Dale Curry

Age:
57

Location:
Kent State University, Program in Human Development and Family Studies, School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences; International Institute for Human Service Workforce Research and Development

Short Bio: 
I have been working in this field since 1975.  For the first four years, I worked as a front line CYC worker in a psychiatric hospital (two years with children ages 2-12 and two years with adolescents) in Pittsburgh, PA. U.S.A.; where I met my wife Rosemary who was working as a nurse. We moved to Ohio when I took a position as an administrator of a large residential program at a county child welfare agency. We lived on campus for the first year and my daughter Brooke was born; (two years later my son Brandon joined our family).  Seven years later I discovered my interest in not only promoting the development of children and youth but also the development of CYC workers through training and served as training coordinator of a regional training center, part of the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program. I also served as a steering committee member of the Ohio Committee for Child Care Worker Training (now the Training Resource and Instructors Network-TRAIN), a committee of the Ohio Association of Child and Youth Care Professionals.  
 
My interest in indirect CYC practice focusing on training and development continued to grow and I became involved with the National Staff Development and Training Association (NSDTA). I have served as Chair of several NSDTA committees (Ethics, Evaluation and Research, and Certification). I also serve as Editor of the NSDTA journal Training and Development in Human Services.
 
I have had the privilege of working with many colleagues on the North American Certification Project, serving on the Assessment Committee and as the Principal Investigator of the certification exam pilot study. I am a founding board member of the Child and Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB).
 
While working in the field, I attended several graduate programs and received a graduate degree in Child Development and Child Care from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Kent State University.
 
Since 2001, I have been working as a faculty member in the program of Human Development and Family Studies at Kent State University and Director of the recently established International Institute for Human Service Workforce Research and Development (in partnership with the CYCCB). I also serve as Co-Editor of the Journal of Child and Youth Care Work.
 
How I came to be in this field: 
I started working in a psychiatric program for children at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A. The program had a swimming pool and they were looking for someone with a water safety credential. While working at St. Francis, I enrolled in the graduate program of Child Development and Child Care at the University of Pittsburgh and became a student of Karen VanderVen and Martha Mattingly. They helped me articulate my interest in using swimming as a therapeutic activity with children (the emphasis of my master’s thesis). Shortly after beginning the program at Pitt, I attended my first meeting of the Pennsylvania Association of Child Care Workers and was elected as an officer in the Association. My first conference presentation was in a hotel swimming pool at the Inter-Association Child Care Conference. At that conference, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Fritz Redl and hear Mark Krueger present a very motivational Keynote Address. Until then, I could not imagine, a frontline CYC worker authoring a book! This field of practice has many possibilities!
 
A Few Thoughts About CYC:
•  This is a field of many passionate and caring professionals ....
•  A field where one can make a difference on multiple levels (individual, program, organization, state, national, international) and in multiple settings
   (e.g., residential treatment, afterschool, in-home)
•  A rich history, growing knowledge base and international scope
 
Last thing I read, watched, heard, which I would recommend to others:
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. This children’s book can be an effective tool for illustrating the concept of developmental caring. We can learn a lot from children’s books.
 
Favourite CYC experience: 
Sharing a young person’s successful experience in passing his “deep water test” as a result of participating in a therapeutic swim program. After passing the test and being permitted to swim in the deep water, I remember how his confidence also transferred to other settings. For example, later that day as we were crossing the street to go to the hospital cafeteria, he seemed troubled that I tried to hold his hand as typically done (as if to say “I passed my deep water test, you no longer need to hold my hand while crossing the street”). We no longer held his hand when crossing the street to the cafeteria.
 
A few thoughts for those starting out:
•  There are many ways to make a contribution to the field of child and youth care work. Child and youth care work is practiced in a variety of settings,
    with youth of varying ages, and with different populations. It is a field of practice of international scope.
•  Become familiar with the rich CYC knowledge base (communicated via journal articles, books, conferences, college courses, training workshops,6
    newsletters, websites, etc.) and take advantage of the expertise available from the vast number of CYC colleagues. We are the largest human service profession!
•  Think about yourself developmentally as well as the children and youth in your care.
•  Learn how to reflect upon, monitor and guide your professional practice (make this a habit that you will keep for a lifetime-become a lifelong learner.
   of yourself and the field)
•  Be in the present but also visualize yourself in the future. How can I make my contribution(s) to the youth, organization, and field of CYC practice?
 
Recommended CYC-Related Reading Links:
   http://nsdta.aphsa.org.
   http://calswec.berkeley.edu/CalSWEC/CWTraining4.html.
 
My Favourite CYC-relevant link (after CYC-Net) and why:
www.cyccertificationboard.org This is the website of the Child and Youth Care Certification Board (CYCCB). This organization administers professional certification for child and youth care workers.  In collaboration with the CYCCB, Kent State University has established a research institute (International Institute for Human Service Workforce Research and Development) focusing on the research and development of the CYC workforce www.kent.edu/ehhs/hdfs/iihswrd/index.cfm.

Writings of my own:
   http://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cycol-1205-curry.html
   http://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cycol-0106-curry.html
 
Influences on my work:
Key individuals include Karen VanderVen and Martha Mattingly at the University of Pittsburgh helping me get through the thesis experience and continuing to support my professional development over the years; Mark Krueger and his dedication to CYC writing; Sister Madeleine Rybicki and her commitment to cyc worker training; Tim Kuster who helped support my early interest in training and development; the many colleagues involved in the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program and the North American Certification Project; and the children, youth, and families who provided me with early and ongoing learning experiences.

January, 2011