At Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto, Canada, HD in Child and Youth Care (Hybrid) is offered as a higher diploma in Social Work programme. The programme runs for 3 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 7,892 per semester (CAD 1,359 per semester for local students).
“Classroom learning is completely relevant to the field of child and youth care, and experienced professors encourage intelligent discussions which are fostered by small class sizes. The faculty is just as passionate in helping children as you are which provides motivation to accomplish, and even surpass, your personal goals. After accepting a pre-graduation job offer, I have been working full time for the York Region District School Board. I have worked with and made strong connections with a large number of children and couldn’t be happier.”
Requirements
Admission Requirements: DOMESTIC ACADEMIC ENTRY: an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent, or mature-applicant status, plus English at Grade 12 C or U (or an equivalent course). Canadian citizens and permanent residents may satisfy the English requirement through Seneca's pre-admission test; applicants who fall short are directed to Seneca's recommended upgrading options.
International applicants must present credentials assessed as equivalent to the Ontario prerequisites above and meet Seneca's certificate/diploma English standard: IELTS Academic 6.0 with no skill under 5.5, PTE Academic 58, CAEL 60, Duolingo 105-110, Cambridge English 169 with no skill under 162, or TOEFL iBT with no skill under 4/6 (20/30). Tests must be less than two years old.
Application Details
Start Date:September is the only start this program runs. Read from its own Program Availability table on 6 September 2026: September 2026 at King, open to domestic and international applicants alike. Availability is subject to change and a seat is not guaranteed.
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) apply through OntarioColleges.ca. Seneca's institution-wide equal consideration date is 1 February for that year's September (fall) intake: apply on or before 1 February and you are considered alongside every other applicant; after that date any seats still open are filled first-come, first-served, and high-demand programs may already be closed. Applications open at OCAS on 1 October of the previous calendar year for a September start, and on 1 October two calendar years ahead for the January (winter) and May (summer) starts, neither of which has an equal-consideration date. Seneca begins issuing offers on 1 November; for fall entry the earliest confirmation deadline is 1 May, and a CAD 200 non-refundable deposit (due no earlier than the second Wednesday of June) is what holds the seat — your own offer letter carries the binding dates. International applicants have no fixed deadline: Seneca states it admits students up to the first day of classes but stops accepting applications once the program is full, so apply as early as you can. These are Seneca's institution-wide dates, not a deadline published for this program alone — confirm on the program page before you apply.
