Initial Training

Training Required Before You Can Be Licensed{collapse}

  1. Children's Mental Health (CMH) Training

    Children's Mental Health Training must be completed before you can be licensed. To complete this training:

    • Watch the Children's Mental Health video
    • Complete the children's mental health training and provide the certificate of completion to your social worker.

  2. Normalcy and Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard Training

    You must complete this training before you can be licensed. To complete this training:

    This training is required by Minnesota Statues, section 260C.212, subd.14

  3. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Training

    You must complete this training within a year of receiving your license. To complete this training:

    The training requirements for child foster care licensing in Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.175 were amended to add an annual requirement of one hour of training on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders within the first 12 months of licensure. After the first 12 months of licensure, training on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders may be part of the 12 hours of the required in-service training per year.

Training Required if Providing Care for Children 8 or Under

Car Seat Training

Car Seat Training must be completed before you can be licensed to care for a child age 8 or under.

* Due to COVID-19 restrictions there are currently no in-person classes. Applicants are to review online information at this time, and will be required to attend the class as soon as they resume, see below for details: 


Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.18, Sub. 2                                                                 Due to limited availability of the in-person training, license holders, staff persons, and caregivers that transport a child under eight years old in a motor vehicle are not required to complete the training on child passenger restraint systems in motor vehicles during the peacetime emergency. Instead, before transporting a child under eight years old in a motor vehicle, license holders, staff persons, and caregivers who have not already had the in-person training must review online information on the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#install-instructions and watch the "How to Choose the Right Seat" video, as well as car seat installation instruction videos for each type of car seat they will be using based on the age and size of the child/children they are transporting. 

  • If you are providing interim family foster care or concurrent/permanency foster care, please visit Minnesota Child Passenger Safety Training for more information about registering for a class. You may also call 651-248-8256 for additional information.
  • If you are providing kinship foster care, please contact Michelle Niemi to sign up for car seat training. Call 763-324-1833 or email Michelle Niemi. 
  • For more information on types of foster care, go to the Basics of Foster Care page.
  • After training is completed, please submit the certificate of completion to your foster care licensing social worker.

Car Seat Training is required by Minnesota Statute § 245A.18. Training must be completed once every five years when caring for children under 9 years of age.

Training Required if Providing Care to Children 5 or Under 


Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome (SUID) & Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) 

You must complete this training before you can be licensed. To complete this training:

Under Minnesota Statute § 245A.144, child foster care providers caring for infants or children through 5 years of age must be instructed and receive training on SUID/AHT at least once every 5 years.

Under Minnesota Statute § 245A.1445, there is an option to watch a video training to meet the requirements for SUID/AHT training.