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Transforming Child and Youth Care

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Steve Bewsey Fund
for Child & Youth Care Innovation & Education


Your donation to the Academy goes into the Steve Bewsey Fund for Child & Youth Care Innovation & Education.  We use the money to fund a variety of initiatives:

  • CYC APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM - In response to the workforce crisis in Child and Youth Care that has reduced the numbers of early childhood, after school, mental health, and foster care programs, the Academy is collaborating with the US Department of Labor (DOL), CYC Certification Board (CYCCB), employers, higher educators, and the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice (ACYCP) to create a CYC APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. The program is being implemented in Texas and Rhode Island initially. Over time, the program will be expanded nationally to provide a credential-based career track into the CYC Profession. Apprentices complete the 150-hour training program while employed in a variety of child care settings. Upon completion, they receive pay raises and become CYC Certified. 

  • HIGH SCHOOL CYC VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS - The Academy is working with Youth Build Charter Schools and local Independent School Districts (ISDs) in several states to offer high school students the opportunity to develop careers in youth work. Graduates attain their high school diplomas and become CYC Entry Level Certified so they are work-ready upon graduation.
  • SMALL SEEDS PROJECTS – Graduates from Academy programs can request up to $500 to fund small innovative youth work projects that need seed money to implement.
  • EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS – The Academy awards scholarships to CYCs who need financial support accessing Academy professional development programs. These include discounted access to archived and live webinars, travel and educational support to attend training events, and funding for tuition and learning materials.

For more information on any of our programs or details on how to apply for funding, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling (979) 764-7303.

The Academy is looking for concerned individuals and businesses to work with us to expand our work creating career tracks into the CYC profession.

The Academy for Competent Youth Work, the fund manager, is a 501c3, tax exempt, charitable organization. Your donation is deductible from US Federal income taxes as an educational/charitable donation.

Please consider scheduling monthly donations and building a legacy by including the fund in your will.


HISTORY OF THE STEVE BEWSEY FUND

Steve Bewsey Fund for Child & Youth Care Innovation & Education

Steve Bewsey, aka Santa, giving a ‘thumbs up’ for Texas youth and families with Texas Governor Rick Perry

In 2014, the Texas Youth & Child Care Association (TYCCWA) established this fund in recognition of Steve’s leadership in promoting new ideas and innovation in the field of youth services.  Over the three decades of Steve’s career, he was one of the early advocates for strengths-based approaches and served on the TYCCWA board for many years.  The TYCCWA proclamation creating the fund stated:

“In recognition of your willingness to do the UNDOABLE, to support the UNSUPPORTABLE.  Your Stellar example over the years redefined the Possibilities and reminds us that the Risks of Reform are work taking (August 2014).”

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