Four team members at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County are working toward completing their Child & Youth Care (CYC) certification.
Grace Hostetler from the Nappanee Club and Rhonda Eicher, Marisa Lutton and Denise Ward from the Middlebury Club will join Whitney Miller and Nicole Sullivan from the Elkhart Club who already have their CYC credentials.
From left, Marisa Lutton, Grace Hostetler, Denise Ward and Rhonda Eicher.
CYC is an assessment process and certification for child and youth care professionals who demonstrate high standards of care and commitment to ongoing competence development.
The CYC certification program is the most rigorous demonstration of competence in the field.
“We are so proud that our team members are taking this next step to show their commitment to the young people that are placed in our care every day,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County Chief Operations Officer Launa Leftwich.
The certification provides an assessment process and certification to child and youth care practitioners who demonstrate their commitment to high standards of care and ongoing competence development.
The CYC certification program is the most rigorous demonstration of competence in the field.
“Having the opportunity to further my education in my career field and having my Child & Youth Care Certification is important to me because I didn’t get my Bachelor’s degree in this field. I wasn’t aware of my passion for youth work until I took a summer job after graduating,” Eicher said.
Others on the team have similar reasons for pursing the certification.
“I decided to pursue this because it would be another notch in my belt to help kids and find different ways to help them,” Ward said.
“Through a myriad of roles, I have been working with youth for 30 years. The science, especially when dealing with the social/emotional aspects, has evolved so much. I need to learn to evolve with it,” Lutton said.
“Taking this course over the past couple months, it was awesome to meet people from other Boys & Girls Clubs around Indiana and learn new tips and tricks they use in their everyday Club life. I am so blessed to be part of an organization who truly helps, trains, and equips their employees to be the best they can be,” Hostetler said.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County began operations in 1956. The Clubs provide programming and services for the most at-risk boys and girls within the community. Each day, the Clubs provide powerful relationships with the youth they serve and open avenues of opportunity for young people across their community by offering safe places where young people can learn, grow and succeed.
