American Camp Association® Instructor Update Course.

American Camp Association® Instructor Update Course

Purpose of the ACA Accreditation Program

Education, Education, Education Education, Education, Education Education, Education, Education Education, Education, Education Education, Education, Education Education, Education . . .

© 2012 American Camping Association, Inc.2

Purpose of Accreditation

The main purpose of the ACA Accreditation Program is to EDUCATE camp owners and directors in the administration of key aspects of camp operation, particularly those related to program quality and the health and safety of campers and staff.


Course Objectives

• Prepare for changes to the ACA Accreditation Program

• Prepare for camp visits under the new standards format

• Prepare to teach revised courses in the ACA Accreditation Program

• Refresh skills

• Share concerns


Navigating the Accreditation Process Guide

(APG)

APG Organization

Descriptive ParagraphDescriptive Paragraph

Applicability Paragraph

Applicability Paragraph


APG Organization

Applicability


Standard Format

Title

Actual Standard


Standard Format (cont.)


Standard Format – Margin Notes

Mandatory Indicator

Written Documentation Required Indicator

DNA Indicator

Modes of Operation

10

What’s New and Different in 2012

• General changes to the APG

• Each section of the standards

Changes in Organizational Structure

Revised Terminology

OLD NEW

Section Office Local Office

Section Board Local Council of Leaders or Affiliate Board of Directors

National ACA, Inc.© 2012 American Camping Association, Inc.13

APG, 2012 Corrections• TR-12 (p.64) — Add a DNA for charter

vehicles with hired drivers. – On p. 53, change TR.13 to TR.12 in the very last

sentence.

• HW.5.1D (p.77) — Physician and/or school immunization records will also be acceptable.

• PD.31.1 (p.179) — For skateboarding, mountain boarding, in-line skating, roller blading, roller hockey or ice HOCKEY: knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards?


APG, 2012 Corrections

• PA.22.1 (p.213) — For staff and all-adult groups, does the camp require that participants are:– Delete last two sentences of 2nd paragraph of

contextual education.

– Add STAFF to title.



• Numbering System

• Contextual Education

• Organization– Healthcare Practices includes standards for:

• Parent Notification (HW.10)

• Health Care Policies (HW.11)

• Treatment Procedures (HW.12)

• Inform Staff of Special Needs (HW.13)

• Special Medical Needs (HW.14)



Compliance Demonstration• Written Documentation

• Posted rules

• Visitor Interviews• Staff description of maintenance and

sanitation procedures

• Visitor Observation • Pool area, posted rules


Section by Section Review• Site and Facilities

• Transportation

• Health and Wellness

• Operations Management

• Human Resources

• Program Design and Activity

• Program Aquatics

• Program Trip and Travel



Cannot Rely on Old or Inherited Documents

CHECK FOR CHANGES

Some things are DIFFERENT!You’ll need to prepare.


Camp Information Form


Camp Self-Assessment


Camp Self-Assessment• A camp self-assessment is a required review of the

written documentation for twenty pre-identified standards and must be completed prior to the start of staff training for the summer season. Your local office might require an earlier completion date.



What It Does and Why It Helps You

• Helps prepare camps for a standards visit

• Allows written documentation to be reviewed PRIOR to scoring

• Camp can make changes between the time of the camp self-assessment and the on-site visit when standards are scored



Can be completed by various methods

• Electronically• Through ACA’s Web-based format• Outside file sharing service (e.g.,

Googledocs)• E-mail• Viewing a camp’s Web site

• In Person• By Mail



•Must be completed prior to the start of staff training

• Local office might require an earlier completion date


Staffed Public Facilities

“A staffed public facility or provider is when a third party is providing equipment and access to a program site or facility, with persons other than camp staff responsible for the site, equipment, and supervision of the activity” ~ 2012 APG Glossary



Key Question

• Does the camp have total supervision of the staff conducting this program?

If YES, then DO NOT score Staffed Public Facility standards. IF NO, then you DO score Staffed Public Facility standards.



• Camp ABC goes to the local stable for horseback riding lessons for their campers.

• The camp staff drives campers to and from the stables but does not teach or supervise campers on horses.

• The stable staff supervise and conduct the activity with the campers.

Does the camp need to score PD.38.3?


Staffed Public FacilitiesYMCA Camp XYZ has their resident camp twenty minutes from their sponsoring organization — the PDQ YMCA. They do not have a pool on their property, but they take their campers to the PDQ YMCA for swimming lessons. The camp staff are certified lifeguards and are the lifeguards for their campers at the pool.

Does the camp need to score PA.30.1?


Staffed Public FacilitiesDo you need to score the appropriate Staffed Public Facility standards for the following situations?

1.The camp takes their campers to a horseback riding stable in a nearby town. Camp staff goes along to help the campers get on the horses.

2.The camp takes campers to a swimming pool run by their own organization. Camp staff does not lifeguard.

3.The camp takes campers canoeing on a nearby river, renting canoes from a river concessionaire. Camp staff leads the trip.



Do you need to score the appropriate Staffed Public Facility standards for the following situations?

4.The camp takes campers to a neighboring camp to use their ropes course. A fellow camp director generously provides his staff to lead the program.

5.The camp takes campers to a state park to go swimming. There is a ranger and you pay a fee to use the park. Camp staff serves as the lifeguards.


Camps That Rent to Others ModeDo you score standards that apply to Camps That Rent to Others mode of operation in the following situations?

1.The camp runs their camp program at a rented accredited camp facility.

2.The camp leases their camp to other organizations on weekends in the spring and fall.

3.The camp runs weekend programs for camper families in the fall.

4.Groups within the camp organization come to camp on weekends to do their own programs.


Missed Mandatory Standards

Mandatory standards are critical to the health and safety of campers and staff and ACA requires immediate compliance with these.


Immediate Corrective Action (ICA)


The 72-Hour Rule


Written DocumentationCriteria• Pertinence

• Currency

• Dissemination

• Inclusiveness

• Location

• Communication

• Practiced or Rehearsed© 2012 American Camping Association, Inc.38

Documented Training and Documented Endorsement

PD.12 Supervisor QualificationsNeeds to be FROM A THIRD PARTY and can include:

• Job reviews from former employers• Job performance review from the camp• Letters of recommendation• Course record sheet• Certification or training cards


Documented Training and Documented Endorsement

PD.14.1 Horseback Riding Supervisor QualificationsRequires current certification OR documented endorsement which may include:

• A letter of reference from former employers, students, or co-workers

• Brochures or advertisements announcing programs where the individual is listed as instructor


Scoring


Additional Reminders on Scoring

Score the Standard!



• Verify written documentation exists

• If written documentation is not complete, the standard must be scored as a “NO” Camp staff cannot complete and/or update written

documentation on the day of the visit. All standards scored “NO” must have a written

comment.



• Check and re-check the score form

• The 2012 score form is similar to the current score form

• Updated to reflect new numbering and order

• Global DNAs have generally been eliminated


What Are the Scoring Errors?

An Activity

How many can you find?

Supporting Course Instruction with Technology and Media

• PowerPoint slide deck for each course

• PDF of PowerPoint notes version includes pertinent content

• Video clip for use in Standards Course

• Trainer demonstration access to customization pages (if Internet is available)


To Access the Online Standards

Step 1. Camps go to www.ACAcamps.org/standardstool to access resource pages and the customizations.

Step 2. Click on “My Visits” or “My Accreditation.” Take the TUTORIAL.

Step 3. Log in as yourself (ACA member number and password).

Step 4. Complete the Camp Intake Questionnaire (in “My Accreditation” section) or Complete Visitor Information (in “My Visits” section).

Step 5. Review the document produced and proceed as necessary to customize.

Step 6. Print out the filtered/customized list of standards for your program or list of camps to be visited and pertinent info.


My VisitsGo to

www.ACAcamps.org/standardstool

“My Visits” Section for Visitors• Complete your annual visitor information form• Access basic information about assigned camps• Find documents and other visitor resources


My Accreditation

Go to www.ACAcamps.org/standardstool

“My Accreditation” Use for Visitors• Access information about assigned camp• Find documents and other visitor resources


• Educational Resource

• No assurance of a successful outcome

• Use your own professional judgment in determining applicability

• You are responsible for any and all standards that apply to your program, regardless of results of customization efforts.

Customization Tools Reminders


Three Types of Learning

• Knowledge

• Skills

• Influencing

• All 3 are crucial to the success of the training


Three Learning Styles

• Visual

• Auditory

• Kinesthetic


Adult LearnersAdult Learners

Do ThisSo, We Must Do This

Adult learners must see the information is relevant.

Keep it focused on their reasons for being there.

Adult learners are often task-oriented. Help them discover the answers vs giving them the answer.

Participant input is important to the learning process.

Ask for and encourage discussion.

Adult learners' prior experience should to be incorporated into the learning process.

Build on their previous experiences.


“The brain remembers best what is taught first, second best what is taught last, and least what is taught in the

middle.” ~David Sousa


Twenty-minute learning segments

are ideal


Delivery Style v. Retention

Delivery of Information Retention Rate after 24 Hours

Lecture 5%

Reading 10%

Audio Visual 20%

Demonstration 30%

Discussion Groups 50%

Practice by Doing 75%

Teaching Others 90%

Directed Study and/or Practice Teaching


Criteria for Accreditation


To achieve accreditation (or reaccreditation), the camp must fully comply with each of the applicable mandatory standards and attain scores of at least 80 percent in EACH applicable section of standards.

Criteria for Accreditation


• The standards are weighted

• Eighty percent (80%) does not necessarily equate to 8 out of 10

• Some standards are weighted more heavily than others

• Visitors do not know the weighting

An Accreditation Visit Is Scheduled


When . . . •Three years have passed since the last visit•The camp was not accredited following the visit from the previous year•The camp is a new applicant for accreditation

Accreditation Approval


• Camps visited in the summer will be notified of their results between September 1 and November 10

• Accreditation is not achieved until action by the local leadership confirms that all accreditation criteria are met

• The “accreditation year” is November 1 through October 31

Review and Appeal


Camps that fail to meet accreditation criteria

• Have the right to a review by the local leadership

• This review may be appealed to the National Standards Commission (NSC)

• The decision of the NSC is final

Maintaining Accreditation


• Camps must be current in their dues

• Sign an annual statement of compliance (due no later than December 31)

• Continue to implement and follow ACA standards, even in a non-visit year

Out-of-Cycle Visits


May occur when:• A camp moves to a new site

• There is a new owner

• There is a new on-site director

• Other factors related to accreditation criteria indicate to the local leadership that a revisit is needed

Determining out-of-cycle visits is at the discretion of the local leadership

Removal of Accreditation


• Refusal to schedule an accreditation visit • The visit occurs, but minimum criteria

established for accreditation are not met• For reasons as described in the current

Statement of ComplianceThe camp retains the right of appeal to the

NSC in such circumstances

DO NOT USE THIS LOGO


Use the ACA-Accredited Camp Logo

• Brochures

• Print ads

• Signs

• Clothing

• Web sites


Proper Logo Usage

• Use is outlined in the ACA Web site www.ACAcamps.org/logos

• ONLY use ACA-Accredited Camp logo or Camp Gives Kids a World of Good

• May ONLY change size

• Logo must be kept in proportion

• NO creative touches (i.e. adding hats, stripes, different colors, etc.)


American Camp Association®

Instructor Update Course


American Camp Association® Instructor Update Course.

Documents

Transcript of American Camp Association® Instructor Update Course.