Upcoming START Trainings and Training Series
Learning Through Play in the Early Childhood Classroom
- December 5, 2025
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: Early childhood teachers, early childhood classroom assistants, ancillary staff supporting early childhood classrooms, early childhood administrators
Registration for Learning Through Play in the Early Childhood Classroom
25th Anniversary START Speaker Series
- Speaker: Christopher R. Bugaj, MA CCC-SLP
- Topic: The Sweet Spot - Necessary Considerations for Awesome Implementation of Augmentative/Alternative Communication
- December 15, 2025
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee:
- Michigan Resident: $0
- Non-Michigan Resident: $20
Intended Audience: General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Special Education Administration, Instructional Consultants
25th Anniversary START Speaker Series
- Speaker: Carly Gilson
- Topic: Job Coaching and Technology in the Work Setting
- January 12, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee:
- Michigan Resident: $0
- Non-Michigan Resident: $20
Intended Audience: General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Special Education Administration, Instructional Consultants
Peers Matter: Fostering Social Communication and Friendship for Students who Use or Would Benefit from AAC
- January 13, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: Special and general educators, service providers such as speech-language pathologists, paraeducators, autism consultants, instructional coaches, and educational leaders and administration who work with students with autism and/or intellectual disability who have limited speech
Behavior Escalation and Scripts
- Training Series
- This training series is co-sponsored by START and the MiMTSS Technical Assistance Center.
- January 14 and 21, 2026
- 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- Virtual (Zoom)
- Registration Fee: $0
Intended Audience: General and special education teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, behavior specialists and interventionists, coaches, and ancillary service providers
Coaching STARTs Here
- Training Series
- January 15, 2026; February 12, 2026; and March 5, 2026
- This training series also includes asynchronous prework and tasks between modules.
- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Virtual (Zoom)
- Registration Fee: $30
Providing Behavior Support in the Early Childhood Classroom
- January 16, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Virtual (Zoom)
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: Early childhood teachers, early childhood classroom assistants, ancillary staff supporting early childhood classrooms, early childhood administrators
Registration for Providing Behavior Support in the Early Childhood Classroom
Comprehensive Communication Supports and Strategies
- Training Series
- This training series is co-sponsored by START and Alt+Shift.
- January 27, 2026, and February 10, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Virtual (Zoom)
- Registration Fee: $20
Intended Audience: Classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, ancillary staff (e.g., SLPs, SSWs, OTs, etc.), administrators, families, and consultants; Team participation is encouraged but not required.
Registration for Comprehensive Communication Supports and Strategies
Increasing Academic Engagement
- Topic: Breaks in Inclusive Classrooms: Creating Universal Break Spaces and Practices (Elementary)
- January 29, 2026
- 8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. OR 4:00 - 4:30 p.m.
- Virtual (Zoom)
- Registration Fee: $0
Intended Audience: General and special education teachers, building and special education administrators, instructional consultants
FAPE in the LRE
- January 29, 2026
- 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- Virtual (Zoom)
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: General and special education teachers and administrators, ancillary/support staff, school counselors, consultants
25th Anniversary START Speaker Series
- Speaker: Mandy J. Rispoli, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA
- Topic: Teaming with Paraprofessionals to Support Learners with Autism and Related Disabilities
- February 6, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee:
- Michigan Resident: $0
- Non-Michigan Resident: $20
Intended Audience: General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Special Education Administration, Instructional Consultants
Increasing Academic Engagement
- Topic: Classroom Transitions: Planning for Effective Transitions in the Classroom (K-12)
- February 12, 2026
- 8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. OR 4:00 - 4:30 p.m.
- Virtual (Zoom)
- Registration Fee: $0
Intended Audience: General and special education teachers, building and special education administrators, instructional consultants
Preschool Life Skills (PLS) for All
- February 20, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: Early childhood teachers, early childhood classroom assistants, ancillary staff supporting early childhood classrooms, early childhood administrators
Glossary of Terms
- Training: A professional development opportunity designed to improve the knowledge and/or skills of attendees in a particular topic or practice. A training is at least two hours. While participants may be encouraged to attend all parts of a training, they are not required to do so and will still have a meaningful experience if they do not attend all parts.
- Session: Individual segments within a training, each focusing on a specific topic or key concept.
- Training Series: A collection of multiple trainings or webinars that focuses on the same topic or theme. A training series can be offered as (1) a sequence of trainings or webinars that build upon each other or (2) independent trainings or webinars on the same theme. Participants are required to attend all modules in a training series.
- Module: An organized collection of content presented together as a cohesive training/learning unit, usually on a particular topic in an in-person or virtual format.
- Bootcamp: A collection of modules on a related topic or theme in a condensed, often consecutive timeframe.
- Webinar: A live professional development opportunity or discussion focused on a single topic or practice. Webinars are less than two hours.