Upcoming START Trainings and Training Series
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
25th Anniversary START Speaker Series
- Speaker: Mike Marotta
- Topic: Assistive Technology Strategies for Inclusive Learning
- March 3, 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: Visual Strategies: Considerations for Meaningful Visual Strategies (K-12)
- March 5, 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
Level Up Peer to Peer
- March 6, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- In-person; Lansing
- Registration Fee: $25
Intended Audience: Team members of established Peer to Peer programs.
Toilet Training and Adaptive Skills in Early Childhood
- March 6, 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, Early On providers, parents
Registration for Toilet Training and Adaptive Skills in Early Childhood
Behavior Escalation and Scripts
- Training Series
- This training series is co-sponsored by START and the MiMTSS Technical Assistance Center.
- March 12 and 19, 2026
- 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $0
Intended Audience: General and special education teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, behavior specialists and interventionists, coaches, and ancillary service providers
EPLI Advanced Training: FAPE in the LRE
- Application Required
- March 17 and 18, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- In-person, Lansing
- Registration Fee: $0
The EPLI Advanced Training: FAPE in the LRE also includes on-demand coursework.
EPLI Advanced Training: FAPE in the LRE - More Information and Application
FAPE in the LRE
- April 9, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Virtual via 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: Amy Ursitti
- Topic: A Sibling Perspective on Autism
- April 15, 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: Student Engagement: Planning Group and Partnership Activities to Optimize Shared Participation (K-12)
- April 24, 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
25th Annual START Conference
- May 4, 2026
- 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- In-person; Lansing Center
Spring RCN Leadership Day
- May 5, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- In-person; Lansing Center
- Fee $0
Intended Audience: Leadership representatives from the Regional Collaborative Networks (RCN).
Registration will be emailed to the RCN leadership in spring 2026.
Building Strong Foundations: An Introduction to the Pyramid Model for Preschool Educators
- May 8, 2026
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Ancillary/Support Staff, Consultants, School Counselors
Peer to Peer Lunch & Learn
- May 13, 2026
- 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $0
Intended Audience: This session is ideal for educators new to Peer to Peer and those already implementing it who want more support with specific areas
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.