All CDS programs participated in an in-service day in August – these occur about 4 times per year and have taken many forms over time. Most recently, CDS directors and/or managers would identify training topics or issues for their small group or program, then create and facilitate their training independently.

With an eye toward improvement and creating consistency, CDS leadership met starting in the spring and early summer to reinvigorate In-Service Day programming for staff and management, modeling the day after a professional conference or workshop. After developing an outline and determining topics, CDS directors and managers split the work amongst themselves. The result was fantastic – there were creative activities and interesting, relevant training sessions which focused on establishing a unified CDS department and articulate shared values.

At the end of the day, everyone was encouraged to share their feedback to help continue to develop and refine programming and training topics – feedback was overall positive and encouraging.