Great training communicates new information, but more importantly, it is a transformational experience. Academy courses are designed to engage adults in meaningful experiences that encourage a rethinking of current ideas based on new research and best practice trends. Practitioners leave our courses with new ideas and specific skills with which to translate ideas into action.
The Academy offers courses that build from entry level to advanced skills based on CYC Certification competencies and requirements used in all practice settings. We teach core principles that are present across the field of youth services. Our students use their training hours to qualify for national and international CYC certification. The Academy is the most widely used source of professional development for certified CYCs in the United States.
We update our courses frequently so that we remain on the leading edge. We want our graduates to be the best-prepared practitioners in the field.
Child & Youth Care: Foundations Course
Learn valuable concepts and new skills based on leading-edge research and best practices relevant across the entire field of child and youth care services. & Prepare for the Families First Act transition to community-based, family-focused care. The Child & Youth Care: Foundations Course introduces practitioners to basic concepts and skills in professional child and youth…
Youth Thrive™: Protective and Promotive Factors for Healthy Adolescent Development and Well-being
Research conducted by The Center for Social Policy Study has identified a set of key competencies that have been shown to help young people increase protective and promotive factors while reducing risk factors. Research shows that these supports help young people move beyond trauma to become more resilient in addressing their developmental needs. This course…
Families Thrive™: Protective and Promotive Factors to Enhance Thriving for All Children, Youth, & Families (Live & Virtual Course)
Families Thrive integrates the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s (CSSP) Strengthening Families™ and Youth Thrive™ training into one comprehensive learning experience. Families Thrive devotes a module to each of the protective and promotive factors – knowledge of child development, social connections, cognitive & social/emotional competence, concrete supports in times of need, and resilience – and teaches practical techniques…
Training as an Avenue for Organizational Change: Transfer of Training and Adult Learning
Human services research shows that the effectiveness of staff training can be significantly increased when implemented as part of an overall organizational change effort. Helping supervisors and managers develop plans for supporting staff learning before, during, and following training is key to increasing the impact of training on organization services and outcomes. This training will…
The Purposeful Use of Daily Life Events
The Purposeful Use of Daily Life Events (DLE) is designed to help those who engage directly with young people and their families become more effective in their daily interactions. Through a focus on everyday events and how these events connect to the overall goals established with young people and/or families, the direct care practitioner adopts a more holistic approach in her/his interventions.