Certified instructors get the benefits of teaching and organizing under the auspices of an established, highly recommended, and well-recognized NGO with an international reputation for excellence. Certified instructors get authorization to:

• organize and teach under Kidpower International auspices
• use our trademarked names
• benefit from our outstanding reputation
• represent our organization in their communities
• receive ongoing training and support

As a certified instructor, you will also be part of our international, multilingual, multicultural community of safety leaders dedicated to teaching social-emotional safety skills, including physical self-defense skills, to prevent harm such as bullying, abuse, abduction, and assault – and to strengthen relationships of all kinds.

We are always looking for people and groups who care about and will commit to doing their best to uphold the Kidpower Mission, Goals, and Values.

This includes a decades-long commitment to inclusion, which has been part of our statement of values since our establishment in 1989: We welcome people of any age, culture, religion, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, any kind of disability, political belief, nationality, marital status, or level of income, who share our commitment to integrity and safety for everyone and who can join us in upholding our values.

Kidpower instructors, staff, Board members, and volunteers commit to following our Ten Best Practices for Kidpower Team Members to the best of their ability in all of our interactions with each other and with the diverse communities we serve.

Our international, multilingual, multicultural community shares a commitment to Integrity in Communication so that disagreements and misunderstandings – which are unavoidable in any community – are more likely to become opportunities for us to grow, deepen our understanding and appreciation of different perspectives and experiences, and improve the quality of our program at all levels.

Finally, though the reasons for doing this work can be sad and heartbreaking, the work itself is fun and joyful. Our joy in teaching, sharing, and celebrating personal power with people of all ages and abilities is authentic and is also a key part of our effectiveness: people are more likely to learn well when they are having fun, feeling safe, and feeling respected.

If you share these values and feel excited about having fun doing this work in a diverse global community of folks from different cultures sharing a commitment to safety for all, Kidpower may be a good fit for YOU!

The first step on the pathway to certification is a careful review of all the articles, documents, and videos on this page so you can figure out if Kidpower feels like a good fit for you, personally.

If, after reading and watching what you find here, you are interested in taking the next step, email safety@kidpower.org to introduce yourself and tell us why you want to train with Kidpower.

We will respond and connect to learn more. If we agree that it seems like a good fit, the next three steps in the path are:

1. Applying
2. Completing agreements
3. Training

These three steps are described in the Getting Certified section below.

After completing the application process, being accepted as an instructor Candidate, and signing agreements together, we will make a personalized training plan with you based on your specific situation and goals.

The training process for each level of certification includes:

• completing courses with videos and workbooks in our Online Learning Center.
• participating in live practice and coaching sessions with a trainer to learn our curriculum and methods
• doing practical fieldwork by teaching skills for the people in your life
• participating in live online workshops led by experienced instructors/trainers
• organizing and co-teaching online workshops with an experienced instructors/trainers
• teaching one or more online workshops that are supervised by a trainer
• ongoing self-assessment and supportive observational assessment by a trainer
• certification for the specific areas you are authorized to teach on your own as a Facilitator or an Instructor as described below.

Level 1 -Facilitator Certification. This means you have demonstrated that you are ready to teach successfully according to our quality standards a portion of our program in a specific format to a specific group in a specific community. Once this has been achieved you can then start to learn and teach additional parts of our program for additional groups in your community. For example, someone might first become certified as a Facilitator for a 30-minute Introductory Kidpower Safety Skills Program for families of children ages 5-11 and their adults. They might first learn how to teach a 1-hour introductory bullying prevention or abuse prevention program in schools. They might start with a short Parentpower Safety Leadership Workshop.

Level 2- Instructor Certification – Once you have gained proficiency in being able to teach our core skills for different kinds of groups successfully, you are ready to start working towards certification as an Instructor. Being a Certified Instructor means that you have demonstrated proficiency in being able to teach multiple workshop formats to a wide range of audiences and groups.

Every person’s path is different. One person might become certified as a Facilitator to teach a short program within a few months. Another person might be learning and practicing for a couple of years and then suddenly become ready to teach several programs.

How long certification for different programs and levels takes will depend on:

• How long it takes you to become proficient at teaching the curriculum and using our teaching methods, which often depends on how much time you can commit to studying and practicing and on your group facilitation skills;
• How easily you can accept and integrate feedback;
• How much help you need to be successful in organizing in your community, which often depends on what kinds of connections you already have, what kinds of kind of experience you have in networking and marketing and whether you are working by yourself or as part of a team.

Our experience is that the Instructor-Level training and certification process usually takes place over several years, although most people can start teaching Facilitator-Level shorter sessions (up to an hour) in a specific program for a specific group within a few months.

Although we cannot predict how long it will take you to become certified to teach our programs, we DO commit to being in regular communication with you about your training process.

The training fees below include:

• Access to our recorded and live online workshops
• Monthly live online video coaching sessions with a trainer, individually or in a small group
• Response to email questions
• Digital workbooks for different kinds of programs
• Ongoing support by email, and other educational resources.

As explained above, the full training and certification process usually takes place over several years. The first year of training starts in the month after the application process is completed and the Training and Authorization Agreement signed. The first-year fee is $1,200 USD per person. The training fee for the following years until full Instructor certification for a given program is achieved is $50/month per person. The monthly fee might be reduced depending on what kinds of ongoing support someone needs for their continued certification, and what it costs us to provide that support.

Once a training candidate has received certification for a specific program, they will pay an ongoing monthly support fee OR 5% of their gross income from their use of the Kidpower program, whichever amount is greater. People in the US or Canada will also need to pay for inclusion in our umbrella liability insurance once they start teaching independently – OR, they will need to put Kidpower under their insurance if it is adequate.

If two or more people are coming from the same agency or business, we will offer a group rate. People who are only teaching for an established Kidpower Center will have the ongoing support fees and the insurance covered by their Center. Certified Facilitators and Instructors can teach through an existing center if they are in an area served by one, set up their own center serving a new area, or become an Authorized Individual or Agency Provider.

Once we are providing training in person again, there will be a separate fee for participation in our In-Person International Core Skills Training Program in Santa Cruz, California, which provides a unique opportunity to be coached by trainers while teaching students in workshops.

Because a great deal of time and energy is invested in getting someone started, the $1,200 fee for the first year of training is not refundable. After that, if someone decides at any point they don’t want additional training and don’t want to complete a certification to teach under our auspices, they only need to pay up through the month in which they notify Kidpower International that they want to stop. Someone who is not part of our organization can still use what they have learned and teach safety lessons incorporating our content through in person or live online classes in your community as long as they uphold our Permission to Use Requirements as spelled out in their Training and Authorization Agreement.

Certifying people to organize and teach under our auspices means that we are vouching for them – and requires a significant investment of time and money on both our parts. For this reason, we take the time to get to know people and to let them get to know us before they apply for this program.

To start, please read our Annual Report. In addition, we encourage you to watch the videos and read the documents and resources on this page. Then, email us at safety@kidpower.org with a brief introduction about you and your specific reasons for wanting to train with Kidpower. We look forward to hearing from you!

Our Application Process includes:

• written answers to questions by email;
• interviews with one or two trainers by video or in-person;
• background checks when possible;
• and personal and work references that we can check.

If you are in an area served by a Kidpower International Center, your first step will be to connect with the Center Director – see Kidpower International Locations. If you are interested in applying but unsure which location to contact, email safety@kidpower.org or use the Contact Us form below.

If you are accepted as an instructor certification Candidate, you will sign a Training and Authorized Provider Agreement with Kidpower International.

If you are sponsored by and will be teaching as part of a business, school, or organization, your sponsor will also sign an Agency Authorized Provider Agreement with us.

The training process for each level of certification includes:

• completing courses with videos and workbooks in our Online Learning Center.
• participating in live practice and coaching sessions with a trainer about curriculum and teaching methods.
• Authorization to do ongoing practical fieldwork by teaching skills for the people in your life.
• participating in live online workshops led by an experienced instructor/trainer.
• organizing and co-teaching online workshops with an experienced instructor/trainer.
• teaching one or more online workshops that are supervised by a trainer
• Ongoing self-assessment and supportive observational assessment by a trainer.
• Receiving a letter of certification for the specific areas you are fully prepared to teach on your own as a Facilitator or an Instructor as described below.

Level 1 -Facilitator Certification. This means you have demonstrated that you are ready to teach successfully according to our quality standards a portion of our program in a specific format to a specific group in a specific community. Once this has been achieved you can then start to learn and teach additional parts of our program for additional groups in your community. For example, someone might first become certified as a Facilitator for a 30-minute Introductory Kidpower Safety Skills Program for families of children ages 5-11 and their adults. They might first learn how to teach a 1-hour introductory bullying prevention or abuse prevention program in schools. They might start with a short Parentpower Safety Leadership Workshop.

Level 2- Instructor Certification – Once you have gained proficiency in being able to teach our core skills for different kinds of groups successfully, you are ready to start working towards certification as an Instructor. Being a Certified Instructor means that you have demonstrated proficiency in being able to teach multiple workshop formats to a wide range of audiences and groups.

What if someone wants to stop training? Because a great deal of time and energy is invested in getting someone started, the $1,200 fee for the first year of training is not refundable. After that, if someone decides at any point they don’t want additional training and don’t want to complete a certification to teach under our auspices, they only need to pay up through the month in which they notify Kidpower International that they want to stop. Someone who is not part of our organization can still use what they have learned and teach safety lessons incorporating our content through in person or live online classes in your community as long as they uphold our Permission to Use Requirements as spelled out in their Training and Authorization Agreement.