Adult Family Home Admin Course

Please take a moment to read through this page before calling our offices as many of your questions can be answered with the information below. We do not offer licensure information; you will need to contact  DSHS directly for questions of that nature.

Orientation: North Seattle College no longer offers Orientation. 


What are the prerequisites for taking the Adult Family Home Administrator Course?

The Adult Family Home Administrator Course requires English proficiency. This prerequisite is mandated by DSHS per their website (view mandate here). DSHS requires that all students satisfy the prerequisite by taking the English Proficiency test prior to taking the course. 

You will not be able to register for the Administrator Course until you have passed the English proficiency test.


AFH Process

What are the English language proficiency requirements? 

Competency testing is required for all students regardless of your fluency. Students must pay the test fee, complete, and pass this test 7 business days prior to the start of the Administrator Course. If you do not pass the test seven business days before the first class meeting, you will not be allowed to register for the current course. No exceptions will be made.


How do I take the English language proficiency test? 

All students are required to take the competency test regardless of your English fluency. 

To take the test, you will need to pay the $35 testing fee by registering at this link: https://conted.northseattle.edu/courses/testing-fee-afh.

The instructions for the test are included in the confirmation email you will receive when you register. Practice tests are encouraged. 

You will need to come to campus to take the test at the North Seattle College Testing Center. You must have activated your ctcLink account and accessed Canvas before you come to the North Seattle College Testing Center. The Testing Center is open Monday – Thursday. You must arrive by 11:30 am to complete the test, including any additional attempts. There are no exceptions for late arriving test takers and no admittance will be granted after 1pm. Please allow yourself 2 hours. You are allowed 2 attempts. Each attempt will take 60 minutes.

Planning is key, so be sure you pay the testing fee as soon as possible so that you have plenty of time to practice before your in-person test. Remember you must pass the in-person test 7 business days prior to registering for the Administration Course. No exceptions will be made.

Contact the testing center to book your time slot: NSCTesting@seattlecolleges.edu. The North Seattle College Testing Center is in the College Center (CC) building in room 2459C.


How will I know if I passed the test?   

You will know prior to leaving the testing center whether you passed or failed the test. 


What happens if I do not pass the test?   

Consider registering for an ESL class. Click here for class offerings. You will not be able to re-test until the next quarter. 


What happens after I pass the test?   

You will need to contact the Continuing Education office during normal business hours to register and pay the Administrator course fee. Please note that this course fills very quickly and seating is limited to 30 people. Just because you pass the class does not guarantee you a seat in the current quarter Administrator course. Planning is key so stay on top of things! The phone number to call is (206)-934-3619 or email afh.north@seattlecolleges.edu 

How do I get my course manual?

Once you have passed the test and registered for the Administrator course, you can stop by the Continuing Education office at North Seattle College to pick up the course manual during normal business hours. For directions and a campus map click <here>.


Adult Family Home Administrator Course Information 

The Administrator Training is a 54-hour non-credit class. All training materials are provided. Each student receives a certificate upon successful completion of the course, and this certificate has no expiration date. For current AFH resident managers, this course is strongly suggested but not required by DSHS. Participants must have access to high-speed internet, a microphone, and web camera for each session. 

Examples of Topics Covered 

  • Instruction on the inspection processes required for licensing.
  • Aspects of what is needed to run a business: for example, readiness, feasibility, marketing, and finance.
  • Laws and regulations relating to staffing, resident’s rights, assessments, medication administration, recreational activities, nutrition, building inspection and the initial inspection.

How do I participate in the online Canvas Course?   

Once you have passed the proficiency test and successfully registered and paid for the Administrator course it is time to get ready for your online Canvas course! Here are a few things you need to know about Canvas:

  1. To complete, pass, and receive a certificate for the Administrator Course you must attend all classes.
  2. The Adult Family Home Administrator Course is currently being offered online via Canvas. You will need to be proficient with a computer as one is required for this course. A cell phone will not be adequate to complete this course.
  3. During the course you will need to always have your camera on. If you don’t keep your camera on you will fail the course.
  4. You cannot miss more than 2 hours of class time. If you miss more than 2 hours of class time you will fail the course and not receive a certificate.
  5. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be issued a DSHS training certificate. A copy of this certificate must be kept in your AFH files.

Current Quarter Offerings:

Please note: If a class is full, you have the option to be added to a waitlist by clicking on the “Add to Wait List” button from the class description page. The wait list does not guarantee enrollment in the class, nor does it move you to registered status in a future quarter. Being on a wait list is different from being registered for a class and there is no guarantee that a spot will open to you so please test, register, and pay for your classes. If you need more general help on the registration process click here.

For Continuing Education policies click here or for more information, please e-mail afh.north@seattlecolleges.edu or call (206)-934-3619.