This package of courses is designed for families who are adopting domestically but do not plan to adopt a child outside of their own race or ethnicity. The National Training and Development Curriculum (NTDC) is a curriculum based on research and input from experts; families who have experience with fostering or adopting children; and former foster and adoptive youth, including adult adoptees. It provides potential adoptive parents with the information and tools needed to parent a child who has experienced trauma, separation, and loss. It is a state-of-the-art classroom and online program that helps to prepare prospective adoptive parents to be successful parents. In addition, the NTDC gives parents access to information and resources needed to continue building skills once they have a child in their home. The National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents (NTDC) was funded through a five-year cooperative agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau. This cooperative agreement was led by Spaulding for Children in close partnership with other agencies. NTDC is the largest study in the nation of a curriculum that trains foster and adoptive parents. It has been extensively and rigorously evaluated during the last five years on each of its three components for satisfaction, knowledge gain and effectiveness.
Stephanie is a NTDC trainer and has been teaching the curriculum via live video conference courses since 2021. Believing in the content of the curriculum, she has brought it online in an on-demand course format, creatively interweaving in the classroom based activities so that participants will receive the same level of impact and knowledge as those who participate live. Courses included in this domestic package include:
Child Development; Attachment; Separation, Loss & Grief; Trauma Behaviors; Trauma Informed Parenting; Effective Communication; Creating a Safe, Nurturing Home Environment; Maintaining Contact with Birth Parents After Adoption, Mental Health Considerations, Impact of Substance Abuse, Preparing for and Managing Intrusive Questions.
