WaKIDS Training and Webinars

The Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) is a transition process designed to ensure children have a successful start to their K-12 experience. By connecting the key adults in a child's life, WaKIDS fosters a supportive environment for young learners. Training sessions are available for kindergarten teachers, Transition to Kindergarten teachers, Special Education teachers working with kindergarteners, administrators, and support staff. 

Required WaKIDS 101

The WaKIDS 101 2025-26 summer training is now available for registration for any of the following sessions:

• July 9 – August 6
• August 13 – September10
• September 17 – October 22

To register, please visit the WaKIDS 101 Course Registration Survey.

WaKIDS 101 | Frequently Asked Question: This document answers frequently asked questions about getting started with WaKIDS 101. Please consult this letter before contacting the OSPI WaKIDS Team or your WaKIDS 101 instructor.

Note: Participants will have from the start date of the monthly session to the end date to complete their course. The amount of time they have available will depend on when they register, and no extensions will be granted. The whole course takes approximately 16 hours to complete. 16 clock hours will be provided after completion.

Any WaKIDS-related questions can be directed to wakids@k12.wa.us.

Additional WaKIDS Trainings

The following additional WaKIDS trainings are now available for registration!

• WaKIDS Administrators Course Registration
• WaKIDS Refresher Course Registration
• WaKIDS Support Staff Course Registration
• WaKIDS Paraprofessionals Course 

Training Descriptions

WaKIDS 101 Course

WaKIDS 101 is the one-time asynchronous online training required by Washington State (RCW 28A.150.315) for all kindergarten teachers new to WaKIDS, including Transition to Kindergarten teachers and certificated Special Education teachers who provide instruction to kindergarten children with disabilities. This training includes the Interrater Reliability (IRR) which is embedded in the course.

The training covers all three components of WaKIDS: Family Connection, Early Learning Collaboration, and Whole-child Assessment. It also explores high-quality full-day kindergarten elements, documentation, observation, and the SmartTeach® platform. Teachers will learn how observation supports effective, developmentally appropriate instruction and how to create a high-quality kindergarten environment. Strategies and resources for collecting and leveling documentation are also included.

This course is online and self-paced. There are no scheduled meeting times. Participants will have from the start date of the session they enroll in until the end date of that session to complete. The amount of time they have available will depend on when they register. The whole course takes approximately 16 hours to complete. 16 clock hours will be provided after completion. While the course is self-paced with no scheduled meeting times, a WaKIDS 101 instructor is available throughout the training and hosts optional weekly office hours.

WaKIDS for District and School Administrators Course

The WaKIDS for District and School Administrators course is designed for district and school administrators, including principals, assistant principals, early learning coordinators, district office administrators, and School Board members. This three-hour asynchronous course provides contextual information for the three components of WaKIDS (Family Connection, Early Learning Collaboration, and the Whole-child Assessment), as well an overview on how to leverage SmartTeach® report functionalities to support teachers, data collection, and analysis.

The WaKIDS for District and School Administrators course is asynchronous and does not contain any in-person meetings. Participants can complete the three-hour course anytime within the training time period.

Teachers are required to complete WaKIDS 101 to administer WaKIDS, as mandated by RCW 28A.150.315 and RCW 28A.655.080; this course is designed to prepare administrators to effectively support teachers in implementing WaKIDS. Completion of the course does not allow the participant to administer the Whole-child Assessment component of WaKIDS. If you need access to SmartTeach® please contact your District Assessment Coordinator.

Clock hours are not offered for this course.

WaKIDS 101 Refresher Course

The WaKIDS 101 Refresher course is a five-hour, self-paced asynchronous course designed for kindergarten teachers, Transition to Kindergarten teachers, certificated special education teachers who provide instruction to kindergarten children with disabilities who previously completed WaKIDS 101 but wish to refresh their knowledge.

This five-hour online course offers a review of Family Connection, Early Learning Collaboration, and components of a high-quality full-day kindergarten classroom. The WaKIDS 101 Refresher course offers a deeper exploration into the Whole-child Assessment, collecting and leveling documentation, and leveraging components of SmartTeach®.

Teachers who complete the WaKIDS 101 Refresher course will receive five clock hours.

WaKIDS Support Staff Course

The Support Staff course is a three-hour, self-paced asynchronous course for staff supporting the implementation of WaKIDS. This training is designed for specialists, librarians, coaches, counselors, psychologists, etc. who plan to support kindergarten teachers, Transition to Kindergarten teachers, and certificated Special Education teachers who provide instruction to kindergarten children with disabilities. Participants who complete the WaKIDS Support Staff course can assist teachers in collecting documentation for the Whole-child Assessment.

The WaKIDS Support Staff course offers a brief overview of the three components of WaKIDS: Family Connection, Early Learning Collaboration, and the Whole-child Assessment. This course takes a deeper dive into the elements of high-quality full-day kindergarten and how to support teachers with observation and documentation collection for the Whole-child Assessment.

Please note that the WaKIDS Support Staff course is asynchronous and does not contain any in-person meetings. Participants can complete the three-hour course anytime within the training time period.

Teachers who complete the WaKIDS 101 Refresher course will receive three clock hours.

WaKIDS Paraprofessionals Course

The WaKIDS for Paraprofessionals course is a three-hour, self-paced, asynchronous course designed for paraprofessionals who plan to support kindergarten teachers, Transition to Kindergarten teachers, and certificated Special Education teachers who provide instruction to kindergarten children with disabilities. Participants will receive a username for SmartTeach® after successful completion of the Interrater Reliability (IRR) certification, included within this course. The username enables you to add documentation directly into SmartTeach®. Your documentation assists teachers with data collection for the Whole-Child Assessment. Reimbursement is not available for this voluntary course. 

Important Note:

This course is intended for paraprofessionals who are assigned to support a lead teacher full-time in the classroom, all day, every day. You must provide the lead teacher's name and email so you can be connected to the correct teacher in SmartTeach®. If you are not supporting the classroom full-time, we recommend you take the WaKIDS Support Staff course to learn how to support the classroom.

Teachers who complete the WaKIDS 101 Refresher course will receive five clock hours.

The course provides a brief overview of the three components of WaKIDS: Family Connection, Early Learning Collaboration, and Whole-Child Assessment. It also takes a deeper dive into the elements of high-quality full-day kindergarten and how to support teachers with observation and documentation collection for the Whole-child Assessment.