| Council Connections
| September 2010
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Greetings!
Enjoy the September edition of School Age Connections, an e-newsletter from the Child Care Council of Westchester. Welcome back to after school! As you get back into the swing of things, review the School Age Child Care Updates and Medication Administration FAQs. Our new monthly feature provides a Technical Assistance Tip to help increase program quality. Enjoy the last glimpses of summer. Susan M. Edelstein Director, ISACC |
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School Age Child Care Updates
| | School Age Child Care Updates
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 registration 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The law prohibits the issuance of a registration to a child day care provider whose registration was revoked or terminated during the previous two years, unless OCFS determined that registration would not jeopardize the health, safety or welfare of children for whom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.
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.
First Aid and CPR
At least one program employee who has current First Aid and CPR certifications must be on site at all times.
Inspection Visits
Registrars now make scheduled and announced inspection visits.
Fire and Safety Inspections
Every new (initial) application for a SACC program must have a Fire and Safety Inspection from an OCFS-certified Fire and Safety Inspector before the application can be approved. In addition, every SACC program will be inspected by the OCFS certified inspector. Click here for the Monthly Fire Safety Inspection checklist.
SCRs on line
SACC programs can now do SCRs on line. Contact OCFS at 518-474-9454 for information on how to do this.
If you have any questions about these changes, please contact your registrar. |
| Medication Administration Information |
If you have children enrolled in your program with special health care needs that require the potential administration of medication, your program must be approved to administer medication.
The Waiver Request for Emergency Medications only applies to the administration of inhalers, nebulizers, and Epinephrine auto injectors. Programs still have to fulfill the terms of the waiver and still need to be aware of and comply with medication regulations as they relate to permissions, instructions, storage, handling, documentation, and medication errors.
Click here to read the OCFS developed Emergency Medication Waiver Request Questions and Answers.
For additional information on medication administration, contact Elissa Guzzardi, Director of Health Services, at 914-761-3456 x 154.
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Back to After School Tips and Ideas
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Lights On Afterschool - October 21, 2010
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.
Get Your Program Space Ready for the New School Year Fall is just around the corner and 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 as you get 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. |
| Technical Assistance Tip - OCFS Regulations and Documentation Requirements for Staff Files |
As the director of the program, it is your responsibility to maintain the staff files in an accurate and current manner. The following items must be accessible for inspection in each staff member's file in order to be in compliance with the NYS regulations:
1) Copy of completed Statewide Central Register Clearance Form (LDSS-3370) and Response Form.
2) Copy of completed Fingerprinting Information Form and Response Form on Background Check.
3) Resume or statement or summary of each applicants employment history.
4) Employment Application
5) References - names, addresses and day time telephone numbers of either:
� (3) three written references, other than relatives, at least one of whom can verify employment history, work record and qualifications, and at least one of whom can attest to the applicant's character, habits and personal qualifications; or
� (3) references with contact information and verification that they were spoken to with comments and name of person making the call with date and time.
6) Criminal History Review with Crime Statement - a sworn statement by the applicant indicating whether, to the best of the applicant's knowledge, he/she has ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony in NYS or other jurisdiction.
7) Medical Statement - statement from a health care provider prior to beginning employment and every two years after, including results of a Mantoux tuberculin test which was performed within the 12 months preceding the date of the statement. The Medical Statement requires two different date stamps - one for the medical test (with TB test) and one for the TB results.
All staff files must be kept on site and ready for review.
The Council offers technical assistance and training to maintain compliance with OCFS regulations. Contact Mary Ann Brendler at maryannb@cccwny.org or 914-761-3456 x 172, if you would like assistance with your staff files or any other aspect of your school age program. |
| Upcoming Events and Workshops |
Register for Professional Development workshops via ABC Signup. Click here to learn how to register for workshops and events.
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
Tuesday October 19, 2010 10 am - 12 pm at the Council
School Age Director's Network Meeting |
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