Our Centers for Ethics:

Character Development Seminars

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Quick answers to commonly asked questions

• What are the benefits of taking a CDS?
• What new skills will I have as a CDS graduate?
• Who should attend a CDS class?
• What special discounts are available?
• How can I host a locally sponsored CDS class?

What are the benefits of taking a CDS?

• Personal attention in small classes
• Practical materials, including: a CD-ROM library of presentation slides, a book of original lesson plans and activity ideas, the popular booklet Making Ethical Decisions, articles on character education, reproducible handouts, evaluation tools
• The deep experience of the diverse CDS faculty
• Ten percent discount on educational support materials for one year
• Official certification as a CHARACTER COUNTS! trainer
• Ability to reproduce CC! copyrighted materials with permission
• Monthly newsletter full of information on best practices, new ideas, funding tips and more

What new skills will I have as a CDS graduate?

• Strengthen your teaching skills and your grasp of character education’s theories and methods.
• Demonstrate to teachers how character education improves the learning environment and frees more time for coursework.
• Sharpen your ability to deliver persuasive presentations, with quality support materials to build your own programs.
• Promote collaborations among educational, youth-serving and community organizations.
• Train others to have a greater impact on the lives and success of youth.
• Earn national certification with extensive benefits from the nation’s leader in character education.
• Develop character-building activities for existing curricula, extracurricular activities and sports programs.
• Respond effectively to challenges from students, parents and colleagues.
• Benefit from the continuing consulting support of the national CHARACTER COUNTS! office.
• Improve your ability to teach, enforce, advocate and model (T.E.A.M.) good character.
• Gain knowledge of how to use CHARACTER COUNTS! tools and how to develop or adapt new materials as needed.

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Who should attend a CDS class?

• Leaders among their peers
• Creative people who can take a general framework and apply it to your specific needs
• Motivators who can make things happen
• Strong communicators who can train others
• We recommend that you send:
  • representatives from your organization who have different job functions or work in different departments, to provide more perspectives and help implement your CC! initiative with consistency.
  • five to 10 percent of your staff within a 12- to 24-month period. This helps advance your sustainability goals, and spreads the enthusiasm!

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What special discounts are available?

• Coalition membership discount
  Coalition members receive two $200 off scholarships on their first two training attendees. Call (800) 711-2670 for membership application and more details on other great membership benefits and savings.
• Host discount
  Host a locally sponsored training for 30-35 participants, at a per-person discount, plus save on travel. Please call for details.

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How can I host a locally sponsored CDS class?

Instead of sending individuals to an open-enrollment CDS, we encourage a school, organization or community to host its own local CDS.  Here are some general guidelines:

• The ideal class size is 35, with a mix of 25 school teachers, administrators, and staff and 10 community-based agency representatives.
• The class should reflect the diversity of the community.
• All participants should possess strong communication skills.
• The participants should compete for a spot in the training or be screened to ensure that they are willing and able to implement what they learn and train others.
• The content can be customized for such special audiences as schools for the deaf, juvenile corrections facilities and U.S. military child care programs.

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