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CYCCB Office
1212 Orr Street
College Station, Texas 77840
979-764-7306

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THANK A YOUTH WORKER DAY 2023
ACYCP COMPLETES BENCHMARK ISSUES AND SALARY SURVEY

ACYCP COMPLETES BENCHMARK ISSUES
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Benefits of Certification: Confirmed

Benefits of Certification: Confirmed

CYCCB Current Priorities

CYCCB CURRENT PRIORITIES

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CYCCB Current Priorities

CYCCB.jpg                      CYCCB’s Current Priorities and Accomplishments 

CYCCB was formed by the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice (ACYCP) in 2008 to oversee the implementation of the CYC-P professional certification.  Over the past 10 years, much has been accomplished to establish and expand the CYC Certification.

The international certification effort continues to be an excellent example of what can be accomplished when CYC practitioners work across silos to accomplish a common goal.  The most important work of CYCCB continues to be accomplished by volunteers working in conjunction with the Board and office staff.

We thank the many practitioners who have served on our Board and committees.  Many of our leadership have been involved for more than 10 years. CYCCB’s mission could not have been accomplished without the thousands of unpaid volunteer hours donated by this group and others.

CYCCB is truly an international effort that provides a place for expertise to be brought together for the common good of CYC practitioners, the profession, and the millions of young people we serve. 

CYCCB is now the largest international CYC certification program in the world.  

CYCCB is currently involved in Strategic Planning to set goals and direction for the next 3 years.  CYCCB has completed similar planning processes 3 times in its history.  Each plan has been over 90% attained by the next planning session. 

Over the last 12 years, CYCCB has:

  1. Provided leadership in revising the 2002 CYC competency document. In 2010 work was completed to update language and practices to better reflect cross-sector work.

  2. Implemented proctored test sites in many US states and four Canadian Provinces.  Currently, there are over 80 trained proctors available across North America.

  3. Created a Canadian version of the CYC-P exam that is adjusted for culture, diversity, language, and practices in Canada.  Additional work to further refine the exam is currently in planning.

  4. Integrated the CYC-P credential into the existing certification programs sponsored by state and provincial professional associations in Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Louisiana, Florida, California, Indiana, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario.  CYCCB has recognized the certification sponsored by the Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta (CYCAA), Canada. Practitioners certified by CYCAA can use their certification to meet some of the CYCCB Certification requirements. Negotiations are underway to expand reciprocity with the Alberta CYC Credential.

  5. Co-sponsored work with the ACYCP and the University of Pittsburgh to hold an international gathering of higher education faculty from child and youth work degree programs attended by representatives from colleges and universities in the US, Canada, and Scotland. Work was started on an integrated higher education system built around the Competencies for Professional CYW Practice (2010) and CYC Certification. A new Higher Education Committee is in development.

  6. CYCCB continues to support the work of the Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada (CYCEAB) to raise standards for CYC higher education programs in Canada.  CYCCB is a founding member.

  7. Collaborated with ACYCP, National AfterSchool Association (NAA), National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA), CYC Certification Institute (CYCI), National Partnership for Juvenile Services (NPJS), and the Association of Children’s Residential Centers (ACRC) in 2012 to establish the CYW Workforce Coalition (CYWWC).  This group is working across sectors to link professional development opportunities, establish a unified voice for the CYC workforce, and increase career pathways that promote an accessible, stable, and competent workforce.

  8. Published the CYC Professional Certification Workbook in 2017 to provide a comprehensive source of information for students and practitioners preparing for CYC certification.  This will be updated by the end of 2019 to better describe the Entry and Associate Level certifications which were added to CYCCB after the workbook was initially published.

  9. Research continues to be prioritized to further explore how certification and high standards of practice impact the millions of children, youth, and families cared for by certified CYC professionals. Sponsoring studies in organizations that have large numbers of certified practitioners is expected to further clarify the impact of certification on practice and young people.

    The Research Committee base has been moved from Kent State to Indiana University.  The Committee is currently looking for a new chair to replace Dr. Dale Curry, who established and chaired the committee for 10+ years.

  10. Integrated the Entry and Associate Certifications offered through the CYC Certification Institute into the CYCCB certification umbrella to expand professional development and certification opportunities over the entire span of a practitioner’s career from entry into the workforce through fully competent practice. 

  11. In 2018 the Council on Accreditation, the largest international organization accrediting child care programs, recognized the CYCCB competencies and certification program in their standards. Meeting CYCCB certification requirements was recognized by COA as an indicator of high-quality staffing (which is well documented as a primary indicator of quality programming). Practitioners who have various levels of CYC Certification are recognized as qualified for many positions within the standards.  Additional discussions are in-process to expand the number and types of positions included.

  12. Co-sponsored with the Indiana Youth Services Association, The Journey, Department of Education and 21st Century Learning Community a pilot program in 2018 to test the viability of an on-line application process that facilitates completion of all certification application requirements before a practitioner tests.  The pilot program ended in Dec 2018 and demonstrated that this approach increased the number of people who completed the certification process. It is now implemented throughout Indiana for all CYC practitioners applying for certification in that state. Plans are moving forward to expand the use of this system in other jurisdictions.  

  13. Cross-walked the CYC Certification competencies to the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets. This connected two major frameworks broadly implemented across the CYC field.  Connecting the Dots is a significant effort to bring a research-informed understanding of assets into more general use across the field of child and youth work practice by creating a cross-walk to the CYC Certification Competencies.  As such, it will benefit practitioners in early childhood, juvenile justice, after school, disabilities, congregate and foster care, child welfare, education, and many other settings. This work was undertaken by the Bartholomew County Council for Youth Development in collaboration with CYCCB.

  14. In 2011 CYCCB created a crosswalk to the newly published Core Competencies For Afterschool and Youth Development Professionals. This was important work in validating the idea that the CYCCB competencies, which describe CYC practice across settings, also describe competencies identified by a major national effort to describe competencies specific to out-of-school practice. The National After School Association has since revised the competencies framework twice.  The CYCCB Certification Practices Committee is currently creating a new crosswalk to the revised NAA 3rd edition competencies which is expected to again confirm the correlation of competencies across settings and provide insight into how the CYCCB competencies can be better understood as representing levels of competence.

  15. Discussions are underway regarding creating additional certification levels. Many practitioners could benefit from a certification that verifies a professional as meeting standards for 3rd party insurance payments.  Specific certification for this could open opportunities to CYCs to engage in private practice.

    Provisional certification levels have been implemented for the Entry and Associate Certification levels so that all levels currently offer a provisional option.  These are thought to be important in helping students coming into the field from higher education programs become certified upon graduation, often before they have an adequate employment history.  It is also helpful for part-time practitioners who have completed entry-level training before attaining the required experience. 

  16. CYCCB is exploring the implementation of a new certification management system. As the demand for certification continues to increase, CYCCB is updating its data management systems and designing more efficient application and renewal processing. At this juncture of development, CYCCB is investing in retooling its infrastructure to prepare for expanded demand over the next 5 years.   

  17. Deborah Getz, CYCCB Secretary and faculty at Indiana University are forming a High Education Committee to work with educators to expand the integration of the CYC competencies and certification requirements into university degree programs. She is currently assembling the committee and plans to sponsor national meetings in the near future.

  18. The Spanish version of the Entry Level Certification Exam is being piloted by the staff at Morrison Children and Family Services in Oregon. The exam was originally translated by a team at the University of Texas Brownsville. CYCCB is conducting a study to verify the impact of the exam on test scores of practitioners whose first language was Spanish. Once this study has concluded, it is expected that the exam will be implemented throughout the CYCCB testing system.

  19. In 2020, CYCCB, the Academy for Competent Youth Work, and Youth Build Philly collaborated to create a high school vocational program in Philadelphia. Students in this charter school program complete their high school diploma while studying youth work. The program includes field placements in local child care organizations. This is a 3-year pilot project that is researching the effectiveness and safety of the program.