificate process.

Step 4 — Apply for State Program Approval (and the DOE Trade-School Certificate)

Delaware runs on two tracks, and you should work them in parallel.

Track one: DHCQ program approval. Delaware's CNA training rules live in 16 Del. Admin. Code Regulation 3220 (under DHSS's Division of Health Care Quality — formerly the Division of Long Term Care Residents Protection). The rule is blunt: program approval must be obtained from the Department before operating a CNA program. Your application package covers your curriculum mapped to the competencies in the regulation's Appendix A, your 75/75 hour schedule, RN supervisor and instructor credentials, clinical site agreements, and program policies (including student vaccination and TB testing requirements). A quirk worth knowing: the exact hour requirement is set by written order of the DHSS Secretary (currently 150 hours, never less than the federal floor), so confirm the current order when you apply. Questions go to DHCQ at (302) 421-7410.

Track two: Department of Education certificate. Under Title 14, Chapter 85 of the Delaware Code, private business and trade schools must hold a certificate of approval from the Delaware Department of Education — and if you offer more than one program (say, CNA plus phlebotomy), each program needs approval. Expect to submit your catalog, enrollment agreement, refund policy, financials, and possibly host an on-site evaluation (the Secretary of Education can waive the visit for schools accredited or comparably certified elsewhere). DOE's office for private business and trade schools can be reached at (302) 857-3313.

Neither approval substitutes for the other. The schools that open fastest prepare one master document set and file both applications the same month.

Step 5 — Hire a Qualified RN Supervisor and Instructors

Delaware's Regulation 3220 sets these bars:

• RN supervisor / program coordinator — a registered nurse with at least 2 years of experience, including 1 year in nursing facility services meeting federal skilled-nursing standards (work, supervision, or teaching in a Delaware licensed nursing facility counts). The RN develops lesson plans, evaluates instructor proficiency every six months, and owns regulatory compliance.
• All instructors — must have completed a Department-approved course in teaching adults, or have documented experience teaching adults in group settings (high school programs follow DOE teaching requirements instead).
• LPN instructors — allowed, but with limits: an LPN needs at least 3 years of experience and may assist with laboratory skills and teach during the clinical phase, under the RN's general supervision. LPNs can't run your classroom.

Collect license verifications, resumes, and adult-education documentation before you file — instructor files are the most common reason CNA program applications bounce in every state we work in, and Delaware's teaching-adults requirement is one many RNs haven't formally documented.

Step 6 — Build or Buy a State-Compliant Curriculum

Delaware fixes the structure for you: 150 hours, 75 classroom/lab and 75 clinical. Your curriculum must map to the competencies in Regulation 3220's Appendix A — communication, infection control, safety, personal care, restorative services, mental health and social needs, resident rights, and the rest of the OBRA content areas — with a skills checklist your RN signs off before any student touches a resident.

Build a curriculum grid that shows every Appendix A competency against specific lessons and hours. You can write your own or license a published curriculum, but either way plan for real adaptation work: a 75-hour classroom block is roughly double what a generic 75-hour-total curriculum assumes, and DHCQ will expect the depth to match.

Step 7 — Set Up Clinical Site Agreements

Your 75 clinical hours happen in a licensed nursing facility under your instructor's supervision, with students held to the 8:1 clinical ratio and never counted in the facility's staffing. Delaware's small geography is a double-edged sword: fewer facilities to court, but shorter drives and tighter relationships once you land one.

Get a written affiliation agreement covering student numbers, units and shifts, supervision, immunization/TB documentation, and liability insurance. Common snags: corporate legal review that drags for two months, and facilities that pause student rotations during survey windows or outbreaks. Line up a second site if you can — with 75 required clinical hours, losing your only site mid-cohort is a program-stopping event.

Step 8 — Understand Testing and the Delaware CNA Registry

Delaware contracts with Prometric to develop and administer the nurse aide competency exam and to manage the Delaware CNA Registry. Graduates take a written (or oral) knowledge test — 60 questions, 90 minutes — plus a clinical skills evaluation, registering through Prometric's Delaware portal. Passing both puts them on the registry.

Once established, ask Prometric about hosting testing at your facility — in-lab testing is a real advantage because students perform skills in the room where they learned them. And track first-time pass rates from cohort one: it's the number employers, students, and regulators all ask about, and in a state this small, reputation travels fast in both directions.

Step 9 — Set Up Enrollment, Payments, and Student Records

Between DHCQ and the Department of Education you're now maintaining enrollment agreements, attendance for 150 hours per student, skills checklists with RN sign-offs, immunization and TB records, grades, refunds, and completion records — with two agencies entitled to look at any of it. Most schools start on spreadsheets, Jotform, Square, and paper, and it collapses by the third cohort.

That's the problem Transition exists to solve: branded online enrollment, payment plans, attendance and grade tracking, e-signed enrollment agreements, automated onboarding emails and texts, and surveys — one system instead of five. When an evaluator asks for a student file, you pull it up in seconds.

Step 10 — Launch with a Local Marketing Plan

• Google Business Profile first. "CNA classes near me" is where students start. Claim it, add lab photos, and collect reviews from every cohort.
• Plug into the workforce system. The Delaware Department of Labor's Division of Employment & Training runs American Job Centers and lists eligible training providers on Delaware JobLink — get listed so WIOA-funded students can choose your program.
• Partner with employers. Sussex County's retirement-driven growth means assisted living and skilled nursing operators will pre-commit to interviewing your graduates. Your clinical site is your first hiring partner.
• Keep the website simple: schedule, total cost, pass rate, online enrollment link — then answer inquiries fast. In a small market, being the school that responds in five minutes is a durable advantage.

What It Really Costs

Realistic estimated ranges for a Delaware startup (all figures are estimates — verify current fees):

Line item	Estimated range
Entity formation + business license + registered agent	$300 – $700
Insurance (liability + professional)	$2,000 – $5,000/yr
Rent, deposit, build-out	$6,000 – $20,000
Skills lab equipment	$5,000 – $15,000
Curriculum (build or license, adapted to 150 hrs)	$500 – $5,000
Instructor payroll (pre-revenue)	$6,000 – $18,000
DOE trade-school application + DHCQ process	$1,000 – $4,000
Marketing at launch	$1,500 – $4,000
Bottom line	$22,000 – $70,000

Note the payroll line: a 150-hour program means roughly double the instructor hours per cohort of a 75-hour state. Price your tuition accordingly.

How Long It Takes

Plan on 4–8 months from entity formation to first class. The variance drivers in Delaware: the dual DHCQ + DOE approval tracks (run them in parallel), clinical site negotiation, and finding an RN supervisor with the required nursing-facility year plus documented adult-teaching preparation. Delaware's small agency staffs can be responsive, but incomplete applications go to the back of the line — file complete or don't file.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping the Department of Education certificate. DHCQ approval alone doesn't authorize you to operate a private business and trade school in Delaware.
• Underestimating the 150-hour build. Budgets and curricula imported from 75-hour states fall apart here — instructor payroll and schedule length are both roughly double.
• Ignoring the ratios — 24:1 classroom and 8:1 lab/clinical drive your room size, instructor hiring, and cohort economics. Design around them from day one.
• Hiring instructors without documented adult-teaching preparation. The teaching-adults requirement applies to all instructors, not just the RN supervisor.
• Forgetting the Division of Revenue business license and gross receipts tax — Delaware has no sales tax, but it does tax your receipts.
• Launching with paper records. Two agencies can evaluate you on-site; RN skills sign-offs and 150 hours of attendance per student need a system, not a binder.

FAQ

How much does it cost to start a CNA school in Delaware? Budget roughly $22,000–$70,000 to reach your first class. Delaware's formation costs are modest, but the 150-hour program length pushes instructor payroll higher than in 75-hour states.

Do I need to be a nurse to open a CNA school in Delaware? No. The owner needs no clinical license, but your program must be supervised by an RN with two years of experience including one year in a nursing facility, and every instructor needs documented adult-teaching preparation.

How many training hours does Delaware require? 150 hours — 75 classroom/lab and 75 clinical — set by written order of the DHSS Secretary and among the highest requirements on the East Coast. Confirm the current order with DHCQ when you apply.

Do I need both DHCQ approval and a Department of Education certificate? Yes, if you're a private school. DHCQ approves the CNA training program itself; the Delaware DOE certifies you as a private business and trade school under Title 14, Chapter 85 — and each additional program you offer needs its own approval.

Can CNA classes be online in Delaware? Portions of classroom theory may be deliverable remotely if DHCQ approves your program design that way, but skills must be mastered in person under RN observation before students touch a resident, and all 75 clinical hours are hands-on in a facility. Get your delivery format approved explicitly.

What exam do Delaware CNA students take? Prometric's two-part exam — a 60-question written (or oral) knowledge test and a clinical skills evaluation. Passing both places graduates on the Delaware CNA Registry, which Prometric manages for DHCQ.

How big can my classes be? Delaware caps ratios at 24 students per instructor in the classroom and 8 per instructor in lab and clinical settings — so a 24-student cohort needs three clinical groups or three instructors in rotation.

Disclaimer

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements, hour orders, and fees change — verify current details with the Division of Health Care Quality, the Delaware Department of Education, the Division of Corporations, and the Division of Revenue before making decisions.

The Paperwork Gets You Open. The Systems Keep You Open.

Once Delaware approves you, the daily work is enrollment, attendance, skills sign-offs, and staying evaluation-ready. See how Transition runs those operations for CNA schools like yours at jointransition.com.