Final answer:
Child care providers must engage in continuing education annually after preservice training to maintain and enhance their skills, directly affecting the quality of early childhood education.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question refers to the minimum number of hours of continuing education a child care provider must receive annually after completing preservice training. While the specific number of hours is not provided in the question, it's important to note that this requirement is to ensure that child care providers keep their skills up to date and continue to learn about the best practices in early childhood education. Given the significance of the first school experience as a primary socialization agent for children, as mentioned by the U.S. Department of Education in 2004, it's clear that a child care provider's education directly impacts the quality of care and education that young children receive.