An innovative partnership with Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington and Grant Regional Career Center (GRCC) in Marion, Indiana is helping local high school students get a head start with their career aspirations in child development and youth care.
GRCC students who are enrolled in the Human and Social Services and Early Childhood Education classes now have the option for dual-credit IU Advanced College Placement (ACP) courses, meaning they can earn college credits before graduating high school that can be used at IU or other state universities in Indiana. Upon completion of the courses, high school students also have the option to take the entry-level Child and Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB) exam, which serves individuals across the U.S. and Canada.
The two qualifying classes are co-taught by GRCC Instructor Jean Wright and SPH-B faculty member Dr. Deb Getz, CYC-P, clinical associate professor in the Department of Applied Health Science, who is president of the Child & Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB).
"Connecting with Deb really was the bullseye for us because she leads the youth development major and minor at SPH-B and is part of the certification board,” says Wright. “This is the first time [certification] has been offered for high school students."
Given that Indiana is reportedly losing $4.2 billion each year due to lack of affordable child and youth care options, the value of this opportunity cannot be overstated, states Getz.
"Youth Development is a major and minor that has been around for 14 years and it was developed in response to a need for people who don’t want to be high school teachers but want to work with youth, which is defined as anyone under the age of 24," says Getz. "Our students can come out of these courses and show they have developed competencies in these areas even at the high school level—meaning they can go directly into the workforce, or with the dual credit continue their knowledge at IU, or other state school as well as Ivy Tech."
According to Getz, a few of the possible public health career opportunities available to students with this accreditation include social work, counseling, recreation therapy, community health, and inpatient treatment facilities, as well as the chance to work with community partners in residential care, after-school programs, and any organization that serves individuals under the age of 24.
Getz adds, "We want to go out into the state and create a sea change in how we look at child and youth care, the complex needs of these young people."
Currently, 23 students are enrolled in both qualifying GRCC courses. Throughout the semester, they participate in internship programs three days a week with local partner institutions such as Allen Elementary School and Saint Paul Catholic School.
"The internship component has multiple benefits, one of which is the hands-on experience to see if this is something the student wants to do, but also if that’s NOT what the student wants to do, which is equally important," says GRCC Director Nate McNeely. "It also connects our students to community members, so even if they decide a particular internship is not the career direction they want to go in, that is a networking connection they’ll have forever."
Shalimar Scott, a high school senior student in Wright’s Human and Social Services class, has been interning as a teacher’s aide with kindergartners at Allen Elementary and says the dual credit and co-instruction from an IU professor made the course opportunity very attractive to her.
"I never had the experience of learning from a college professor, so that’s been really valuable," says Shalimar. "The hands-on experience is great too—I’ll help the teacher with the kids on their assignments or do activities with them; like reading or teaching a lesson."
Because this is the first time CYCCB certification is being offered for high school students, Wright says one of the big challenges has been adapting the course materials and terminology for a younger audience. Wright says that Getz has also been key in helping larger educational institutions like Indiana University be more accessible to high school students.
"To students in Marion, IU can be a little intimidating," says Wright. "But this dual credit opportunity and Deb’s incredible involvement has definitely empowered our students to consider larger institutions as part of their career paths."
McNeely adds, “There is such a need for people in this field and we at GRCC are just happy to be part of the frontlines of pushing this through and moving it forward.”
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