WaKIDS Training and Webinars

WaKIDS is a transition process that helps to ensure a successful start to the K-12 experience and connect the key adults in a child’s life. Trainings are available for regular kindergarten teachers, Transitional Kindergarten teachers, administrators, and support staff.

Required WaKIDS 101

The WaKIDS 101 summer training season has concluded. Mid-year sessions will begin in November. Registration will be open soon!

Note: The midyear training is open only to Transition to Kindergarten (TK) teachers and kindergarten teachers who are implementing multiple Whole-child Assessment checkpoints a year. If you are implementing the assessment with the standard one checkpoint, we look forward to training you in the summer of 2025. Those trainings will be posted in April 2025 on this page.

If you have any WaKIDS related questions, please email wakids@k12.wa.us.

Optional WaKIDS Trainings

The following optional WaKIDS trainings are now available for registration!

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

Training Descriptions

If you aren't sure which training you should take, please review the descriptions of each below.

WaKIDS 101

WaKIDS 101 is the one-time asynchronous online training required for all kindergarten teachers new to WaKIDS (including Transitional Kindergarten and certificated Special Education teachers who provide instruction to kindergarten children with disabilities). This training is self-paced and takes approximately 12 hours to complete. Participants will have approximately two weeks from the start date of the online session to complete the course and an optional Interrater Reliability (IRR), for additional compensation.

Teachers must successfully complete WaKIDS 101 in order to administer WaKIDS. Teachers new to WaKIDS may be eligible for compensation for taking WaKIDS 101. To check eligibility, review the WaKIDS 101 Training and Interrater Reliability District Reimbursements Instructions.

WaKIDS 101 explores all three components of WaKIDS (Family Connection, Early Learning Collaboration, and Whole-child Assessment), elements of high-quality full-day kindergarten, documentation, observation, and the SmartTeach™ platform. Teachers will gain a better understanding of how observation is foundational to effective and developmentally appropriate instruction, how to create a developmentally appropriate and high-quality kindergarten environment, and will explore strategies and resources for collecting and leveling documentation.   

Please note: While WaKIDS 101 is a self-paced training, WaKIDS 101 instructors will be available throughout the training and will host optional weekly office hours.

WaKIDS for District and School Administrators

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. Clock hours are not offered for this course.

This course is intended to prepare administrators to support teachers with WaKIDS. Completion of the course does not allow the participant to administer the Whole-child Assessment component of WaKIDS. If you need access to MyTeachingStrategies® please contact your District Assessment Coordinator.

Additional details will be made available during the registration process.

WaKIDS 101 Refresher Course

The WaKIDS 101 Refresher course is a five-hour, self-paced asynchronous course designed for kindergarten teachers, Transitional 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 light 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.

Completion of WaKIDS 101 is required for course enrollment. Please note that the WaKIDS 101 Refresher course is asynchronous and does not contain any in-person meetings. Participants can complete the five-hour course anytime within the training time period.

Additional details will be made available during the registration process.

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 paraprofessionals, specialists, librarians, coaches, counselors, psychologists, etc who plan to support kindergarten teachers, Transitional Kindergarten teachers, 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.

Additional details will be made available during the registration process.