CE Broker supports a parent/child provider relationship for organizations that report course completions on behalf of other educational providers.
This setup is commonly used when one organization, such as an association, vendor, or centralized reporting partner, needs to submit course or completion data for multiple distinct provider accounts.
Please contact support to initiate this setup.
What is a parent provider?
A parent provider is the organization responsible for submitting XML files to CE Broker.
The parent provider has the XML upload credentials, including:
- Parent provider ID
- Upload key
When submitting XML, the parent provider’s information is included in the root XML tag so CE Broker knows which organization is sending the file.
What is a child provider?
A child provider is the educational provider whose courses or completions are being reported by the parent provider.
The child provider has its own CE Broker provider tracking number, beginning with 50-. When the parent submits completions for that child provider, the child provider’s ID is included inside the roster.
In other words:
- The parent provider sends the XML file.
- The child provider is the provider the completion is reported under.
- The completion is applied to the course and provider identified in the XML.
When should parent/child reporting be used?
Parent/child reporting should be used when one organization reports on behalf of another organization. For example, this may apply when a national association, accrediting body, or third-party system submits completions for multiple provider organizations.
If your organization is reporting only for its own courses under one provider account, a parent/child setup may not be needed. Parent/child reporting is intended for organizations reporting on behalf of distinct provider accounts.
Please note that child providers cannot report for themselves once the parent relationship has been established. Only the parent provider can report for the child provider.
Reporting course completions
Course completions are reported using a <rosters> XML file.
The root <rosters> tag identifies the organization submitting the file:
- id_parent_provider: the parent provider’s CE Broker provider tracking number, without the 50- prefix
- upload_key: the XML upload key provided by CE Broker
Inside each <roster>, include the provider and course information for the completions being reported.
Important fields include:
- <id_provider>: the CE Broker provider tracking number for the provider the course belongs to, without the 50- prefix
- <id_course>: the CE Broker course tracking number, without the 20- prefix
- <attendees>: the list of licensees who completed the course
- <date_completed>: the completion date, typically in MM/DD/YYYY format[3]
If reporting on behalf of a child provider, the <id_provider> value should be the child provider’s provider number, while id_parent_provider in the root tag should identify the parent provider submitting the file.
XML example: Parent provider reporting for a child provider
In this example:
- Parent provider: 50-12345
- Child provider: 50-8888
- Course: 20-900109
- Upload key: EXAMPLEKEY
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<rosters id_parent_provider="12345" upload_key="EXAMPLEKEY">
<roster>
<id_provider>8888</id_provider>
<id_course>900109</id_course>
<attendees>
<attendee>
<licensee_profession>RN</licensee_profession>
<license>11111</license>
<cebroker_state>FL</cebroker_state>
<first_name>Jane</first_name>
<last_name>Doe</last_name>
<date_completed>07/22/2026</date_completed>
</attendee>
<attendee>
<licensee_profession>RN</licensee_profession>
<license>22222</license>
<cebroker_state>FL</cebroker_state>
<first_name>John</first_name>
<last_name>Smith</last_name>
<date_completed>07/22/2026</date_completed>
</attendee>
</attendees>
</roster>
</rosters>
Key reminders
- The parent provider must be authorized to report for the child provider before submitting completions.
- Use the provider and course tracking numbers without the 50- or 20- prefixes.
- The parent provider’s ID and upload key go in the root <rosters> tag.
- The child provider’s ID goes in the <id_provider> field inside the roster.
- Courses must already exist in CE Broker before completions can be reported against them
- XML tag order and formatting are important for successful submissions.
Troubleshooting
If a file is rejected, review the following:
- Confirm the parent provider ID is correct.
- Confirm the upload key is active and entered correctly.
- Confirm the child provider ID is correct.
- Confirm the parent provider is authorized to report for that child provider.
- Confirm the course ID exists and belongs to the provider identified in the roster.
- Confirm all required attendee fields are included.
- Confirm the completion date is formatted correctly.
If the parent/child relationship is not configured correctly, the XML submission may be rejected or may not apply completions to the intended provider account.