Child and Youth Care (Diploma)

Child and Youth Care Counsellors (CYCC) work with children, youth and families who are experiencing social, emotional or behavioural stress. What distinguishes CYCC from other helping professions is that we work with people in their daily environments.

This career involves dealing with people. That means that good interpersonal skills are a must. This field also involves dealing with people who are experiencing stress and crisis in their lives. Many of the children and youth we work with present very challenging behaviours. To thrive you need to be able to deal with stress and challenging behaviours. You also need to understand the difference between being a caring helper and being a rescuer. If you need people to need you, this is not the profession for you.

Being an effective Child and Youth Care Counsellor also involves an ongoing commitment to your own personal growth. The people we work with constantly challenge our notions of who we are.

The Faculty of Applied Community Studies offers specialized upgrading classes for students looking to enter human services programs at Douglas. If you do not meet the English language entrance requirement, this is a good option for you. See Upgrade for Human Service Programs for more information.

Yes. Both the diploma and degree programs are offered on a part-time basis.

The Child and Youth Care Counsellor Diploma is a two-year program that will provide you with a diploma upon completion. It will prepare you for a variety of jobs in the child and youth care field. If you complete the diploma, you can also transfer into third year of the degree program at Douglas or into a related degree program at a number of other universities.

The Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care is an additional two years of study that you can complete after you complete the two-year Diploma program (4 years total). Earning your degree will allow you to work in more advanced and higher-paying jobs in the child and youth care field, as well as open more doors for further continuing your education.

Yes. All the CYC degrees in British Columbia are considered equivalent. University of Victoria, Malaspina University College, University College of the Fraser Valley and Douglas College all offer equivalent degrees. All of the programs are members of the Child and Youth Care Educators Consortium and teach to the same learning outcomes. The programs work in partnership with other institutions in British Columbia and Alberta that offer CYC diploma and degree programs.

The Indigenous Child and Youth Care pathway is an optional entry point within the degree program. It is made up of several specialized courses and a practicum that you take in place of other courses in your second year. For more details, see the FACS Indigenous Pathway department page.

There is no standard rate of pay. At the starting end, some private contractors pay about $15 per hour. At the higher end, unionized settings pay $19 to $22 per hour. Degree graduates working in supervisory or advanced positions can earn significantly higher salaries.

Practicums are supervised worksite learning sessions. You will go and work in a child and youth care setting, giving you the opportunity to practice skills learned in the classroom. Both the diploma and degree program include practicums. For more information, see the Worksite Learning page.

Excellent - surveys of graduates show an employment rate of virtually 100%. See the Employment page for more details on employment opportunities for graduates.