For New Jersey DDD-approved agencies
New Jersey, meet the training pathway built around DDD's DSP timeline
New Jersey's DSP standards come with a timeline. Some items are due before a new hire's first shift, some within 60, 90, 120 or 180 days, and some renew every year or every two years. Multiply that by every new hire and the tracking alone becomes a second job.
TES puts DDD's timeline into one checklist for each staff member. You see what's done, what's due next and what's about to expire. College of Direct Support modules, CPR cards and medication practicums sit in the same record as the online courses your agency assigns, so the file is ready when a reviewer asks.
Mapped to NJ DDD's "Implementing the New DSP Training Standards" guide (rev. Jan 22, 2025). Last reviewed October 2026.
- 400+ courses and programs
- 200,000+ professionals trained
What DDD requires, and how TES tracks it
DDD's standards apply to DSPs delivering Behavioral Supports, Career Planning, Community Based Supports, Community Inclusion, Day Habilitation, Individual Supports, Prevocational Training, Respite, Supported Employment and Supports Brokerage. Staff hired on or after January 1, 2025 follow the timeline below. Staff hired earlier had until December 31, 2025 to complete the listed trainings. [DDD guide]
Before working with individuals
| Requirement | Official source | How TES handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Life-Threatening Emergencies (Danielle's Law), 0.5 hr | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked in TES as external evidence (completed on the College of Direct Support) |
| Stephen Komninos' Law, 0.5 hr | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked in TES as external evidence (completed on the College of Direct Support) |
| Incident Reporting, 0.5 hr, plus review of your agency's procedures | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked in TES as external evidence (completed on the College of Direct Support); your agency procedure review recorded alongside it |
| Provider orientation (mission, personnel policies, service plans, documentation) | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked in TES as agency-delivered orientation |
Before sole responsibility (and the 60-day window)
| Requirement | Official source | How TES handles it |
|---|---|---|
| CPR (2.5 hr) and First Aid (3 hr) from a nationally accredited source, before sole responsibility. Renew every 2 years. | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Certification card tracked as external evidence, with the 2-year renewal date |
| Preventing Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation (PANE), 2 hr, plus onsite competency assessment. Before sole responsibility or within 60 days. | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked in TES as external evidence (completed on the College of Direct Support); competency sign-off recorded with it. Supporting course: Recognition, Prevention, and Obligation to Report Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation |
| Basic Safety; Fire Evacuation and Emergency Procedures (provider-developed). Before sole responsibility or within 60 days. | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Agency-delivered. Supporting courses: Fire Safety for Direct Support Professionals; Emergency Preparedness |
| Understanding and Preventing Life-Threatening Health Conditions, 2 hr. Before sole responsibility or within 60 days. | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked in TES as external evidence (completed on the College of Direct Support). Supporting course: Fatal Five |
| Crisis prevention and intervention (DDD-approved; for acuity-differentiated services) | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked as external evidence. Supporting course: Verbal De-escalation and Crisis Prevention for Direct Support Professionals |
| Service Documentation and Medicaid Fraud, Waste and Abuse, 0.75 hr. Within 60 days. | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked in TES as external evidence (completed on the College of Direct Support). Supporting course: Fraud, Waste, and Abuse for Direct Support Professionals |
Within 90 days
| Requirement | Official source | How TES handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Precautions (then annually; the annual refresher may be done in-house) | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Mapped course in the NJ pathway: Universal Precautions and Safety Basics |
| DSP Professionalism; Introduction to Developmental Disabilities; Working with Families; Individual Rights and Choice; HCBS Settings overview | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked per DSP. Supporting courses: NADSP Code of Ethics; Introduction to Developmental Disabilities; Fundamental Rights for Direct Support Professionals; Supporting Individuals and Families in Making Choices for Direct Support Professionals |
| Person-Centered Planning; HIPAA | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Mapped courses in the NJ pathway: Person Centered Planning for Direct Support Professionals; HIPAA for Direct Support Professionals |
Within 120 and 180 days
| Requirement | Official source | How TES handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Within 120 days: Supporting Healthy Lives (8 hr); Cultural Competence; Understanding Behavior and Effective Supports; Overview of Dual Diagnosis | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Mapped courses: Health and Wellness; Embracing Diversity: Cultural Competency in the Workplace; Verbal De-escalation and Crisis Prevention for Direct Support Professionals. Also supporting: Dual Diagnosis: Mental Illness as a Co-Occurring Disorder; Principles of Behavior Change for Direct Support Professionals |
| Within 180 days: Introduction to Trauma-Informed Supports; Everyone Can Communicate (6.7 hr) | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Mapped course: Communication Foundations for Direct Support Professionals. Also supporting: Trauma-Informed Care for Autistic Individuals |
Ongoing and gated
| Requirement | Official source | How TES handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Medication administration: Medications 1–6 on CDS plus onsite practicum. Required before administering medications, then annually. | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | CDS completion and practicum sign-off tracked as external evidence, with an annual renewal. TES's Medication Administration (Five Rights) course is a knowledge refresher and does not replace DDD's medication training. |
| Introduction to Positive Behavior Supports, 5 hr, before implementing behavior support plans (Boggs Center live-virtual or DDD-approved agency training) | NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference | Tracked as external evidence for staff who implement BSPs |
| Annual professional development: 12 hours for full-time staff (30+ hrs/week) and 6 hours for part-time staff, prorated in the first year. State-mandated trainings, in-services and CDS courses all count. | NJ DDD guide, Annual Professional Development section | Hours tracked per DSP. Any TES catalog course can count toward the total |
Where TES courses fit in New Jersey
DDD's own modules on the College of Direct Support are the default for many topics. DDD also allows other routes: authorized Relias courses, nationally accredited trainings, live-virtual Boggs Center sessions, and provider-developed or provider-acquired training that DDD has approved [DDD Training page].
Under DDD's Alternate Pathway, an agency can submit its own curriculum for Universal Precautions, DSP Professionalism, Introduction to DD, Person-Centered Planning, HIPAA, Working with Families, Individual Rights and Choice, Supporting Healthy Lives, Cultural Competence and Everyone Can Communicate. Submissions go to DDD's Waiver and Quality Unit, which responds within 30 days [NJ DDD guide, Section 5, Alternate Pathway]. Your 12 or 6 annual hours can come from any training source.
TES gives you mapped online courses for those topics and one place to track everything else.
The records are what get reviewed
When DDD or a licensing reviewer asks, you need more than certificates scattered across platforms. TES keeps each DSP's CDS completions, certification cards, onsite competency sign-offs and online coursework in one checklist with dates, so you can answer "Was she trained before her first solo shift?" in seconds.
Courses mapped to New Jersey topics
These are the public TES catalog courses mapped in the New Jersey pathway, plus related catalog courses for in-service and annual hours. Before using a TES course in place of a CDS module, get DDD Alternate Pathway approval.
Built for managers who are stretched thin
- One checklist per staff member. Every state requirement, its due date and its status in one record, so you can see who is on track and who is about to slip.
- Due dates and renewals tracked for you. Each requirement shows when it is first due and how often it renews, from "before first shift" to annual and multi-year cycles.
- Outside training lives in the same record. CPR/First Aid cards, medication-administration certifications and state-platform completions are tracked as external evidence next to your online courses, so one record shows what a reviewer asks for.
- Mapped online courses ready to assign. Self-paced courses from the TES catalog cover the topics your agency is allowed to deliver itself.
- NADSP Accredited Education provider. Completed TES hours can also count toward NADSP DSP-I and DSP-II accredited education through the NADSP E-Badge Certification Program.
Pricing
The New Jersey DSP pathway includes the requirement checklist, due-date and renewal tracking, and the trainings mapped to the pathway [pathway].
Buying for a team? Contact us or use "Request a team purchase" on the pathway page. Nothing is charged until billing is confirmed with you.
Frequently asked questions
Does TES replace the College of Direct Support?
No. DDD's CDS modules stay where DDD requires them. TES tracks those completions as evidence next to your other training, and it provides courses for the topics DDD lets agencies deliver through approved provider training and annual professional development.
How many annual hours do New Jersey DSPs need?
Twelve hours a year for full-time DSPs (30+ hours a week) and six for part-time DSPs, prorated in the first year. NJ DDD guide, Annual Professional Development section
How often does CPR and First Aid renew?
Every two years. Training must come from a nationally accredited source and be completed before a DSP has sole responsibility for an individual. NJ DDD guide, Section 7 Quick Reference
Make the New Jersey timeline the easy part
See each new hire's DDD timeline on one screen, with every renewal and outside certificate tracked. We'll walk you through the New Jersey pathway with your own staff list in mind.