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George Brown College Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Care/Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Care (Accelerated Option)
George Brown College

Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Care/Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Care (Accelerated Option)

Toronto, Canada

1 up to 3 Years

English

Full time

Request application deadline

Jan 2025

CAD 17,935 / per year

On-Campus

Key Summary

    About: The Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Care offers in-depth knowledge and practical skills for those looking to support children and youth in diverse settings. The program covers key topics like child development, counselling techniques, and community resources. There's also an accelerated option for quicker completion.
    Career Outcomes: Graduates can pursue roles such as child and youth care workers, youth support coordinators, education resources specialists, or community service managers. The skill set from this program equips professionals for work in schools, non-profits, and various care facilities.

Introduction

Leadership Claims



This Child and Youth Care program has earned national accreditation from the Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada, becoming the first of its kind in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and the third in Canada to do so.

George Brown College's Child and Youth Care program combines best practice principles and a relational approach that is anchored in the values of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care Code of Ethics.

Students learn to engage purposefully and effectively with children, adolescents, and families who struggle with emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges that impair their abilities to relate to others.

The specific focus is on recognizing the impact of mental health challenges on children and youth.

Students learn to translate theory into practice to move youth from potential risk to resilience. In preparation for the field or clinical placement, students will be required to work in multiple small and large groups within classes and community settings.

There is also an Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Care (Accelerated) option available, to which one can apply if they have already completed a two- or three-year diploma, or a three- or four-year degree. This program starts in May and is delivered over 12 consecutive months (three consecutive semesters).

Scope of practice includes:

  • assessing risk and developmental needs of vulnerable children and families
  • designing and implementing therapeutic intervention
  • crisis intervention and safety planning with children, youth, and their families
  • developing therapeutic relationships within challenging contexts
  • applying group and systems theories in physical and social settings
  • fostering resilience and applying a strength-based approach to assessment and intervention

Your Field Education Options

Field placement plays an important role in the Child and Youth Care program.

The first year provides students with an opportunity to develop a solid foundation of skills to build upon. The subsequent academic courses come to life in a wide range of supervised field placements in the second and third years of the program.

Second-year students can expect to be in placement two days a week (Winter semester) and third-year students can expect to be in placement three days a week over 28 weeks (includes both the Fall and Winter Semester).

Placements may take place in professional settings such as:

  • residential care
  • hospitals
  • shelters
  • schools
  • after-school programs
  • community outreach programs
  • day treatment
  • youth justice

Students are expected to work both day and evening shifts (not overnight) and may be requested to work on some weekends.

For the Accelerated option, students gain valuable hands-on experience through two supervised field placement opportunities. The first placement occurs over seven consecutive weeks in the Summer semester and the second occurs over four consecutive months in the Winter semester. Each placement is four days/week.

Field placement opportunities take place in agencies and institutions that offer services to the community within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The CYC program also offers international placement experiences when possible.

Admissions

Scholarships and Funding

Curriculum

Program Outcome

Program Tuition Fee

Career Opportunities

Student Testimonials

About the School

Questions