For group homes and IDD providers
Where can a group home or IDD provider get online staff training for direct support professionals?
Short answer: Look in three places, in this order. First, your state’s developmental disabilities agency: it sets the training your license requires, and some states give providers free or low-cost courses (Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, for example, provides free and low-cost access to DirectCourse’s College of Direct Support). Second, the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) list of accredited education, which names full online DSP curricula such as DirectCourse, Relias and Open Future Learning. Third, focused courses for a specific need, such as Special Learning’s Level 1 ABA Online Training Course for groups for staff who support autistic people.
Special Learning · Published November 12, 2026 · Sources read November 12, 2026
Start here, because your license decides what counts.
1. Your state agency
Find your state’s developmental disabilities agency in the NASDDDS directory of state agencies, then ask four questions.
- Which topics are required, and by when? Ohio, for example, lists training due before a DSP provides services, within 30 calendar days of hire and every year (Ohio Adm. Code 5123-2-08, Appendix C).
- Does the state provide or name a curriculum? In Ohio, topics including the NADSP Code of Ethics and the rights of the people served come from “the department or … an entity using department-provided curriculum.” Minnesota provides free and low-cost DirectCourse access and a crosswalk to its 245D license training (Minnesota DHS).
- Does training from elsewhere count? In Minnesota, training in the same subjects from other sources “may count” if received in the 12 months before the hire date, with documentation (Minn. Stat. 245D.09, subd. 5a).
- What records will a reviewer ask for? Dates, durations, how competency was shown and who trained.
Full DSP programs reviewed by NADSP.
2. NADSP-accredited curricula
NADSP accredits whole training programs, “rather than individual presenters, conference sessions, or webinars,” for alignment with its competency areas and Code of Ethics (NADSP, “NADSP Accredited Education”). Programs on the list on November 12, 2026 include:
- DirectCourse: College of Direct Support (supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities), College of Personal Assistance and Care, College of Recovery and Community Inclusion, and College of Employment Services.
- Relias, whose DSP training NADSP describes as fully accredited.
- Open Future Learning, for DSPs and frontline supervisors.
- State and regional programs, such as Pennsylvania’s Office of Developmental Programs (trainings through MyODP) and the Tennessee Board of Regents DSP program, and others on NADSP’s page.
If your staff work toward NADSP certification, their organization enrolls them in the NADSP E-Badge Academy; NADSP says individual staff cannot buy access on their own.
When one group of staff needs one skill set.
3. Focused courses for a specific need
A full curriculum covers the breadth of direct support. When a house or program supports people with a particular need, such as autistic residents, a focused course gives that team a shared foundation. Ask for the session list, the length of each session, how learning is checked and what the completion record shows.
Group homes also need training to fit around shifts. Ask whether staff can watch on a phone, pause and resume, and finish within the access period you are paying for.
Frequently asked
Questions training leads ask.
Is there free online training for direct support professionals?
Some states provide it. Minnesota’s Department of Human Services provides free and low-cost access to DirectCourse’s College of Direct Support, College of Employment Services and College of Frontline Supervision, Management, and Leadership. Ask your own state developmental disabilities agency what it provides. Special Learning’s NADSP Code of Ethics onboarding guide is also free.
Can individual DSPs join the NADSP E-Badge Academy?
Not on their own. NADSP says individual staff cannot purchase access independently: an organization fills out NADSP’s inquiry form, and NADSP trains the organization’s administrators to enroll users.
Does training from a previous employer count?
It depends on your state. In Minnesota, orientation or training from other sources in the same subjects may count toward the orientation and annual training requirements if it was received in the 12 months before the staff person’s hire date, and the license holder keeps documentation of it and of the person’s competency. Check your own state’s rule.
Can we try Special Learning’s course before buying for the whole team?
Yes. The course has a free 7-day trial of its first 2 sessions. Our free team pilot kit shows how to run the trial with a small group of staff and decide against a bar you set in advance.
Sources
Each source was read on November 12, 2026. Providers and states change their pages and rules, so check the current version before you rely on it.
- NASDDDS, “State Agencies” (directory of state developmental disabilities agencies), https://www.nasddds.org/state-agencies/
- Ohio Administrative Code 5123-2-08, Appendix C, Training requirements for direct support professionals, https://codes.ohio.gov/assets/laws/administrative-code/pdfs/5123/0/2/5123-2-08_PH_FF_A_APP3_20240919_1204.pdf
- Minnesota Department of Human Services, “DirectCourse”, https://mn.gov/dhs/partners-and-providers/training-conferences/long-term-services-and-supports/directcourse/
- Minnesota Statutes, section 245D.09, Staffing standards, https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/245D.09
- NADSP, “NADSP Accredited Education”, https://nadsp.org/services/accredited-education/
- NADSP, “E-Badge Academy”, https://nadsp.org/services/the-nadsp-e-badge-academy/
