| Council Connections
| August 2010
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Greetings!
Enjoy the August edition of School Age Connections, an e-newsletter from the Child Care Council of Westchester. As you get ready to re-open your school age program, review the changes in the School Age Care Regulations. Enjoy the remaining days of warm weather and summer! Susan M. Edelstein Director, ISACC |
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Resources for School Age Professionals
| | Changes to School Age Care Regulations
Four Year Registrations
OCFS may now renew registrations for up to four years, as long as the provider remains in substantial compliance with law and regulation. All day care registrations periods will be assessed for the four-year registration term at the program's next renewal cycle. All violations must be corrected before a registration is renewed. In addition, if a program has been the subject of an OCFS enforcement action within two years prior to the renewal date, the program may be issued a two-year registration as a result. Renewing providers for two instead of four years is considered an enforcement action and as such, the provider has a right to a hearing.
Fines
The law expands the list of violations for which OCFS may seek a fine regardless of whether the provider corrects the violation. The list is commonly known as the list of "non-rectifiable violations." The law expanded the list to include the following violations for which OCFS may seek a sanction for an initial violation:
- A provider, assistant, employee, volunteer or household member who: injures a child in care; unreasonably fails to obtain necessary medical attention for a child; or uses corporal punishment against a child; or
- A provider, assistant, employee, or volunteer who fails to report suspected child abuse and maltreatment when required to do so; or
- A provider, assistant, employee, or volunteer who submits forged documents to OCFS.
Minimum Periods of Disqualification for Reapplying
The law prohibits the issuance of a registration to a child day care provider whose registration was revoked or terminated during the previous two years, unless OCFS determined that registration would not jeopardize the health, safety or welfare of children for whom care would be provided. This prohibition also applies to a child care program that is:
- Fined on two separate occasions for operating without a required registration; or
- Facing enforcement action and surrenders its registration in order to avoid suspension, revocation or termination.
School Age Child Care Training - Shaken Baby Syndrome
The law removes the requirement that staff from school age child care programs receive training in shaken baby syndrome. If school age child care staff have already completed training hours for this topic area, registrars will credit those hours toward the topic area: principles of childhood development, including the appropriate supervision of children, meeting the needs of children enrolled in the program with physical or emotional challenges and behavior management and discipline. The training certificate printed by providers after completing the OCFS on-line course lists both shaken baby syndrome and principles of childhood development as topic areas.
If you have any questions about these changes, please contact your registrar. |
Back to After School Tips and Ideas
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Save the date for the 11th annual Lights On Afterschool - October 21, 2010. This year, the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention have signed up for the nation's biggest afterschool celebration, and once again, the Empire State Building has announced that it will light up in yellow in honor of Lights On Afterschool.
As an after school provider in Westchester County, you have helped to shine a spotlight on the critical role of afterschool programs in keeping kids safe, inspiring them to learn and helping working families. Thanks in part to your efforts last year, one million Americans participated in more than 7,500 Lights On events. Show your support by:
To be listed as a Lights On Afterschool partner, email: lightson@afterschoolalliance.org.
Your participation in Afterschool for All and Lights On Afterschool makes a difference. Every day, more than 15 million children are alone and unsupervised after school, when juvenile crime and substance abuse peak. Meanwhile, kids in afterschool programs show gains in academic outcomes, attend school more often and are more likely to graduate.
Getting Ready to Return to your Program Space
It's still summertime. Rest, relaxation, vacation...no? Well, if you're like most after school directors, you are getting ready to re-open your program. Here are some great tips to give you a head start on getting ready for the school year.
Ensure your after school program offers nutritious snacks
Balanced afternoon snacks provide nutritious fuel for afterschool learning and enrichment activities, allowing youth to maximize their opportunities to behave well, study successfully, and play hard. Food helps draw youth to appropriate afterschool activities. Appealing, healthful snacks offer one more reason for families and teens to choose safe, supervised afterschool programming, rather than having young people on their own in the hours after school. Healthful afterschool snacks offer teachable moments. Children learn by eating. Appealing, tasty afterschool snacks help to teach kids to identify power foods and beverages that will be best for fueling their afternoon studies and activities. Nutrition education lessons given while students are snacking are a wellness bonus! And snacks can be incorporated into gardening and cooking activities to expand learning even more.
Get into your program space as soon as you can
Start setting up your program space as soon as you can so you can work on it leisurely and not feel rushed or overwhelmed with staff training and children arriving.
Supplies
What do you need to augment what you have from the previous year? What new projects and activities will you introduce this year that require additional supplies? What could you do without? Figure out what you have on hand and what you need.
Saving Money
There are many ways that you can save money when trying to set up your after school program space. Will you have a reading corner? Go to carpet stores and ask for old carpet samples to put on the floor. If you have room for a chair or couch, go to Salvation Army or Goodwill and buy a couch for $30 or less. You can always cover it up with a nice sheet. Sometimes Wal-Mart will give away old pillows that haven't sold. When looking for prizes or other rewards, ask places like McDonalds, a local movie theater, Wal-Mart, Target, local ice cream shops and other local food places if they would donate gift certificates. They often will, especially if the prizes are used for a reading or math program of some sort. |
| Upcoming Events and Workshops |
We're Going LIVE with Online Workshop Registration! Click here to learn how to register for workshops and events.
Saturday September 11, 2010 9 am - 6 pm at the Council
Medication Administration Training Course
Training Code: 00911 Cost: $150
Tuesday September 14, 2010 9:30 am - 12:00 pm at the Council
MAT Review Course
Training Code: 10300 Cost: $33 Members/$43 Non-Members
Saturday September 18, 2010 9:30 am - 12:30 pm at the Council
Germ Busters! Keeping Children Safe and Healthy
Training Code: 10301 Cost: $33 Members/$43 Non-Members
Tuesday September 21, 2010 10 am - 12 pm at the Council
School Age Directors Network Meeting
Saturday September 25, 2010 9:00 am - 1:30 pm at the Council
School Age Mini Conference
Training Code: 10330A-F Cost: $43 Members/$53 Non-Members
Tuesday October 5, 2010 10 am - 12 pm at the Council
School Age Training Kit Series: Creating an Inviting School Age Program Environment
Training Code: 10306 Cost: $69 Workshop and Training Kit Rental;
$35 Workshop Only
Thursday October 7, 2010 7: 00 pm - 9-30 pm at the Council
Child Abuse Identification & Prevention, Including Shaken Baby Syndrome
Training Code: 10307 Cost: $33 Members/$43 Non-Members
Tuesday October 19, 2010 10 am - 12 pm at the Council
School Age Training Kit Series: Project Based Activities- The Learning that Lies Between Play and Academics
Training Code: 10308 Cost: $69 Workshop and Training Kit Rental;
Tuesday & Thursday October 19 & 21, 2010 at the Council
QuickBooks Training - A Two Day Series
Training Code: 10309 Cost: $45 Members/$55 Non-Members |
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