Online Trainings
These online courses have been approved for foster parent credit (see exceptions listed below). If you have issues with any of the online courses listed below, please contact the organization affiliated with that particular class. IFAPA will not be able to help resolve any issues with these classes since they are not connected to or operated by IFAPA.
Online Courses (FosterParents.com & FosterParentCollege.com)
In Iowa, foster parents need six hours of training annually to renew their foster care license. Foster parents can obtain a maximum of three credit hours by taking online courses offered by FosterParents.com and/or FosterParentCollege.com (please see special exceptions below). The remaining three hours of credit must be obtained through a face-to-face group setting, such as an IFAPA training or support group training. These online courses are not affiliated with IFAPA, if you have questions please call the phone number listed below. Please be sure to read the online training directions to know time limits allowed to complete the online class.
FosterParents.com (818-998-4462):
- Foster parents completing an online course(s) through FosterParents.com will receive the same amount of training credit as what the course is worth (i.e. Positive Discipline is worth 3 training credits, Iowa Foster Parents will receive 3 hours of credit). Remember foster parents can only receive a maximum of 3 hours of online training per training cycle, so a class that is worth 4 hours of online credit will only be worth 3 credit hours.
- The following courses on FosterParents.com are NOT approved for foster parent credit Reactive Attachment Disorder - Bonding and Attachment Workshop I & Bonding and Attachment Workshop II, First Aid & CPR Renewal/Refresher – Universal Precautions).
- To view a list of online courses and the cost, click here.
FosterParentCollege.com (800-777-6636):
- Foster parents completing an online course(s) through FosterParentCollege.com will only receive one hour of training credit per course regardless of how many credits their website says it's worth. The only course that is worth more credit is Substance-Exposed Infants which is worth 2 credit hours. Remember foster parents can only receive a maximum of 3 hours of online training per training cycle. Foster Parent College's online Mandatory Reporter training is not authorized for foster parent credit. The only online Mandatory Reporter training approved for foster parents is the HealthCE class listed below.
- DHS has approved 28 online courses for foster parent training credit through FosterParentCollege.com. To view the list of approved classes, click here. There is a fee to take these online classes.
Online Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Course (HealthCE.com)
The Iowa Department of Public Health has approved one online Mandatory Reporter Training class for foster parents offered through CE Solutions. IFAPA promotes this online class as an additional resource for foster parents; however, the online course is not connected to IFAPA. For step-by-step instructions and the cost involved to take this course, visit our Mandatory Reporter Training page.