Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta

Name

Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta

Legal name

Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta

Website

https://cycaa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Accreditation Coordination, Recognition & Meta-Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Assessment, Certification & Qualifications Frameworks (BPADAKAL), Online/Distance Education Quality & Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAK), Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Professional certification services
• Online learning courses
• Membership association services
• Child welfare training
• Professional development workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from Standard ($100/year), Student ($20-25/year), and Organizational ($100/year) members provide recurring revenue and primary access to certification, online learning, and member benefits.
2. Certification Fees: Registration for certification ($75), Intermediate written exam ($100), Full oral exam ($100), and annual certification maintenance renewal ($150) generate revenue from professionals seeking credentials.
3. Lunch and Learn Sessions: Free for members; $10 per session for other CYC Provincial Association members; $20 per session for non-member individuals. Generates supplementary revenue while providing professional development content.
4. Custom Training and Workshops: Customizable CYC training and workshops sold to organizations and agencies to improve counsellor knowledge and skill levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

CYCAA is a nonprofit professional membership association that provides Child and Youth Care Counsellors in Alberta with membership tiers, a three-tiered online learning program (Foundations, Core Competencies, Advanced), a two-route certification program, annual awards and scholarships, Lunch and Learn webinars, in-person conferences, and custom training workshops for organizations. The association also advocates for legislative recognition of the profession under the Health Professions Act.

Product overview

CYCAA offers a portfolio of professional development and association services for Child and Youth Care practitioners in Alberta. The core digital products are its three-level Online Learning program (Foundations, Core Competencies, and Advanced), which feed into its two-route Certification Program (Route A for CYC-educated candidates; Route B for experience-based candidates). The association complements these with membership tiers (Standard, Student, Organizational), scholarships (General and Indigenous), the Lunch and Learn virtual workshop series, and Custom Training services for agencies. Awards programs recognize outstanding CYC Counsellors and Visionaries. All services are organized around advancing the professionalization and practice standards of Child and Youth Care in Alberta.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CYCAA Online Learning – Level 1: Foundations in Child and Youth Care
• CYCAA Online Learning – Level 2: Core Competencies in Child and Youth Care
• CYCAA Online Learning – Level 3: Advanced Child and Youth Care
• Advanced CYC Certification – Route A (Education Pathway)
• Advanced CYC Certification – Route B (Experience Pathway)
• Standard Membership
• Student Membership
• Organizational Membership
• Lunch and Learn Program
• Custom Training and Workshops
• General Student Scholarship
• Indigenous Student Scholarship
• CYC Counsellor of the Year Award
• CYC Visionary of the Year Award

Quantifiable outcome

• Certification exam requires 75% minimum passing grade for both Intermediate (written) and Full (oral) certification.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CYC-Net (International Child and Youth Care Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026CYC-Net is a registered non-profit organization running in South Africa and as Not-For-Profit-Corporation in Canada. Its main objectives are to promote reading, learning, information sharing, discussion, networking, support, and accountable practice for those working with children, youth, and families in difficulty. CYCAA promotes CYC-Net resources to members.
• FICE-InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2023International Federation of Educative Communities formed in 1948 to address needs of children, youth, and families affected by World War II across Europe and beyond. CYCAA participates through FICE-Canada membership.
• FICE-Canada (International Federation of Educative Communities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCYCAA is a founding member of FICE-Canada, a national collaboration of child and youth care agencies, associations, and educators across Canada. FICE-Canada is the Canadian branch of FICE-International, addressing needs of at-risk children and out-of-home care globally. CYCAA board member Pennie Sibbald serves as Vice-President of FICE-Canada.
• CCCYCA (Council of Canadian Child and Youth Care Associations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCCYCA serves as a national coordinating and networking body for provincial and territorial Child and Youth Care Associations. Their unifying vision is for development of CYC practice and advocacy for quality care for children, youth, and families in Canada.
• ALIGN (previously Alberta Association of Services for Children and Families)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALIGN is a unified community of agencies representing diverse needs of Alberta's children and families. CYCAA works with ALIGN on certification program management and advocacy for front-line service providers. ALIGN has historical involvement in CYCAA certification since 1983.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Child Welfare League of Canada: National child welfare advocacy and standards organization with overlap in training, advocacy, and policy work for child-serving agencies. CYCAA works with similar agencies but CWLC operates at a national systems level rather than practitioner level.
• Alberta College of Social Workers: Statutorily regulated professional college for social workers in Alberta. While not a CYC-specific body, several CYCAA board members hold MSW credentials and compete with CYCAA for professional recognition of practitioners working with children and families.
• ALIGN (formerly Alberta Association of Services for Children and Families): Alberta-wide association of agencies serving children and families, with historical involvement in CYCAA certification since 1983 and current arm's-length agreement co-managing certification with CYCAA and Government of Alberta.
• Council of Canadian Child and Youth Care Associations (CCCYCA): National coordinating body for provincial and territorial CYC associations. CYCAA Director Pennie Sibbald serves as President of CCCYCA, and the council provides the umbrella under which all provincial CYC associations operate.

Direct peers

• BC Child, Family and Community Care Association: Provincial counterpart in British Columbia offering certification, membership, and professional development for Child and Youth Care workers. CYCAA partners with BCFCCA through CCCYCA, and both associations serve nearly identical mandates in different provinces - making BCFCCA the closest direct peer.
• Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care: Ontario's provincial CYC professional association offering similar membership, certification, and advocacy services for child and youth care practitioners. Direct peer through CCCYCA membership with overlapping mandate in the largest Canadian province.

Others

• CYC-Net (International Child and Youth Care Network): International non-profit knowledge-sharing network for CYC professionals. CYCAA formally partners with CYC-Net to extend its members' access to articles and resources, making it an enabling ecosystem player rather than a competitor.
• Government of Alberta - Children's Services: Provincial ministry responsible for child welfare policy and funding in Alberta. CYCAA works directly with this body on certification management and Health Professions Act advocacy, making it both a partner and a key stakeholder dependency.
• FICE-Canada: Canadian chapter of FICE-International (founded 1948), of which CYCAA is a founding member. FICE-Canada addresses needs of at-risk children and out-of-home care globally, providing CYCAA international reach and a coalition of partner agencies.

Regional players

• Saskatchewan Association of Child and Youth Care: Provincial CYC association for Saskatchewan, connected through CCCYCA. Operates the same professional association model as CYCAA but in a different prairie province, with no direct competition but shared goals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChildAndYouthCareAssociationOfAlberta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cycaa
• Instagraminstagram.com/cycaa.alberta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Child and Youth Care Association of Alberta