National Center for Youth Issues

What National Center for Youth Issues does

National Center for Youth Issues (NCYI) is a privately held educational publishing and professional development organization founded in 1981 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, originally as Project 714 and later known as STARS before adopting its current name. The company produces research-based books, workbooks, picture books, small-group counseling curricula, card decks, posters, games, and downloadable resources focused on K-12 social-emotional learning (SEL), mental health, behavior, grief, and youth development. Flagship product lines include the 15-Minute Focus Series of brief counseling titles and the ASCA-aligned 30-Minute Groups small-group counseling curriculum, each bundled with pre/post assessments, attendance logs, and reporting templates. NCYI works with a network of 38+ published authors, including nationally recognized experts such as Julia Cook and Allison Edwards, who also serve as presenters through the company's Speaker's Bureau.

NCYI monetizes through six revenue streams: direct e-commerce sales via its own bookstore at ncyi.org; digital distribution of eBooks and audiobooks through Amazon, Audible, Apple Books, Google Play, hoopla, OverDrive, and Baker & Taylor; a tiered distributor network offering 40-60% volume discounts for institutional bulk purchasing; direct conference sales; full-service conference management for state school counselor associations (15+ states managed annually); and professional services including training events and Speaker's Bureau engagements. Individual book prices range from $10.95 to $34.95, with curated and mix-and-match bundles providing incremental discounting. Distribution channels span the company's own storefront, major online retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, Bookshop), and the digital content platforms listed above.

The company is positioned as a long-tenured niche publisher with deep institutional penetration, claiming materials and training delivered to over 40,000 schools across all 50 states, 75,000+ counseling resources placed in schools in a single recent year, 100,000+ educators trained through the Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives program, and influence on over 12 million children and youth. Marketing channels include a content blog, organic social on Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest, and YouTube, a semi-monthly email newsletter with a 20% new-subscriber promotion, conference exhibitions, and author-led thought leadership. There is no evidence of AI/ML capability, no public revenue disclosure, no outside investment, and no parent company; NCYI operates as an independent, founder-era organization.

Name

National Center for Youth Issues

Legal name

National Center for Youth Issues

Website

https://ncyi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Center for Youth Issues is a Chattanooga-based educational publisher founded in 1981 that produces books, curricula, and professional development resources on K-12 social-emotional learning and youth mental health, serving school counselors, educators, and districts across all 50 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social-Emotional Learning Resources

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Life Skills Trade (EDAGAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Educational & Curriculum Publishing (MPAJAFAF), Children’s Activity & Practice Books (Workbooks, Puzzles, Handwriting) (EDAGAIAE), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Health & Wellbeing Curriculum (EDAGAAAF)

Keywords

• Youth counseling resources
• Social emotional learning
• Educational publishing
• School counselor materials
• Curriculum development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chattanooga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct sales of books, workbooks, picture books, curricula, games, activities, posters, card decks, and other educational materials through their e-commerce bookstore. Also includes sale of bundles and sets at discounted rates.
2. Digital Content Distribution: Sales of eBooks and audiobooks through third-party platforms including Amazon, Audible, Apple Books, Google Play, hoopla, OverDrive, and Baker & Taylor.
3. Conference Management Services: Full spectrum conference management services provided to school districts, professional educator associations, and government agencies for youth development events.
4. Training Events: Hosting of local, regional, statewide, and national 'Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives' educator training events with over 100,000 educators trained.
5. Speaker's Bureau: Provision of expert, nationally-recognized presenters and facilitators for professional development events and conferences, customized for organizations and youth issues.
6. Distributor Sales: Volume sales to distributor network with tiered discounts (40-50% for print, up to 60% for video/electronic media) enabling institutional purchasing by schools and districts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Center for Youth Issues publishes and sells a catalog of research-based educational books, workbooks, picture books, curricula, posters, card decks, games, and downloadable resources focused on youth social-emotional development and mental health support. The organization complements its published materials with paid professional services including the "Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives" educator training events, a Speaker's Bureau of nationally recognized presenters, and full-service conference management for school counselor associations and school districts.

Product overview

National Center for Youth Issues is a publishing and training organization providing educational resources, programs, and services for youth social-emotional development. The product portfolio consists primarily of published books and curriculum materials organized into product series (15-Minute Focus Series, 30-Minute Groups Series) and product categories (Picture Books, Workbooks, Card Decks, Posters, Resource Bundles, Sets, Games, Downloadable Resources). Core offerings include brief counseling books with downloadable resources for school counselors and educators, small group curriculum with ASCA alignment and assessment tools, and children's picture books teaching SEL concepts through story. Supplementary products include eBooks/Audio Books available through major retailers (Amazon, Audible, Apple, Google Play, hoopla, OverDrive), downloadable PDF resources accessible via book access codes, mix-and-match bundles allowing customer selection, and curated pre-set collections. Services include Speaker's Bureau with national expert presenters, conference management for counselor associations across multiple states, and professional development training events reaching over 100,000 educators annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 15-Minute Focus Series Research-based brief counseling book and workbook series covering specific mental health topics for school counselors, teachers, and educators, including anxiety, behavior interventions, depression, grief, trauma, suicide prevention, digital citizenship, diversity, executive function, growth mindset, regulation, relationships and belonging, crisis response, and behavioral threat assessment. Includes downloadable resources accessible via book access codes.
• 30-Minute Groups Series ASCA-aligned small group counseling curriculum series. Each title contains an introductory lesson, ten core topical lessons, and a completion session, with permission letters, attendance logs, pre/post assessments, and results reporting tools.
• Picture Books Children's storybooks teaching social-emotional lessons through narrative, by Julia Cook and other NCYI authors, covering behavior, emotions, anxiety, friendship, and resilience.
• Workbooks

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40,000 schools served across all 50 states
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Social Thinking: Publisher of SEL curricula, books, and games focused on social cognition, regulation, and relationships. Comparable in target audience (counselors, SEL coordinators) and in publishing-plus-training model.
• CharacterStrong: K-12 SEL and character education provider with curriculum and professional development. Comparable buyer (school and district administrators) and overlap with NCYI's RESILIENCE-type framework offerings.
• Aperture Education: EdTech SEL platform offering curriculum, assessments, and PD to schools and districts. Overlaps NCYI's counseling-resource and ASCA-aligned assessment tools, but in a digital delivery model.

Direct peers

• Brookes Publishing: Specialty educational publisher focused on early childhood, special education, and SEL resources. Comparable product mix and K-12 institutional buyer base.
• Free Spirit Publishing: Independent publisher specializing in SEL, mental health, and character-education books for kids and teens. Closest pure-play peer to NCYI in youth SEL trade publishing and counselor-facing materials.
• Committee for Children: Nonprofit developer of widely adopted SEL curricula (e.g., Second Step). Comparable to NCYI as a K-12 SEL curriculum publisher with school counselor training and conference presence.
• Boys Town Press: Publisher of youth life-skills and behavior books used by school counselors and educators. Directly comparable to NCYI's picture-book and counseling-workbook lines targeting the same buyer personas.

Broad incumbents

• Scholastic: Largest K-12 publisher and distributor in the US. Competes with NCYI for shelf space, school book fairs, and district reading budgets across both trade and educational titles.
• Corwin Press: SAGE-owned professional learning and K-12 publisher. Comparable audience of educators and school leaders with overlapping SEL, mental health, and teacher PD content.

Others

• American School Counselor Association (ASCA): National membership and standards body whose National Model and U.S. Preferred School Counselor Curriculum guide much of NCYI's product design. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NCYI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3UtmeqcQAwELDlYCD1i3IQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/nationalcenterforyouthissues
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalcenterforyouthissues
• Pinterestpinterest.com/ncyi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Center for Youth Issues