START Trainings and Training Series
All START trainings and training series are listed in Eastern Time (ET).
Creating a Neuro-Affirming Environment: Strategies for Educators Series
- Training Series
- January 8, 2027 and January 15, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $20
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Ancillary/Support Staff, Paraeducators, School Counselors, Consultants, and Families
Behavior Escalation and Scripts Series
- Training Series
- January 12, 2027 and January 19, 2027
- 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $0
- This training is co-sponsored by START and the MiMTSS Technical Assistance Center.
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers, Administrators, Paraprofessionals, Behavior Specialists and Interventionists, Coaches, and Ancillary Service Providers
Inclusive Academic Engagement
- Topic: In the Moment: Responsive for Real-Time Differentiation
- January 12, 2027
- 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. OR 4:00 - 4:45 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $0
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Ancillary/Support Staff, School Counselors, Consultants
Learning in Groups in the Early Childhood Classroom
- January 22, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
- Virtual (Zoom)
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: Early Childhood Teachers, Administrators, Ancillary Staff, Consultants, Paraeducators/Classroom Aides
Comprehensive Communication Supports and Strategies Series
- Training Series
- February 1, 2027 and February 9, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $20
- This training series is co-sponsored by START and Alt+Shift.
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Ancillary/Support Staff, Paraeducators, School Counselors, Consultants, Families
Comprehensive Communication Supports and Strategies Series Registration
FAPE in the LRE
- February 4, 2027
- 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Ancillary/Support Staff, School Counselors, Consultants
Teaching Toileting and Adaptive Skills in Early Childhood
- February 5, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: Early Childhood Teachers, Administrators, Ancillary Staff, Consultants, Paraeducators/Classroom Aides, Early On Providers
Peer to Peer for Families
- February 10, 2027
- 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Fee $0
Inclusive Academic Engagement
- Topic: AI with Intention: Thoughtful, Inclusive Lesson Planning Using AI Tools
- February 23, 2027
- 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. OR 4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $0
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Ancillary/Support Staff, School Counselors, Consultants
Proactive Approaches to Behavior: Script and Strategies for De-escalation
- March 9, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- In-person; Lansing
- Registration Fee: $0
- This training is co-sponsored by START and the MiMTSS Technical Assistance Center
Intended Audience: School-based teams supporting individual student problem-solving and planning that includes a building administrator and an individual with behavioral expertise
Autism & Social Communication: Building Mutual Understanding
- March 16, 2027
- 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, and Families
Learning through Play in the Early Childhood Classroom
- March 19, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: Early Childhood Teachers, Administrators, Ancillary Staff, Consultants, Paraeducators/Classroom Aides, Early On Providers
Inclusive Academic Engagement
- Topic: Sustaining Engagement: Strategies that Support Focus and Regulation for Every Learner
- April 13, 2027
- 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. OR 4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $0
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Ancillary/Support Staff, School Counselors, Consultants
Peer to Peer: Start Here
- April 14, 2027
- 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: This session orients team members and does not replace the full Foundations training. Teams are encouraged to attend the full series, offered each fall.
EPLI Advanced Training: FAPE in the LRE
- Application Required
- April 21, 2027 and April 22, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- In-person; Lansing
- Registration Fee: $0
Requirements to Apply: Open to Current EPLI Trainers of START Content who have attended FAPE in the LRE in the past year.
Application opens on October 16, 2026.
Peer to Peer: Office Hours
- April 28, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $0
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Ancillary/Support Staff, School Counselors, Consultants, and Families
26th Annual START Conference
- May 3, 2027
- 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Lansing Center
More information, including speakers and registration, will be available by December 2026.
Spring RCN Leadership Day
- May 4, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Crowne Plaza Lansing West
- Registration Fee: $0
- The RCN Leadership Day is a bi-annual meeting of leadership representatives from the Regional Collaborative Networks (RCN).
Intended Audience: Leadership representatives from RCN
Registration will be emailed to RCN leadership representatives in spring 2027.
Preschool Life Skills (PLS) for All
- May 7, 2027
- 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
- Virtual via Zoom
- Registration Fee: $10
Intended Audience: General and Special Education Teachers and Administrators, Ancillary/Support Staff, School Counselors, Consultants
Training: A professional development opportunity designed to improve the knowledge and/or skills of attendees in a particular topic or practice.
Training Series: A collection of multiple trainings that focus on the same topic or theme. A training series can be offered as (1) a sequence of trainings that build upon each other or (2) independent trainings or webinars on the same theme.
- Module: An organized collection of content presented together as a cohesive training/learning unit, usually on a particular topic in a training series.
Effective Practices Leadership Initiative (EPLI):
- Bootcamp: A collection of modules on a related topic or theme, designed to prepare participants to become EPLI Trainers of START Content. Bootcamps may include asynchronous coursework.
- Advanced Training: A rigorous professional learning opportunity designed to support Current EPLI Trainers in deepening their knowledge of specific START content and strengthening their ability to effectively deliver that content within their local contexts. Advanced Trainings may include prerequisite work and/or asynchronous coursework.
Virtual Training Formats:
- Zoom Meeting: Designed for interactive and collaborative discussion. This platform allows all registered participants to unmute, turn on their cameras, communicate through chat, and share screens. Capacity is a maximum of 300 participants.
- Zoom Webinar: Designed as a controlled broadcast where only presenters can share screens, audio, and video. Registered attendees cannot use their cameras, communicate primarily through Q&A, and can only unmute if they use the "Raise Hand" feature and a presenter unmutes them. Capacity is a maximum of 500 participants.