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Recertification

Recertification FAQs – Click Here

It is your responsibility to seek out recertification prior to your expiry date. Watch your inbox for expiry reminders that are sent automatically beginning three months prior to expiry.

Allow several days at a minimum to complete the required application form, have the prerequisites verified, receive the invoice, submit payment, receive the exam, write the exam, and receive your welcome back email with updated certificate dates. If you are paying by cheque please allow ample time for the cheque to make it through your finance department and the mail. We do not release the exam – the last step in the recertification process – until we have received payment.

CPSAC certification is valid for three years. If you are unsure of your expiry date or have any other questions about this process, please view your membership details or contact the Registrar for assistance.

Click to view a larger PDF version of this recertification options flow chart.

Steps to Recertification:

Prerequisites/Eligibility:

  • To be eligible to recertify online you must complete at least two online updates, and confirm that you have either completed 15 documented seat checks, OR, complete 3 Peer Coaching Forms.
  • A recertification course (in-person, virtually, or a hybrid) is an option up to one year past original expiry date; fees/scheduling to be arranged as needed with an instructor. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Complete a recert form:

Submit payment:

  • The fee is a non-refundable application fee. You will be sent an invoice via email, and will be directed to submit an application payment of $50 to CPSAC. Please indicate to whom an invoice should be addressed (your name, an employer, etc). The Registration Team will send the invoice to you, and then you may forward on to whomever is paying it.  Payment may be submitted via PayPal or credit card here, via EMT to [email protected], or via cheque to the address on the invoice.

Access the manual and study:

  • The manual is available to CPSAC members at any time in the Technician Toolbox (log in and navigate to Members –> Toolbox). You may choose to retain the manual only as a PDF, or alternately you may choose to print it. We recommend you study.  The CPST training manual is for personal use only and is not for distribution in any manner (print or digital).

Write the exam:

  • Online exam access will be delivered via email.  The exam is 50 multiple choice questions, and is open book. 80% is required to pass.

Receive your certificate:

  • Your expiry date will be updated on your profile and you can access a new certificate.

Recertification After Expiry

Once the expiration date has been reached, the member has one (1) year within which they may recertify at a recertification course (in person, virtually, or a hybrid) (see Option 2 as described below).

From Policies:

Option 1:

  1. Completed two (2) different online technician updates within the last three (3) years.
  2. Must successfully complete the Recertification exam with a minimum mark of 80%.
  3. Complete one (1) of the following options: (a) Keep a minimum of fifteen (15) completed car seat check forms on file. These files must kept for four (4) years by the Technician. CPSAC may request these forms to be submitted via random audit, OR, (b) observed at three (3) car seat checks by a Technician, an Instructor, or an Instructor Trainer within the last three (3) years using the peer coaching form. CPSAC may request these forms to be submitted via random audit.
  4. Fee payment received by CPSAC Registration.

Option 2:

  1. Complete an in-person/virtual 3-4 hour Recertification course, which can include the one (1) hour to write the Recertification exam in requirement #3.
  2. Must successfully complete a practical examination (pass/fail) at one car seat clinic, supervised by an Instructor or Instructor Trainer within one month of Recertification course.
  3. Must successfully complete the Recertification exam with a minimum mark of 80%.
  4. Recertification Fee received by CPSAC Registration.

Once above requirements (either Option 1 or 2) are completed Technicians will receive a new certification as a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) which will expire three (3) years from date of completion or previous certification expiry date, whichever is later.

NOTE: Instructors, please see the Instructor Resources page for more information about delivering a recertification course (in-person, virtually, or a hybrid).

Instructor Certification

Information about instructor candidacy – becoming an instructor with CPSAC – can be found here.

Instructor Recertification

As of 1-Nov-2020 online recertification can not be completed after the certification expires. If you intend to recertify online do not let your certification lapse.

  1. Must be a member in “good standing”, with no outstanding disciplinary actions in process.
  2. Completion of the Instructor Recertification Form, Teaching Standards Agreement and submission of the application fee to CPSAC registration.
  3. Completion of two (2) different online technician updates within the last three (3) years.
  4. Completion of one (1) of the following options:
    1. A minimum of fifteen (15) completed car seat checks, documented on approved check forms which must be kept on file for four (4) years by the instructor. CPSAC may request these forms to be submitted via random audit; OR
    2. Observed at three (3) car seat checks by a technician, an instructor, or an instructor trainer within the last three (3) years using the Peer Coaching Form. CPSAC may request these forms to be submitted via random audit.
  5. Must have taught or co-taught a minimum of either:
    1. Two (2) Child Passenger Safety Technician courses* within the last three (3) years; OR
    2. One (1) Child Passenger Safety Technician course* AND two (2) in-person recertification courses within the last three (3) years.

*Not including initial instructor certification course.

Once above requirements are completed, instructors will receive certification as a Child Passenger Safety Technician-Instructor (CPST-I) which will expire three (3) years from the previous certification expiry date.

IT Certification

  1. Must be a member in “good standing”, with no outstanding disciplinary actions in process.
  2. Must have a minimum of one (1) year experience as a CPSAC instructor.
  3. Must have taught or co-taught a minimum of three (3) Child Passenger Safety Technician courses within the last three (3) years and attended a minimum of three (3) certification clinics;
  4. Completion of one (1) of the following options:
    1. A minimum of fifteen (15) completed car seat checks in the last three (3) years as a technician signed off by another instructor or instructor trainer, documented on approved check forms which must be kept on file for four (4) years by the instructor trainer candidate.
    2. Observed at three (3) car seat checks by a technician, an instructor, or an instructor trainer within the last three (3) years using the Peer Coaching Form.Successful completion of the Instructor Trainer Suitability and Experience Questionnaire via essay to be reviewed by the Instructor Trainer Review Panel. The panel will consist of two (2) instructors and at least one (1) IT, selected based on availability, while taking into consideration potential or real conflicts of interest, by the board of directors.
  5. Submission of the Teaching Standards Agreement and Instructor Trainer Application Form.
  6. Completion of one 30 minute phone interview conducted by the Instructor Trainer Review Panel.
  7. Submission of four professional references completing the Standard Reference Form: three must be from randomly selected technicians the instructor has taught or supervised at a clinic, and one from another instructor or instructor trainer the candidate has worked with in any capacity.
  8. Submission of one character reference using the Character Reference Form.

IT Recertification

As of 1-Nov-2020 online recertification can not be completed after the certification expires. If you intend to recertify online: do not let your certification lapse.

  1. Must be a member in “good standing”, with no outstanding disciplinary actions in process.
  2. Completion of one (1) Instructor Trainer update within the last three (3) years.
  3. Completion of two (2) different online technician updates within the last three (3) years.
  4. Must have taught or co-taught a minimum of:
    1. Three (3) Child Passenger Safety Technician courses within the last three (3) years;
    2. Must have supervised one instructor candidate in the last three (3) years;
  5. Completion of one (1) of the following options:
    1. A minimum of fifteen (15) completed car seat checks in the last three (3) years , documented on approved check forms which must be kept on file for four (4) years by the instructor trainer candidate.
    2. Observed at three (3) car seat checks by a technician, an instructor, or an instructor trainer within the last three (3) years using the Peer Coaching Form.
  6. Submission of the Teaching Standards Agreement and Instructor Trainer Recertification Form.
  7. Completion of one phone interview, lasting up to 30 minutes, with the IT Certification Coordinator.

Recertification FAQs for CPSTs


If your recertification question is not answered here, please send a note to [email protected]

The CPST certification cycle is three years. You can check the date in the member’s area of our website. Log in to your CPSAC account and navigate to Members → Your Membership, or Members → Certificate.

If you want to remain certified, it is your responsibility to recertify before your expiry date. Our website is set up to automatically email members to remind them of expiry. You will receive a reminder email 3, 2, and 1 months prior to expiry. You will receive another email to notify you when your certification has expired.

If your email address has changed please log in to your CPSAC account and update it so you receive the reminder emails. You can do this under Members → Member Settings → Edit your profile. Don’t forget to push ‘update’ once you’ve made any necessary changes.

Step-by-step recertification instructions can be found on this same page. Click here to jump straight to the relevant section.

You may recertify at any time; however, once you are within three months of your expiry date you may complete recertification without losing any time on your expiry anniversary. For example: if you expire on 1-Jun-2020, you may recertify as early as 1-Mar-2020 and your new expiry date would be 1-Jun-2023.

Online recertification must be complete prior to your expiry date. Do not let your certification lapse.

A recertification course (in person, virtual, or a hybrid) may be completed up to one year past the original expiration date. Please contact [email protected] for information.

If your certification has already expired: no. You are not currently a CPSAC member and are not certified to do child passenger safety work.

If you are recertifying in advance of your expiry date: yes. Proceed as usual. Ensure there is no gap between your expiry date and receiving confirmation of successful completion.

Recertify well in advance of your expiry date. You may begin up to three months prior to your expiry date and retain the same expiry anniversary.

In some circumstances it is possible to complete the recertification process very quickly. The Registration Team are volunteers and do their best to respond promptly to emails. You can expedite the process by ensuring prerequisites are complete, and after receipt of an invoice, submitting payment online via credit card or PayPal, or sending an EMT. Make sure to check your spam or junk folder for emails too!

If you are unable to complete your recertification prior to your expiry date then you must not represent yourself as a CPST or a member of CPSAC.

Recertification courses are arranged as needed directly with an instructor.

It is possible to break these hours up and they do not all have to happen on the same day. There is a $50 recertification application fee, in addition to any fee charged by the instructor for their time and expenses. For more information contact [email protected] for assistance.

In-person recertification courses:
  • 2-3 hours of classroom teaching and review
  • 1 hour to complete the recertification exam
  • 3+ hour car seat clinic which is your practical exam.
Virtual recertification courses:
  • Completion of online updates/pre-reading as assigned by the instructor
  • 2-3 hours of classroom teaching and review
  • 1 hour to complete the recertification exam
  • A series of virtual seat checks which is your practical exam.
Hybrid recertification courses:
  • Most often the review and exam are completed virtually and the seat checks/clinic are in person. This will be arranged directly with an instructor.

You, the CPSAC member, will be invoiced directly. If your employer or organization will be paying your fee for you, please let us know. We will create it, email it to you, and you can forward it to the appropriate individual for payment. There is a section on the recertification application form to indicate how the invoice should be addressed, i.e. the name on the invoice. 

For example, if your employer ABC Family Resource Centre will be paying your fee, we can address the invoice to ABC Family Resource Centre but we will send the invoice to you via email; it is your responsibility to send it to the appropriate person at work and have them submit the fee to us.

Please note: the $50 is an application fee and is not refundable.

The recertification application fee is $50.

It is not refundable, and is collected before the recertification exam can be written.

This application fee is in addition to any fees charged by the instructor for a recertification course. There are no additional fees for online recertification.

Wait until you get an invoice – do not submit payment in advance. Make sure to reference your invoice number on your payment. No invoice number may delay how quickly your recertification can proceed.

Payment may be submitted via cheque to our mailing address in Ottawa, as an EMT to [email protected], or with a credit card or PayPal at https://www.cpsac.org/payments/. Larger organizations may prefer to set up Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) to avoid mailing a cheque; please have your finance department contact us at [email protected] if this applies to you.

We can invoice you as one group; please designate one point person to coordinate and accept the invoice on behalf of your group. The prerequisites and exam must be completed individually.

Allow several days at a minimum to complete the required application form, have the prerequisites verified, receive the invoice, submit payment, receive the exam, write the exam, and receive your welcome back email with updated certificate dates. If you are paying by cheque please allow ample time for the cheque to make it through your finance department and the mail. We do not release the exam – the last step in the recertification process – until we have received payment.

No, the $50 fee is an application fee and is collected regardless of success. If you do not pass the exam online we can hold your fee and apply it to a recertification course taken within six months of your original expiry date. Although you may attend a recertification course up to one year past expiry, the fee may only be re-applied within six months. This application fee is in addition to fees charged by an instructor for a recertification course.

No, please do not send forms unless specifically asked. You will be asked to confirm that you have these documents and save them in case of an audit.