Child and Youth Development

Child and Youth Development

The Child and Youth Development Concentration prepares students to work with adolescents in non-school settings, such as residential treatment, community youth services, foster care, after-school programs and juvenile justice system.  Upon completion of the program students become eligible for certification as a Child and Youth Care Worker from the Child and Youth Care Certification Board (after two years of relevant work experience). This certification allows students to demonstrate their commitment to higher standards and professional practice when working with youth.  Child and Youth Care Practitioners comprise the largest human service profession in the world, and an optimistic career outlook.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this area has a faster than average occupational outlook for 2010 to 2020.

For more information contact Dr. Rhonda Richardson at rrichard@kent.edu.

This concentration provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to promote positive development in children and adolescents from a variety of diverse backgrounds.  Good candidates for this concentration have a passion for working with children and adolescents, strong communication skills, organization, good social skills, creativity and leadership.