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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 2025 – June 2026).
PLEASE NOTE: Incentives are paid on your subsidy check by DSHS and can take up to 90 days to be processed and paid.
To stay up-to-date on upcoming trainings for Family, Friends, and Neighbors, consider signing up for our monthly newsletter to receive a schedule of available trainings each month!
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 incentive.
This 5.5-hour training covers life-saving health and safety practices for adults, children and infants.
5.5-hour in-person class + $250 incentive.
2-Day Online Course
This training explores the transformative power of place-based and nature-based learning in supporting children’s holistic development, cognitive growth, and deep connection to their communities and the natural world. Through hands-on practice, educators will learn to view every outdoor space as rich with learning potential across all developmental domains.
10-hour online class + $500 incentive.
4-Day Online Course
This training explores the transformative power of place-based and nature-based learning in supporting children’s holistic development, cognitive growth, and deep connection to their communities and the natural world. Through hands-on practice, educators will learn to view every outdoor space as rich with learning potential across all developmental domains.
10-hour online class + $500 incentive.
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 incentive.
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 incentive.
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 offers a $250 incentive.
You may complete any or all Anti-Racist ECE modules but must register for each one separately.
Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Financial Award
Certain modules of the Anti-Racist Early Childhood Education classes are eligible for the Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Financial Award administered by DCYF. Completing these select courses will go toward earning your TIC award. There is a $1,200 lifetime cap for the TIC award through DCYF. Once you’ve met this lifetime cap, you will become eligible for the Imagine Institute incentive for taking the marked classes. The Imagine Institute incentive will not be awarded until after the full Trauma-Informed Care Financial Award has been completed and awarded to you by DCYF.
The modules covered by the TIC award are 1, 2, 6, 8, and 10. Modules that do not fall under coverage by the TIC award are eligible for the Imagine Institute incentive so long as you have not reached your annual $1,000 maximum payout
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 incentive*
*Incentive dependent on TIC award progress
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 incentive*
*Incentive bonus dependent on TIC award progress
Children begin forming ideas about identity, belonging, and difference at a very early age based on the messages they receive from their environments and relationships. These early experiences can shape how children see themselves, others, and their place in the world—impacting confidence, well-being, and long-term development.
Early childhood educators play a critical role in creating environments that affirm children’s identities, foster belonging, and counteract harmful social messages. In this training, participants will explore the historical and social foundations that influence identity formation, examine how systems of power and privilege shape experiences in early learning settings, and reflect on their own perspectives. Educators will leave with tools to support healthy identity development and create inclusive, affirming spaces where all children can thrive.
Online class. Earn $250 incentive.
1-Day Training
This module explores how children’s developing sense of identity and belonging is shaped by their early learning environments and the relationships within them. Participants will examine how social, cultural, and historical influences affect children’s experiences and sense of self.
The course emphasizes developmentally appropriate, inclusive practices that promote positive identity development, emotional well-being, and a strong sense of belonging for all children. Educators will reflect on their role in creating supportive, respectful learning environments that foster confidence, connection, and healthy development.
Online class. Earn $250 incentive.
1-Day Training
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 incentive.
1-Day Training
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 incentive*
*Incentive dependent on TIC award progress
1-Day Training
Promoting resilience in young children begins with the childcare providers identifying and allowing their own resilience to build upon reflection. Childcare providers can then make connections and move towards goals where they can begin to nurture a positive view of themselves and both children and families.
Online class. Earn $250 incentive*
*Incentive dependent on TIC award progress
1-Day Training
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 incentive.
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 incentive*
*Incentive dependent on TIC award progress
1-Day Training
In this module, educators will acquire new knowledge and skills on how to build, repair, and support stronger relationships and communication with families to promote family stability and healthy foundations for their children.
Online class. Earn $250 incentive.
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 incentive.
4-Day Training
Participants will gain an understanding of typical child development development, recognizing areas of concern and how to engage families in initial conversations of support.
4-Day online class. You will receive $500 incentive.
2-day Training
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.
Participant must complete the entire Special Needs 2 series (4 modules) to receive a $500 incentive.
2-Day online class.
4-day Training
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.
Participant must complete the entire Special Needs 2 series (4 modules) to receive a $500 incentive.
4-Day online class.
2-day Training
Special Needs 3 equips early childhood educators with practical, evidence-based strategies to create inclusive and accessible learning environments that meet the diverse needs of children and families. Educators will leave empowered to champion inclusive education that elevates quality and belonging for all learners.
2-Day online class. Earn $500 incentive.
4-day Training
Special Needs 3 equips early childhood educators with practical, evidence-based strategies to create inclusive and accessible learning environments that meet the diverse needs of children and families. Educators will leave empowered to champion inclusive education that elevates quality and belonging for all learners.
4-Day online class. Earn $500 incentive.
This curriculum is designed to offer an overview of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) as it applies to teaching young children.
Earn a $250 incentive per class.
Get more information and register below.
1-Day Training
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 incentive.
1-Day Training
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 incentive.
1-Day Training
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 incentive.
Providers can receive a maximum of $1,000 per fiscal year (July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026).
For more information, or to register for classes by phone, please call 206-492-5249.
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.
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.
