Delaware · home health aide (HHA)

Home Health Aide Training in Delaware

How to become a home health aide in Delaware: the routes that qualify you, who regulates home health agencies in Delaware, pay, free training options, and all 19 state-approved CNA programs, since a CNA certification also qualifies you as a home health aide.

A home health aide caring for a client at home in Delaware
$16.50median hourly pay for Delaware home health and personal care aides
75 hrsminimum home health aide training under federal rules
19state-approved CNA programs listed below
11,820home health and personal care aides working in Delaware

Your route

Two ways to qualify as a home health aide in Delaware

Home health agencies in Delaware are licensed by the Delaware Division of Health Care Quality. Medicare and Medicaid agencies must use aides who completed one of the federally approved routes. These are the two most common.

Fastest route

Become a CNA first

CNA

  • Finish a state-approved CNA program (listed below) and pass the state exam.
  • Under federal rules, a CNA in good standing on the state registry qualifies as a home health aide for Medicare and Medicaid agencies.
  • It also lets you work in nursing homes, where Delaware CNAs earn a median $20.21 an hour.

Agency route

Home health aide training

75 hrs

  • At least 75 hours, including 16 hours of supervised hands-on practice.
  • Often run by home health agencies, which may train you if they hire you.
  • Then pass a competency evaluation given by a registered nurse.

Why we list CNA programs: under federal rules, a state-approved CNA program plus good standing on the Delaware nurse aide registry qualifies you as a home health aide. It’s the route that opens the most doors. See our Delaware CNA guide.

The steps

How to become a home health aide in Delaware

The general path for most new aides.

  1. Pick your routeCNA training if you want the most options, or a home health aide course through an agency.
  2. Complete the trainingAt least 75 hours with 16 hands-on, or your state’s CNA hours.
  3. Pass the evaluationA competency evaluation for aides, or the state CNA exam.
  4. Apply to agenciesAgencies check your training and, for CNAs, the state registry before you start.

Keep your hours up. Federal rules require at least 12 hours of in-service training a year, and if you go 24 months in a row without paid aide work, you must retrain.

Home health aide vs. CNA

Home health aide or CNA in Delaware?

The two jobs overlap, but the settings and pay differ.

Home health aideCNA
Where you workClients’ homes, through home health and hospice agenciesNursing homes and hospitals
Training75 hours federal minimum, or a CNA certificationState-approved CNA program
Official recordYour agency’s training and competency recordsThe Delaware nurse aide registry
Median pay (DE)$16.50 an hour*$20.21 an hour

*Federal pay data groups home health aides with personal care aides. About 11,820 of them work in Delaware.

Help paying

Free and funded training in Delaware

Ways to cover the cost of training.

Get hired first

Many home health agencies train aides they hire, and nursing homes that hire you can’t charge you for CNA training under federal rules.

Grants and Job Corps

  • Department of Labor Programs: Several programs on the list are Department of Labor programs. Delaware JobLink can pay for approved training if you're unemployed, laid off, or low-income. joblink.delaware.gov

Directory

State-approved CNA programs in Delaware

All 19 programs from our Delaware CNA guide. Finishing one, passing the exam, and staying in good standing on the state registry also qualifies you as a home health aide for Medicare and Medicaid agencies.

19 programs
ProgramCityCountyPhone
Bear Professional InstituteBearNew Castle(410) 800-1466
Coleman's CNA AcademyDoverKent(302) 553-3219
Complete Care at BrackenvilleHockessinNew Castle(302) 234-5420
Cora Career InstituteLaurelSussex(302) 715-5477
Dawn Career InstituteNewarkNew Castle(302) 273-3560
Delaware Skills Center Adult Education DivisionNew CastleNew Castle(302) 576-5096
Delaware Technical Community College Workforce Development: MilfordMilfordSussex(302) 422-1610
Delaware Technical Community College Workforce Development: OwensGeorgetownSussex(302) 259-6344
Delaware Technical Community College Workforce Development: Seaford Innovation CenterSeafordSussex(302) 259-6364
Delaware Technical Community College Workforce Development: StantonNewarkNew Castle(302) 283-3158
Delaware Technical Community College Workforce Development: TerryDoverKent(302) 857-1403
Delaware Technical Community College Workforce Development: WilmingtonWilmingtonNew Castle(302) 571-5300
Genesis Healthcare: Lofland Park CenterSeafordSussex(302) 628-3000
Maggie Career InstituteWilmingtonNew Castle(302) 660-7100
Poly Tech Adult Education DivisionWoodsideKent(302) 697-4545
Prestige Technical InstituteWilmingtonNew Castle(302) 533-7359
Stockley CenterGeorgetownSussex(302) 857-7500
Sussex Tech Adult Education DivisionGeorgetownSussex(302) 853-1492
Unity Career InstituteDoverKent(302) 670-8323

Tip: ask each program whether it also offers a home health aide add-on. For details, costs, and exam steps, see our Delaware CNA guide.

Delaware CNA trainingSteps, costs, and every approved program CNA classes near meSearch programs by ZIP code Caregiver pay by stateCNA and aide pay compared

FAQ

Delaware home health aide questions

Short answers to what people ask most.

Does Delaware certify home health aides?

Home health aides in Delaware work for home health agencies licensed by the Delaware Division of Health Care Quality. Medicare and Medicaid agencies must hire aides who meet the federal training and competency rules. Ask the agency you're applying to which credential it requires.

How do I become a home health aide in Delaware?

The two most common routes are completing a 75-hour home health aide training and competency evaluation, or becoming a CNA. Federal rules count a CNA in good standing on the Delaware nurse aide registry as a qualified home health aide.

How much do home health aides make in Delaware?

The median pay for home health and personal care aides in Delaware is $16.50 an hour, about $34,320 a year, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey. Delaware CNAs earn a median $20.21 an hour.

Can a CNA work as a home health aide?

Yes, for Medicare and Medicaid home health agencies, if the CNA completed a state-approved program and is listed in good standing on the state nurse aide registry.

Do home health aides need yearly training?

Yes. Federal rules require at least 12 hours of in-service training every 12 months for aides at Medicare and Medicaid agencies.

Sources: Delaware Division of Health Care Quality; our Delaware CNA guide (state-approved program list); 42 CFR 484.80, Home health aide services; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Last checked October 2026. See something out of date? Report a correction.