Info for Shelter Team Members

Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program Information

 

Introducing our Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program!

With this game-changing professional development program for shelter team members, you can elevate your professional skills and credentials, positioning yourself for a more fulfilling career in animal welfare.

This program will provide you with a robust foundation in critical areas of best practices in animal care and shelter operations, leading to certification as a Shelter Care Specialist.

Sign up below to receive updates about our Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program by clicking the button below and we'll keep you up to date with information on this opportunity.

 

 

Program Overview

Our program offers six comprehensive courses, each lasting six weeks, covering the most critical aspects of animal care and shelter operations. You'll start with our core courses - Modern Shelter Foundations and Animal Care Foundations, which will equip you with fundamental knowledge about shelter operations, animal welfare, and basic daily and medical care.

After mastering the basics, you can choose from four elective courses tailored to your interests and professional needs to complete your Shelter Care Specialist (SCS) certification. These include Medical Focused Electives - Advanced Medical Care, and Clinic Skills and Operations, or Welfare Focused Electives - Population Management and Behavior, Training, and Enrichment.

Our flexible certification options allow you to customize your learning journey. Earn your Shelter Care Specialist (SCS) certification by completing the two required courses and two electives with your choice of Medical or Welfare Focus. Step up to an Advanced Shelter Care Specialist Certification (ASCS) with two required courses and all four electives. Or aim for the pinnacle of professional development with our Master Shelter Care Specialist Certification (MSCS), which includes both required courses, all four electives plus a Masters Project and a Co-Coach role.

Each course in this program provides 10.0 continuing education (CE) units through NACA and CAWA.

 

Learn More



Shelter Care Specialist
Welfare Focus

Required Courses:

  • Modern Sheltering Foundations
  • Animal Care Foundations

Welfare-Focused Electives

  • Population Management
  • Behavior, Training, and Enrichment


Shelter Care Specialist
Medical Focus

Required Courses:

  • Modern Sheltering Foundations
  • Animal Care Foundations

Medical-Focused Electives

  • Advanced Medical Care
  • Clinic Skills and Operations


Advanced
Shelter Care Specialist

Required Courses:

  • Modern Sheltering Foundations
  • Animal Care Foundations

All Four Electives

  • Population Management
  • Behavior, Training, and Enrichment
  • Advanced Medical Care
  • Clinic Skills and Operations

 

Masters Shelter Care Specialist Certification

Want to aim for the pinnacle of professional development?

Consider our Master Shelter Care Specialist Certification (MSCS).

Required Courses:

  • Modern Sheltering Foundations
  • Animal Care Foundations

All Four Electives

  • Population Management
  • Behavior, Training, and Enrichment
  • Advanced Medical Care
  • Clinic Skills and Operations

PLUS

  • Masters Project
  • Co-Coach Role in the SCS Project

 


Shelter Care Specialist
Program Courses

Required Courses:

  • Modern Sheltering Foundations (MSF)
  • Animal Care Foundations (ACF)

Electives

  • Population Management (PM)
  • Behavior, Training, and Enrichment (BTE)
  • Advanced Medical Care (AMC)
  • Clinic Skills and Operations (CSO)

Shelter Care Specialist
Upcoming Group Start Dates

  • Winter 2025 - Starts 1/6/25
  • Spring 2025 - Starts 3/3/25
  • Early Summer 2025 - Starts 5/5/25

 


Upcoming Sessions
and Courses Offered

Sessions:

  • Late Summer 2024 - 8/19-9/29/24
    • Course: MSF
  • Fall 2024 - 10/21-12/8/24
    • Courses: MSF, ACF
  • Winter 2025 - 1/6-2/16/25
    • Courses: MSF, ACF
  • Spring 2025 - 3/3-4/13/25
    • Courses: MSF, ACF, PM, AMC
  • Early Summer 2025 - 5/5/25-6/24/25
    • Courses: MSF, ACF, BTE, CSO.

 

 

Interested in applying for the Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program?

If you would like to be considered for the SPRING 2025 Shelter Care Specialist Certificate Program session beginning March 3, 2025, please click “Apply Now” below and complete the application form by February 3, 2025.

If you previously submitted an application for past sessions, please indicate that in your response so you do not have to fill out the entire application again.

If you check the "Add to Mailing List" option at the end of this form we will keep you up to date on SCS happenings and future session start dates.

NOTE: The content of this program at this time is most relevant for individuals working in public shelters or private shelters with municipal contracts. Because enrollment for this program is limited, we will be prioritizing the enrollment of individuals from these types of shelters. If you are not currently working in that setting, be sure to check out the online, self-paced, on-demand offerings on Maddie's University.

To review information about the SCS program, visit our "About Certification" pages.