Direct Support Professional (DSP) Training

Direct Support Professional Training (DSPT) and Challenge Testing for Year 1 and Year 2 are open to DSP personnel and administrators currently working in licensed community care facilities. Courses meet the State of California training requirements for Year 1 and Year 2 Direct Support Professional Training (DSPT) Certifications.

  • Each course is 35 hours
  • Must have picture ID first day of course

Challenge Testing for Year 1 and Year 2 are available to DSPs and administrators who prefer not to complete the training. The California Department of Developmental Services requires the training be completed if the Challenge Tests are not passed on the first attempt.

Registration

Only direct support staff, including supervisors and administrators who provide direct care, currently employed in Community Care Facilities (CCFs) vendored by the regional center are eligible to take the Direct Support Professional Training (DSPT). Registration for DSPT must be completed using the eDSPT online registration and certification system. DSPs must create their own account.

eDSPT online registration is available starting 30 days prior to training or challenge test start date and closes 7 business days prior to training or challenge test start date. No WALK-INS allowed. To register go to www.dsptrain.org. Have the following information available:

  • Personal email address
  • Phone number
  • Social Security Number
  • Facility Vendor Number where employed
  • Facility or Administrator email address where employed

For assistance with registration, call the DSPT Helpline at 800-910-4604.

If you experience difficulty registering through the online system, it may be due to the following reasons:

  • Trouble registering for a challenge test may be the result of you previously failing a challenge test, which makes you ineligible.
  • Trouble registering for a Year 1 training may be the result of you previously completing the training, which makes you ineligible to re-take the course.
  • Trouble registering for Year 2 training may be the result of you previously completing the training or you have not completed Year 1 certification, which makes you ineligible to take the course.

Results Notification

Approximately 20 business days after completion of the Training Class or Challenge Test, direct support staff and the administrator of the facility they are employed in will receive an email notification of results (a Certification Notice, a Certification Notice of Additional Training Needed, a Failure Notice, or an Incomplete/Failure Notice). All Certification Notices can be accessed online at www.dsptrain.org. Failure notifications cannot be accessed online. Paper certificates will no longer be issued.

DSPT Attendance Policy

Training Class attendance is very important. Direct support staff may not miss more than 3 hours of classroom instruction. If more than 3 hours of instruction is missed, the system will automatically drop the DSP and the DSP must take the entire year of training again.

The oversight of DSP training is distributed amongst the following four (4) services areas:

  • Butte County Office of Education
  • Fresno County Superintendent of Schools
  • Orange County Superintendent of Schools
  • Riverside County Office of Education

Service Hub Regional Center Catchment Area and Contact Information

The Fresno County Superintendent of Schools (FCSS) Service Hub provides the training oversight for the following regional center catchments:

Central Valley
          Fresno
          Merced
          Tulare County (Porterville)

East Bay
          Contra Costa County
          Eden Area (Hayward, South San Francisco, San Rafael)
          Fremont
          Marin County

Kern
          Bakersfield

Valley Mountain
          Modesto
          Stockton

Tri-Counties
          Ventura
          Santa Barbara
          San Luis Obispo Counties

San Andreas
          San Jose

For information regarding DSPT training and/or challenge testing for the FCSS Service Hub regional center catchments, please contact Renae Dominici at the Fresno CTE/ROP Office (559) 497-3757.

Regional Advisory Meetings for The FCSS Service Hub (meeting minutes available as downloads below)

Resources

For more information about DSPT, you can go to the Department of Developmental Service's (DDS) website at http://www.dds.ca.gov/DSPT, email ccfdsp@dds.ca.gov, or call the toll free number at 800-622-8904.

For questions regarding DSP registration or Results Notification, contact the eDSPT Helpline at 800-910-4604.

For DSPT Implementation concerns, contact CDE DSPT project monitor, Lisa Schiro or Tara Neilson at 916-323-5742 or 916-445-5568, or by email at LSchiro@cde.ca.gov or TNeilson@cde.ca.gov.