Close
Search
Close this search box.
  • Home
  • /
  • Family, Friends and Neighbors Training (FFN)

Family, Friends and Neighbors Training (FFN)

The Imagine Institute has training offerings available in-person and virtual live online. We have restructured bonuses to make them easier than ever to access.

Classes are available in-person and online—live and instructor-led virtual trainings (not pre-recorded). Participants must attend and complete the entire session(s) in order to receive STARS hours and cash bonuses.

 

Earn a maximum of $1,000 for this fiscal year (July 2023 – June 2024).

All our Family, Friends, and Neighbors training is either developed by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families or by the Imagine Institute and reviewed by our curriculum committee to make sure it supports our mission to be “relevant, respectful, and responsive.”

Eligibility

Training Application & Completion Process

Available Online Courses

Child Care Basics

3-Day Online Course

Child Care Basics + $750 Bonus

This 30-hour online course is required of all child care lead teachers, program supervisors, and directors in Washington State. Topics include the basic core knowledge of childhood development, guidance and behavior, health, and safety. The Imagine Institute is the primary organization training Family, Friends, and Neighbors providers in Child Care Basics.

 

All classes are online from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You must complete all three days of training to receive your $750 bonus.

In-Person 1-Day Course

First Aid/CPR/Bloodborne Pathogens Training + $250

This 5.5-hour training covers life-saving health and safety practices for adults, children and infants.

 

5.5-hour in-person class + $250 bonus.

1-Day Online Course

The Great Outdoors + $250 Bonus

Come examine the health and learning benefits for children playing outdoors, and discover new ways to make the most of the outdoor environment. Discuss the components of teaching outdoor learning to young children in a mixed-age environment with a focus on hands-on discovery learning. This class emphasizes the importance of safety and ways to lower risk in exploring the outdoors with children.

 

5-hour online class + $250 bonus.

1-Day Online Course

Reading is Fundamental + $250 Bonus

This curriculum is designed to offer ways to magnify children’s learning through reading. This 5-hour training is divided into three main parts that will identify reading techniques and utilize role play to explain ideas and concepts. Participants will learn ways to help children foster enthusiasm for reading.

 

5-hour online class + $250 bonus.

Anti-Racist Early Childhood Education

This training series is a sample of our innovative PREPARE for Care program, which provides an anti-racist and trauma-informed framework for early childhood educators aimed at mitigating the impacts of racism on children and increasing kindergarten readiness. This series is four of PREPARE’s 10 modules of anti-racist and trauma informed content designed specifically for an ECE audience.

 

Each module is $250 cash bonus.

You may complete any or all Anti-Racist ECE modules but must register for each one separately.

1-Day Training

Module 1: The Healing Relationship

Relationships are the center of all children’s early learning and development, especially for children who have experienced trauma. Supporting healthy relationships with children and their families is the child care provider’s most important role. Child care providers can develop their ability to build not only healthy relationships, but truly healing relationships. In this module, participants will explore essential foundations in relationship-building and practice three relationship-building tools that can help. Following the module, participants will be able to explain and apply these tools and discuss how they are important in their work.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

1-Day Training

Module 2: Trauma and Vicarious Trauma

Providers will begin to understand the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) on developing children and how to recognize and identify the impacts of childhood trauma.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

1-Day Training

Module 3: The Invention of Whiteness

Children begin perceiving attitudes about their racial, cultural, and ethnic identities from the world around them at a very early age. These forces can leave enduring marks on their senses of self and self-esteem, impacting their development and ability to thrive. Early childhood educators can help build safe and affirming spaces for children to grow and learn in order to counteract the toxic effects of racism. Participants will gain a better understanding of structural racism, race, and whiteness, and learn how to shift their personal perspective on race in order to support children’s healthy development.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

2-Day Training

Module 3: The Invention of Whiteness

Children begin perceiving attitudes about their racial, cultural, and ethnic identities from the world around them at a very early age. These forces can leave enduring marks on their senses of self and self-esteem, impacting their development and ability to thrive. Early childhood educators can help build safe and affirming spaces for children to grow and learn in order to counteract the toxic effects of racism. Participants will gain a better understanding of structural racism, race, and whiteness, and learn how to shift their personal perspective on race in order to support children’s healthy development.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

1-Day Training

Module 4: Inclusion and Decolonization of Whiteness

This module discusses the importance of understanding the effects of colonialism and its impacts of our work. This class also discusses decolonization as a way of building resilience, increasing self-esteem and changing the perception children have of their status in society, which is often based on the child’s racial or ethnic identity and the social status of this identity.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

1-Day Training

Module 5: Racism and Development

Children’s awareness of racial differences and the impact of racism begins much earlier than many people realize, often in pre-school. At this age, children may begin excluding their peers of different races from play without understanding their behavior. Because of this, providers are uniquely situated to educate children about these critical and complex issues. An important first step is to work with family to understand their attitudes about race.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

1-Day Training

Module 6: Understanding the Psychological Effects of Racism

Racial trauma has long-lasting impacts on developing children and impacts achievement gaps between children of color and their white peers. Children receive information about their value and the value of others in their community through media and social attitudes. Providers can modify practices in their care environments to increase cultural pride so that children feel that their contributions are valued.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

1-Day Training

Module 8: Promoting Resilience

Racial trauma has long-lasting impacts on developing children and impacts achievement gaps between children of color and their white peers. Children receive information about their value and the value of others in their community through media and social attitudes. Providers can modify practices in their care environments to increase cultural pride so that children feel that their contributions are valued.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

2-Day Training

Module 8: Promoting Resilience

Racial trauma has long-lasting impacts on developing children and impacts achievement gaps between children of color and their white peers. Children receive information about their value and the value of others in their community through media and social attitudes. Providers can modify practices in their care environments to increase cultural pride so that children feel that their contributions are valued.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

1-Day Training

Module 9: Consent and Body Autonomy in Early Education

This class introduces nuanced meanings of the concepts of consent and body autonomy and encourages participants to consider how and why these concepts are important in early childhood education. It will provide opportunities for participants to formulate practical strategies to include positive consent and boundary messages in their daily interactions with children and parents.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus.

2-Day Training

Module 10: Understanding and Disrupting Biases

In the Examination of Anti-Racism module, learners will explore and deepen their awareness and understanding of a variety of topics that will aid the support of anti-racist practices. This module presents the opportunity for learners to explore bias, how it works, and how to interrupt it. After gaining a deeper understanding of bias, learners will begin an examination of racism and the system of education, leading to what advocacy can look like for young people in schools; the module concludes by exploring the development of racialized identity development and how to nurture its positive growth. 2-day online class. Earn $500 cash bonus. 

1-Day Training

Module 11: Family Systems

Strategies are shared with providers, to strengthen their practice and increase their ability to engage and support families that they partner with in their programs. Ultimately, when providers and families have a strong and trusting relationship, courageous conversation can be had and the trajectory of children’s lives can be shifted.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus. 

Special Needs Training Courses

2-Day Training

Special Needs 1

Participants will gain an understanding of typical child development development, recognizing areas of concern and how to engage families in initial conversations of support.

 

2-Day online class. You will receive $500 cash bonus.

Multi-day Training

Special Needs 2 - Early Intervention

These courses are designed to offer early learning providers a foundational knowledge of common behaviors of children with special needs, as well as basic observational and assessment skills to plan for the individual needs of children. Through games, hands-on activities, reflection and exploring prior knowledge, this training will connect best practice and techniques to develop skills in understanding the basics of working with children with special needs.

 

This series includes:

  • Module 1: Serving People with Special Needs and Their Families
  • Module 2: Observing Children for Better Understanding
  • Module 3: Creating an Environment for Children with Special Needs
  • Module 4: Understanding the Causes of Behaviors and Strategies to Support Them

Participant must complete the entire Special Needs 2 series (4 modules) to receive a $500 cash bonus. 

Online class.

STEM​ Training Courses

This curriculum is designed to offer an overview of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) as it applies to teaching young children. Earn $250 cash bonus per class. Get more information and register below.

1-Day Training

We Are All Connected

This class introduces the importance and connectedness of our ecosystems. Participants will explore ways to teach concepts to young children, encourage family participation and build sustainable practices in their program.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus. .

1-Day Training

Locally Sourced Foods in ECE Programs

This class introduces the importance of connecting to local sources, culturally relevant practices in our early learning programs. Participants will explore ways to teach concepts around locally sourced food to young children, encourage family participation and build sustainable practices in their program.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus. 

1-Day Training

Less is More

This class introduces the concept of the reduce, reuse and recycle concept to children and participants new to the idea. Participants will explore the impact of waste on our environment, increase their use of recycling services offered by their municipalities and develop activities that teach sustainable practices at school and in the family home.

 

Online class. Earn $250 cash bonus. 

Providers can receive a maximum of $1,000 per fiscal year (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024).
For more information, or to register for classes by phone, please call 206-492-5249.

Registration
Deadline

You must register for classes no later than 48 hours prior to any scheduled training. For weekend classes, you must register no later than Friday, 10AM.

Training

Interest Form

Are you interested in a class that’s not offered at this time?

Fill out the interest form and continue to check our website for newly added trainings.