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?
  
• What does CDS certification mean?
• Who should attend a CDS class?
• What special discounts are available?
• Can you customize a CDS for my school or community?
• Can I get graduate credit for a CDS?

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, reproducible handouts, and evaluation tools
• The deep experience of the diverse CDS faculty
• Graduate credit — read more »
• Official certification as a Character Development Seminar Graduate
• 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.
• Build a collaborative network among educational, youth-serving, and community organizations.
• Train others to have a greater impact on the lives and success of youth.
• 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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What does CDS certification mean?

• The Character Development Seminar (CDS) training certifies you in CHARACTER COUNTS! (CC!) to train others within your organization, solely for the purpose of establishing or strengthening the CC! program within your own school campus or youth service facility or organization.
• You are welcome to promote that you are CC! certified.
• Certified CC! trainers are not allowed to charge for training services, nor represent the CC! organization as a consultant or trainer for hire, nor conduct a similar CDS training.
• You must email or fax in a permision form if you plan to use the "CHARACTER COUNTS!" and "Six Pillars of Character" trademark on a brochure, flyer, website, materials, etc.

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Who should attend a CDS class?

• 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!
• Individuals who are 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

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What special discounts are available?

• Earlybird discount: Enroll 30 days or more prior to the course and receive a $50 discount.
• Coalition Membership discounts: Enroll 30 days or more prior to the course and receive a $100 discount. If you don’t enroll that early, you still receive unlimited $50 scholarships toward enrollment.

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Can you customize a CDS for my school or community?

Instead of sending individuals to an open-enrollment CDS, your school, organization, or community can customize its own local CDS. Bringing a CDS to your community earns you a per-person discount on tuition and dramatically cuts travel costs for your staff. 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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Can I get graduate credit for a CDS?

Yes! Teachers can receive an hour or more of graduate credit for attending a CDS. Credits are generally used for teacher certification and salary-enhancement purposes. Consult with your academic program first if you plan to transfer the credit to a degree program. View a list of participating universities »

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