American Camp Association® Instructor Update Course

Purpose of the ACA Accreditation Program 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. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 3

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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 4

Navigating the Accreditation Process Guide (APG)

APG Organization Descriptive Paragraph Applicability Paragraph © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 6

APG Organization Applicability © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 7

Standard Format Title Actual Standard © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 8

Standard Format (cont.) © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 9

Standard Format – Margin Notes Mandatory Indicator Written Documentation Required Indicator DNA Indicator Modes of Operation 10

Purpose of the ACA Accreditation Program Education, Education, Education Education, Education... © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 11

What’s New and Different in 2012 General changes to the APG Each section of the standards

Changes in Organizational Structure Revised Terminology OLDNEW Section OfficeLocal Office Section BoardLocal Council of Leaders or Affiliate Board of Directors NationalACA, 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? © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 14

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 2 nd paragraph of contextual education. – Add STAFF to title. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 15

What’s New and Different in 2012 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) © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 16

What’s New and Different in 2012 Compliance Demonstration Written Documentation Posted rules Visitor Interviews Staff description of maintenance and sanitation procedures Visitor Observation Pool area, posted rules © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 17

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 What’s New and Different in 2012 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 18

Cannot Rely on Old or Inherited Documents CHECK FOR CHANGES Some things are DIFFERENT! You’ll need to prepare. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 19

Camp Information Form © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 20

Camp Information Form © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 21

Camp Self-Assessment © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 22

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. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 23

Camp Self-Assessment 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 24

Camp Self-Assessment Can be completed by various methods Electronically Through ACA’s Web-based format Outside file sharing service (e.g., Googledocs) Viewing a camp’s Web site In Person By Mail © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 25

Camp Self-Assessment Must be completed prior to the start of staff training Local office might require an earlier completion date © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 26

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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 27

Staffed Public Facilities 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. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 28

Staffed Public Facilities 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? © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 29

Staffed Public Facilities YMCA 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? © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 30

Staffed Public Facilities Do 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. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 31

Staffed Public Facilities 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. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 32

Camps That Rent to Others Mode Do 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. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 33

Missed Mandatory Standards Mandatory standards are critical to the health and safety of campers and staff and ACA requires immediate compliance with these. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 34

Immediate Corrective Action (ICA) ICA MUST be taken for any and all missed mandatory standards. Activity must be stopped until camp is in compliance with standard. Visitors will determine compliance and inform director of required correction(s). ALL documentation gets sent to the ACA, Inc. Camp has 10 days to submit proof of immediate compliance with the standard. ICA © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 35

© 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 36

The 72-Hour Rule Very different than the ICA process. A courtesy that may be extended at the VISITOR’S discretion. May ONLY be used for standards that require written documentation that can be verified to already be in existence. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the documents are not present at the time of the visit. 72-Hour Rule © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 37

Written Documentation Criteria Pertinence Currency Dissemination Inclusiveness Location Communication Practiced or Rehearsed © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 38

Documented Training and Documented Endorsement PD.12 Supervisor Qualifications Needs 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 39

Documented Training and Documented Endorsement PD.14.1 Horseback Riding Supervisor Qualifications Requires 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 40

Scoring © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 41

Scoring © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 42

Additional Reminders on Scoring Score the Standard! © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 43

Additional Reminders on Scoring 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. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 44

Additional Reminders on Scoring 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 45

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) © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 47

To Access the Online Standards Step 1. Camps go to 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. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 48

My Visits Go to “My Visits” Section for Visitors Complete your annual visitor information form Access basic information about assigned camps Find documents and other visitor resources © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 49

My Accreditation Go to “My Accreditation” Use for Visitors Access information about assigned camp Find documents and other visitor resources © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 50

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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 51

Three Types of Learning Knowledge Skills Influencing All 3 are crucial to the success of the training © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 52

Three Learning Styles Visual Auditory Kinesthetic © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 53

Adult Learners Adult Learners Do This So, 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. © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 54

“The brain remembers best what is taught first, second best what is taught last, and least what is taught in the middle.” ~David Sousa © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 55

Twenty-minute learning segments are ideal © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 56

Delivery Style v. Retention Delivery of InformationRetention Rate after 24 Hours Lecture5% Reading10% Audio Visual20% Demonstration30% Discussion Groups50% Practice by Doing75% Teaching Others90%

Directed Study and/or Practice Teaching © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 58

© 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 59

Criteria for Accreditation © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 60 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 61 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 62 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 63 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 64 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 65 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 66 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 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 67 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 Compliance The camp retains the right of appeal to the NSC in such circumstances

ACA Accredited Camp ® Logo 68 © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc.

DO NOT USE THIS LOGO © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 69

Use the ACA-Accredited Camp Logo Brochures Print ads Signs Clothing Web sites © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 70

Proper Logo Usage Use is outlined in the ACA Web site 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.) © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 71

Purpose of the ACA Accreditation Program Education, Education, Education Education, Education... © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 72

American Camp Association® Instructor Update Course © 2012 American Camping Association, Inc. 73