Lethbridge College is transforming the discipline of child and youth care by becoming the first college in Canada to earn accreditation from the Child and Youth Care Educational Accreditation Board of Canada (CYCEAB). The CYCEAB is a consortium of educators from both university and college level post-secondary institutions, representing institutions across the nation.
The CYCEAB created a process for post-secondary institutions to apply for accreditation, with Lethbridge College’s Child and Youth Care program becoming the first institution to apply for and receive accreditation.
“Accreditation is a way to ensure quality and best practices,” says Marty Thomsen, Dean of Lethbridge College’s Centre for Justice and Human Services. “What was determined is that we are one of the best Child and Youth Care programs in Canada. We were recognized as a premier program, which I think is a testament to the excellent program-level leadership, faculty and support staff in that area.”
The accreditation process coincided with Lethbridge College’s regular five-year internal program review. After the college submitted a detailed self-study report and quality enhancement plan, a CYCEAB examiner reviewed fundamental aspects of the program, including curriculum, policies, processes, facilities and student-faculty relationships. The process also included conversations with students, faculty and administrators during a visit by the external CYCEAB examiner last October.
“When our students graduate and look to enter the industry, employers will know they are getting a graduate from a credible program who meets the highest standards in Canada,” says Thomsen. “They will know that we offer high-quality, current and relevant instruction that meets the needs of the child and youth care industry that benefits our students, which is always our top priority.”
Social service agencies and employers throughout Canada will have assurance that students from Lethbridge College are educated in a program that has been thoroughly examined by a nationally-ranked accrediting body, and has the credibility synonymous with external scrutiny and approval.
“This validates what we’ve always known - that Lethbridge College produces excellent Child and Youth Care graduates,” says Greg Schmidt, executive director of Family Ties Association, a social services agency that works with families and youth throughout southern Alberta.
“This shows that the college is listening to the people who are doing the work in the field, and striving to meet those needs,” adds Schmidt, who graduated from the college’s Communications Arts program in 1986 and Child and Youth Care program in 1993, and who received the college’s Distinguished Alumnus award in 2009.
While Lethbridge College is the first college to achieve CYCEAB accreditation, the accrediting body anticipates that other institutions across Canada will eagerly pursue child and youth care accreditation. The national accreditation process aims to facilitate delivery of a standardized level of education for all Child and Youth Care graduates, throughout the country, reflecting the most up-to-date and current practices and theoretical orientations to service delivery in this emerging discipline.
“It’s one thing to achieve a status, now the work is in maintaining that status,” says Thomsen. “We have to continue to be vigilant and dedicated, and we welcome that continuing evaluation to ensure that we maintain our status as a leading program in Canada.”
More information about the Child and Youth Care program can be found on the Lethbridge College website.