What NTDC is
NTDC is the National Training and Development Curriculum — a nationally developed curriculum for preparing foster and adoptive parents, used by a number of states and published at ntdctraining.org. It's built around themes like child development, trauma, and parenting a child you didn't raise from birth, delivered through a mix of self-directed and facilitated learning.
In Georgia, NTDC is the required pre-service training: the block of training you complete between your first inquiry and your approval as a foster parent. It's step 3 of the six-step path to approval, and it usually runs alongside your paperwork and home study rather than before them.
The "IMPACT" confusion — read this before you Google
For years, Georgia's pre-service training was a shorter curriculum called IMPACT. DFCS has replaced IMPACT pre-service with NTDC: current policy (PAMMS 14.8) names NTDC as the required pre-service curriculum Verified Oct 18, 2026. The GA+SCORE announcement we used to cite for the switch date (July 1, 2024) has since been taken down, so we no longer state the date. Plenty of pages — including some official-looking ones — still describe "IMPACT training" as if it were current. It isn't.
But the orientation is still called "IMPACT Orientation."
Here's the part that trips everyone up: the free two-hour information session that starts the whole process kept the old branding. DFCS still runs it as "IMPACT Orientation" (dfcs.georgia.gov/impact-orientation) Verified Jul 2, 2026. So you will attend something called IMPACT, and then do training called NTDC, and both are correct. If a recruiter mentions "IMPACT," they almost certainly mean the orientation — not the retired curriculum.
How long was the old IMPACT curriculum? Sources disagree (DFCS legacy materials and third-party guides give different hour counts), so we don't publish a number — it's retired either way. What matters is that NTDC is longer and more in-depth than what it replaced.
Hours & format: what you're committing to
Per current DFCS policy (PAMMS 14.8), which says "NTDC requires 34 hours to complete and is designed as a hybrid model" and calls for "ensuring the entire curriculum is completed within 10 weeks":
| What | The rule | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Total pre-service hours | 34 hours | Oct 18, 2026 |
| Format | Hybrid — virtual and in-person, mix set by your DFCS region | Oct 18, 2026 |
| Completion window | Within 10 weeks | Oct 18, 2026 |
"Hybrid" is as specific as published policy gets: the split between virtual and in-person delivery is at your DFCS region's discretion. We haven't found an official statewide breakdown of self-paced vs. classroom hours, so we won't invent one — your regional trainer sets the schedule, and it can differ from the county next door.
Session by session
We use this box for something we couldn't confirm with an official source, or that is changing. See it on our list of everything we're still confirming
The Georgia session lineup — pending verification
The NTDC curriculum publishes its themes nationally at ntdctraining.org, but we have not yet confirmed which sessions Georgia delivers, in what order, or how the 34 hours are divided among them. States adapt the curriculum, so copying the national list here could mislead you. We're verifying the exact Georgia lineup with a DFCS trainer, and this section will be filled in the moment we can source it. Until then: your regional training coordinator has the real schedule, and it comes with your enrollment.
What we can say from the confirmed policy: the 34 hours are spread over multiple sessions across up to 10 weeks — this is a weeks-long commitment with homework between meetings, not a single weekend seminar. Plan for it the way you'd plan for a night class.
Fitting it into real life
None of the following is policy — it's the practical stuff veteran foster parents wish someone had told them. Every item is a question to ask your recruiter or regional trainer, because the answers vary by region and cohort:
- Are there evening or weekend cohorts, or is my region daytime-only right now?
- Is childcare available during in-person sessions — and if not, can my kids' caregiver count toward my support-network conversation?
- If my spouse/partner and I can't attend the same session, can we make it up in a different cohort?
- What happens if I miss a session — do I restart, or slot into the next cohort's matching session?
- Can I start my fingerprints and paperwork while training is underway? (Ask your agency whether you can do them in parallel. See how long it takes.)
Asking these up front isn't pushy. Trainers would far rather schedule around your life than lose you in week six.
After approval: training doesn't stop
Once you're an approved caregiver, Georgia requires ongoing annual training called Continued Parent Development (CPD). Per current DFCS policy (PAMMS 14.9):
| Requirement | The rule | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Hours per year | 15 hours, due by December 31 each calendar year | Jul 2, 2026 |
| In person | At least 5 hours in person (one-on-one or group) | Jul 2, 2026 |
| Online / webinar caps | No more than 5 hours online and no more than 5 via webinar | Jul 2, 2026 |
| When you must start | Within 60 days of initial approval* | Jul 2, 2026 |
We use this box for something we couldn't confirm with an official source, or that is changing. See it on our list of everything we're still confirming
*About that 60-day start window
Current PAMMS 14.9 says caregivers must begin CPD within 60 calendar days of initial approval, and that's the figure we publish. But an older version of the same policy circulating in agency documents says 90 days, so we've asked DFCS to confirm which is current. Until they answer, treat 60 as the deadline — you can't be caught out by planning for the stricter number.
Missing the 15 hours isn't a paperwork shrug: policy allows DFCS to issue a violation if the hours aren't met by December 31 (a 60-day grace period is possible). Log your hours as you go — December is a bad month to discover you're ten hours short.
Foster411 Training
Free CE courses built for Georgia foster parents — video and reading lessons, quizzes, and dated certificates that count toward your annual hours.
Visit training.foster411.comSources & verification
- DFCS policy manual (PAMMS) §14.8 — Pre-Service Training (NTDC, 34 hours, hybrid, 10 weeks)pamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
- DFCS — IMPACT Orientation page (the orientation branding that persists)dfcs.georgia.gov Jul 2, 2026
- DFCS policy manual (PAMMS) §14.9 — Continued Parent Development (15 hrs/yr, ≥5 in person, 60-day initiation)pamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
- fostergeorgia.com — ongoing training overviewfostergeorgia.com Jul 2, 2026
- NTDC national curriculum portal (national themes — Georgia lineup pending, see above)ntdctraining.org Oct 18, 2026
This page summarizes policy in plain language and is not legal advice. Training delivery varies by DFCS region — your regional trainer's schedule is the final word. If today is well past our verified date, confirm details at your orientation.