Getting Started
What is an ACE provider and how do I find one?
Published April 8, 2026
If you're newer to the BCBA world (or you're an organization thinking about offering CEUs), the term "ACE provider" gets thrown around constantly without much explanation. I wrote this for the version of myself who first heard the acronym and had to piece together what it meant from a dozen different sources.
What is an ACE provider?
ACE stands for Authorized Continuing Education. An ACE provider is an individual or organization the BACB has authorized to issue Type 2 CEUs to BCBAs and BCaBAs. Every ACE provider has a unique provider number that must appear on the certificates they issue.
How do I find an ACE provider to earn CEUs from?
The BACB doesn't maintain a single public marketplace, but most BCBAs find ACE providers through a combination of: search engines, their professional networks, conferences, podcasts, and CEU marketplaces. The easiest path is usually to follow a few BCBAs whose work you respect and see who they recommend — the ABA CE world still runs largely on word-of-mouth.
How is an ACE provider different from a regular CE provider?
For BCBAs, the ACE designation is what makes the CEUs count toward BACB recertification. Other continuing education providers (in psychology, social work, etc.) may be excellent, but their certificates don't automatically count toward BCBA recertification unless they're also a BACB-authorized ACE provider.
Can an organization be an ACE provider, or only individuals?
Both. The BACB approves individual BCBAs as well as organizations. Organizations often have multiple instructors operating under a single ACE provider number, which is the model my own ACE provider account uses.
How do I become an ACE provider?
You apply directly through the BACB. The application covers your qualifications, your CE content plan, your assessment and evaluation methods, and your recordkeeping system. Once approved, you receive an ACE provider number and can begin issuing CEUs.
For BCBAs, the takeaway is simple: when you're shopping for CEUs, look for the ACE designation on the certificate. For organizations considering becoming a provider, the takeaway is also simple: the bar to entry is lower than it looks. What matters most is the quality of your content and the cleanliness of your recordkeeping.
About CEU Lab Certs
I'm an Org ACE Provider who spent years manually creating CEU certificates and stitching together clunky systems that weren't built for the BACB's changing requirements. I built CEU Lab Certs to be the tool I wished existed — BACB-compliant templates, shareable quiz links, automated certificate delivery, and audit-ready records in one place, so you can spend your time teaching instead of doing certificate admin on a Sunday.
Keep reading
How do small ABA practices become CEU providers without a big team?
You don't need an admin team to be a CEU provider. Solo BCBAs are launching ACE programs every week — here's the lean version.
How do I become a BACB-authorized ACE provider?
The path from "I want to issue CEUs" to "I have an ACE provider number" is shorter than most BCBAs realize.
How to create a CEU as a BCBA: a step-by-step guide
You don't need a PhD or a production team to design a great CEU. Here's the actual step-by-step process I use, with the BACB checks I run at each stage.