School Age Newsletter

Staff in an after school program must promote the physical, intellectual, social,cultural and emotional well being of the children. The program must provide supervision of the staff so that workloads and assignments are arranged to provide consistency of care to children and to allow staff to fulfill their respective responsibilities.

Children cannot be left alone without competent direct supervision at any time.

No person under 18 years of age may be left alone to supervise a group of children at any time, even in an emergency.

The minimum age of a staff person is 16 years.

Minimum Staff/Child Ratios Based on Group Size

through 9 years of age 1 staff per 10 children 20 maximum in a group

10 - 12 years 1 staff per 15 children 30 maximum in a group

When groups contain children both over and under the age of 10, the staff/child ratio used must be that ratio applicable to the youngest child in the group.

Each program must have visitor control procedures in place. Any and all visitors must sign in upon entering the program, write the date of visit and time of entry, purpose of visit and sign out with time of departure. The program may establish other rules and policies as necessary to provide for monitoring and control of visitors to protect the health, safety and welfare of children in care.

Surveillance cameras may not be used as a substitute for competent direct supervision.

Discipline

Every program must have written disciplinary guidelines. Copies of these guidelines must be provided to all staff and parents of children in the program.. The guidelines must include acceptable methods of guiding behavior of children.

Discipline must be administered so that it helps each child develop self control and assume responsibility for his/her actions through clear and consistent rules and limits appropriate to the ages and development of the children in care.

The staff must use acceptable techniques and approaches to help children solve problems.

Corporal punishment is prohibited. This means punishment inflicted directly on the body including but not limited to spanking, biting, shaking, slapping, twisting, squeezing, demanding excessive physical exercise, prolonged lack of movement or motion, or strenuous or bizarre postures, and compelling a child to eat or have in the child's mouth soap, foods, hot spices or other substances.
Withholding of using food, rest or sleep as a punishment is prohibited.
Methods of discipline which frighten, demean or humiliate a child are prohibited.
Isolation of a child in a closet, darkened area of any area where the child cannot be seen and supervised by staff is prohibited.

Recommended Standards for After School Physical Activity

North Carolina recently released the Move More North Carolina: Recommended Standards for After-School Physical Activity. The Standards provide a guide to create practices, policies and environments supportive of physical activity in after-school programs. The Standards should be a great resource to all after school programs. Questions about the Standards? Contact Lori.Schneider@ncmail.net or 919-707-5224. Read the Standards.