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Council Connections

 

November 2011
Greetings!  

Enjoy the November edition of School Age Connections, an e-newsletter from the Child Care Council of Westchester. It's already two months into the new after school year so review the School Age Care Regulations on Management and Administration to ensure, among other items, your staff files are up to date.  Give thanks this month to all that we have and try to reach out to those who aren't as fortunate.  

 

Susan M. Edelstein
Director, ISACC
School Age Newsletter
School Age Child Care Regulation Review
Meet the NEW SADN President
Training Kits for School Age Directors
NAA News
TA Tip of the Month:
Upcoming Events and Workshops
School Age Child Care Regulation Review: 414.15 Management and Administration 

Take time to review your staff files and documents that need to be posted and visible to all in your program.

 

(a) School-age child care programs must comply with the following standards:

(1) Each school-age child care program must register with the Office and must operate in compliance with the regulations of the Office and all other applicable laws and regulations. No person or entity may operate a school-age child care program unless registered with the Office;

(2) Providers who have registered with the Office must provide proof of registration and information concerning any waivers that have been approved by the Office upon request;

(3) A new application for registration must be submitted to the Office when there is a change in the name, address or operator; when reinstatement of a withdrawn application is sought; or when a registration is sought following the Office's revocation of, or denial of an application to renew, a registration;

(4) The provisions specified on the registration are binding and the school-age child care program must operate in compliance with the terms of the registration. The number and age range of children specified thereon are the maximum number and age range of children who may be in the care of the school-age child care program at any one time;

(5) Information relating to an individual child is confidential and cannot be disclosed without written parental permission to anyone other than the Office, its designees or other persons authorized by law. Information relating to an individual child may be disclosed to a social services district where the child receives a day care subsidy from the district, where the child has been named in a report of alleged child abuse or maltreatment, or as otherwise authorized by law. Redisclosure of confidential HIV-related information, as defined in section 360-8.1 of this Title, concerning a child receiving school-age child care is not permitted except in a manner consistent with article 27-F of the Public Health Law;

(6) A school-age child care program may not refuse to admit a child to the program solely because the child is a child with a disability or has been diagnosed as having human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), HIV-related illness or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Each such child must be evaluated by the provider to determine whether the child could be accommodated in the program if reasonable modifications are made to the premises and/or program. Nothing contained in this paragraph shall be deemed to require the provider to incur significant additional expenses to modify the premises and/or program to accommodate such a child;

(7) A school-age child care program must give the parent, at the time of admission of a child, a written policy statement including, but not limited to: the responsibilities of the program; the responsibilities of the parent; the policies of the school-age child care program regarding admission; the disciplinary policy; the program activities to be provided; a summary of the program's health care policies, including the level of illness the program will accommodate; actions the school-age child care program will take in the event the child is not picked up as scheduled; the food service arrangements; and instructional materials on the available procedures and legal remedies if they suspect their child has been abused or maltreated;

(8) (i) The parent of a child receiving care must have: unlimited and on demand access to such child; the right to inspect all parts of the building used for school-age child care or which could present a hazard to the health or safety of the child whenever the parent requests at any time during the hours of operation of the school-age child care program; unlimited and on demand access to the provider whenever such child is in care or during the normal hours of operation; and unlimited and on demand access to written records concerning such child except where access to such records is otherwise restricted by law;

(ii)(a) The parents of all children receiving care in a school-age child care program equipped with video surveillance cameras installed for the purpose of allowing parents to view their children in the day care setting by means of the internet must be informed that cameras will be used for this purpose. All staff of the school-age child care program must also be informed if video surveillance cameras will be used for this purpose.

 

(b) All parents of children enrolled in the school-age child care program and all staff of the school-age child care program must be made aware of the locations of all video surveillance cameras used at the school-age child care program.

 

(c) School-age child care programs opting to install and use video surveillance equipment must comply with all State and federal laws applicable to the use of such equipment.

 

(d) Video surveillance cameras may not be used as a substitute for competent direct supervision of children.

 

(e) School-age child care programs opting to allow parents to view their children in the day care setting by means of the internet must use and maintain adequate internet security measures at all times. Such measures include but are not limited to: frequent changes of passwords; filtering measures that prohibit public access to or viewing of day care activities via the internet; and immediate corrective action in response to any report of abuse of the system or inappropriate access. Such programs must also advise the parents having access to views of the day care program through the internet of the importance of security in regard to such viewing and of the importance of the privacy rights of other children who may be viewed.

 

(f) Video surveillance cameras are permitted to transmit images of children in common rooms, hallways and play areas only. Bathrooms and changing areas must remain private and free of all video surveillance equipment.

 

(g) School-age child care programs that use video surveillance equipment must allow inspectors and other representatives of the Office to have access to such equipment and to have viewing privileges as required by the Office.

 

(9) School-age child care programs must post or display conspicuously in a place to which parents have free and daily access, the following:

(i) the Office's school-age child care program regulations;

(ii) the name(s), addresses and telephone numbers of person(s) with the legal responsibility and administrative authority for the operation of the school-age child care program; and

(iii) the address and telephone number of the appropriate regional office of the Office which may be contacted to lodge a complaint against the program for violations of statutory and regulatory requirements;

 

(10) School-age child care programs must admit inspectors and other representatives of the Office onto the grounds and premises at any time during the hours of operation of the program. Such inspectors and representatives must be given free access to the building or buildings used by the program, staff and children and any records of the program. School-age child care staff must cooperate with inspectors and other representatives of the Office in regard to any inspections or investigations that are conducted by the Office or its' representatives. School-age child care staff also must cooperate with local Child Protective Services' Staff conducting any investigation of alleged child abuse or maltreatment;

 

(11) School-age child care programs must comply with all applicable State and federal laws relating to equal employment opportunities;

 

(12) School-age child care programs must report to the Office: any change affecting, or which reasonably might be expected to affect, those portions of the building in which the program is located or which are used for the children's egress in the case of an emergency; any change of director; and any other change that would place the program out of compliance with applicable regulations;

 

(13) All staff of the school-age child care program must be familiar with the regulations governing such programs. Such regulations must be readily accessible to staff for reference purposes;

 

(14) The provider must immediately notify the Office upon learning of the death, serious injury or infectious illness of an enrolled child which occurred while the child was in care at the program or was being transported by the provider;

 

(15) Parents must be given the opportunity to discuss issues related to their children and care of their children with an appropriate staff member or members. Such opportunities must occur at the time of enrollment and as frequently as needed thereafter, but at least annually;

 

(16) The indoor and outdoor areas of the school-age child care program where the children are being cared for must not be used for any other business or social purpose when children are present such that the attention of staff is diverted from the care of the children. When a school-age child care program is located in a multi-use building, those portions of the building designated for the care of children must be used exclusively for child day care during the hours that children are present; and

 

(17)(i) Within five days after receiving the initial registration and before actually commencing operation, the provider must, using a form specified by the Office for that purpose, notify the local police and fire departments of the municipality within which the school-age child care program is located of the following:

(a) the address of the school-age child care program;

(b) the maximum capacity of the school-age child care program;

(c) the age range of children that will be in care; and

(d) the hours during which children will be in care.

(ii) If the local municipality does not have a police or fire department, the sheriff of the county within which the school-age child care program is located must be notified instead. The provider must notify the local police and fire departments or the county sheriff, as appropriate, if there is any change in any of the information required to be provided pursuant to subparagraph (i) of this paragraph.

 

(b) Conditions which apply to school-age child care program registration are as follows:

(1) No registration will be issued unless the provider is in full compliance with the regulations of the Office and all other applicable laws and regulations except where a waiver of one or more requirements of this Part has been approved in writing by the Office in accordance with section 413.5 of this Title;

(2) The effective period of the initial registration and each subsequent registration will be up to two years each so long as the provider remains in compliance with applicable laws and regulations during such periods;

(i) If a provider or operator has not met the training requirement specified in section 414.14 of this Part, a subsequent registration may be issued for a period of up to one year following the completion of an acceptable inspection of the school-age child care program;

(ii) No more than one such limited renewal may be issued in succession;

(3) A registration is not transferable to any other provider or location;

(4) School-age child care programs required to be registered with the Office will not be exempt from this requirement through registration with another State agency or certification, registration or licensure by any local governmental agency or authorized agency; and

(5) Before denial of an application for registration or renewal of registration, the provider is entitled to a hearing before the Office pursuant to Part 413 of this Title.

 

(c) The provider must maintain on file at the school-age child care program, available for inspection by the Office or its designees at any time, the following records in a current and accurate manner:

(1) a copy of the evacuation plan, as required in section 414.5 of this Part, specifying alternate means of egress;

(2) an approved health care plan as required in section 414.11 of this Part;

(3) a sample copy of all forms used in the school-age child care program;

(4) the name, address, gender, and date of birth of each child; each child's parents' names, addresses, telephone numbers and place(s) at which the parents or other persons responsible for the child can be reached in case of an emergency; and the names and addresses of persons authorized to take the child from the school-age child care program;

(5) daily attendance records;

(6) children's health records, including parental consents for emergency medical treatment; the name and dosage of any medications used by a child, the frequency of administration of such medications and a record of their administration by school-age child care program staff; and a record of illnesses, injuries and any indicators of child abuse or maltreatment;

(7) copies of the school-age child care program's personnel policies and practices;

(8) copies of staff health statements;

(9) a description of the pattern of supervision of staff by the director, program specialist or other responsible person and procedures to assure adequate and appropriate supervision of employees and volunteers of the program;

(10) personnel information including a list of all staff with job assignments and schedules; Statewide Central Register clearance forms; criminal history review information; staff resumes; and other information required by section 414.13 of this Part;

(11) when the school-age child care program is incorporated, the following additional documentation:

(i) a copy of the certificate of incorporation and any amendments thereto;

(ii) verification of filing of the certificate of incorporation and any amendments thereto with the Secretary of State; and

(iii) a current list of the names of the board of directors and their addresses, telephone numbers of the current principal officers and members, and the business and civic qualifications of all such individuals;

(12) when the school-age child care program is owned by an individual, corporation, partnership or other entity using a business or assumed name, a copy of the certificate of doing business under an assumed name obtained from the county clerk;

(13) a copy of a certificate of insurance from an insurance company showing the intent to provide general liability insurance to the school-age child care program upon registration and a copy of the insurance policy;

(14) a description of specific procedures which will assure the safety of a child who is reported to the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment as well as other children provided care in the school-age child care program;

(15) a description of the procedure to be used to review and evaluate the background information supplied by applicants for employment and volunteer positions, as required in section 414.13 of this Part;

(16) a description of the schedule and content of training as required in section 414.14 of this Part, including use of both in-service training and outside training resources;

(17) a description of policies and practices regarding appropriate supervision of children in conformance with section 414.8 of this Part;

(18) a copy of the notification form provided to the local police and fire departments or the county sheriff as required in paragraph (17) of subdivision (a) of this section; and

(19) a copy of the certification that the building and the surrounding neighborhood and environment are free from environmental hazards, as required in paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) of section 414.2 and paragraph (3) of subdivision (e) of section 414.2 of this Part.

(d) Where multiple sites are operated by one organization or provider, records, other than those of children currently enrolled in the program, may be retained at a central administrative location. The operators of these programs must make all such records available on site upon request by the Office or its designees.

 

 
Meet the NEW SADN President 
Samantha Mars, Director of Youth Program Operations at Yonkers Community Action Program (YCAP) Manager has taken another step in her career and became the SADN President for 2011-2012.   A Political Science degree from 
Morgan State University led her to Long Island University for a Masters in Public Administration with a focus in non-profit management. Samantha started her not for profit career as an alumni high school tutor in NYC.  With over 10 years in the
non-profit field, Samantha has been at YCAP for a little over one year. In her role as Director of Youth Program Operations, she is responsible for oversight of more
than 15 staff and volunteers, blending youth programs and increasing community engagement.

 

At the October SADN meeting, past co-presidents Jayne Lapadula and Angela LaSorsa introduced Samantha, who despite her nervousness, ran a very informative meeting. She polled those in attendance to find out what they - the members of SADN - want to see, and get, from the meetings.  Trainings are scheduled for future meetings, as are presentations that are pertinent to the school age world.  Come to the November 15th meeting to meet Samantha in person, get some training hours, meet fellow directors and be a part of your local professional network. Membership in SADN is only $40 for the first 2 members of your staff, and $10 for each additional staff member. We look forward to seeing you there!
Training Kits for Directors Make
Training Easy and Fun!

The Institute for School Age Child Care (ISACC) has created a fun, cost efficient and unique resource in response to the many challenges school age directors face in training their staff. CCCW/ISACC Training Kits allow directors to provide quality training on topics pertinent to school age staff on-site and at convenient times for all staff.

 

Training Kits have been created in 5 topic areas:  

  1. Creating an Inviting School Age Program Environment
  2. Integrating Project Based Activities in Your School Age Program
  3. Effective Supervision and Behavior Management of School Age Children
  4. Making School Age Program Planning Intentional and Meaningful
  5. Homework Assistance in Your School Age Program  

 

Each Training Kit comes with everything directors need to provide training: Attendance Sheet, Training Agenda, Training Outline with Trainer Notes, Training Activities, Materials Packet, Resources,Training Evaluations for Staff and a Training Evaluation of the Kit for the director.

 

How does this all work?  It's very easy.  Directors of school age programs must attend a Council calendar training on the topic they want to present to staff within 6 months of the Training Kit training.  Click here to view the Council's current Training Calendar and see when Training Kit trainings are scheduled.

 

After attending a Training Kit training, directors rent the Training Kit for a two week period. After the staff training, the director returns the Kit, with the completed evaluations and attendance sheet, to the Council.  Training certificates for the staff are then sent to the program director.

 

Samantha Mars, Director of Youth Program Operations at Yonkers Community Action Program says "The Training Kit is a life saver. Navigating and finding the most appropriate time to provide personnel training is always difficult. It seems like winning the lottery when you find the perfect time for everyone, only to then realize, with last minute changes the persons who need the training the most cannot make it. I was so elated at having a Training Kit on hand, which allowed me to tailor the training and hours to fit the team, even if that meant facilitating the training in multiple sessions. What helped out the most was the step by step guide and facilitators notes. I felt confident in the subject matter; that confidence was evident to the staff I trained. Training Kits are cost effective, easy to manage and maintain the integrity of the content and we are looking forward to gaining training in every Training Kit provided".

 

Don't miss out on the newest, greatest method of training staff on-site. Register now for a Training Kit training!

National AfterSchool Association
(NAA) Information 
The National AfterSchool Association (NAA) is the leading voice of the afterschool profession dedicated to the development, education and care of children and youth during their after school hours. NAA provides information to after school professionals in the areas of policy and advocacy, professional development, and publishes many resources and research papers on such issues as New Directions in Youth Development, Standards for After School, Code of Ethics, Leadership Lessons, and After School Today.  Click here to learn about The Importance of Networking, an AfterSchool Leadership Lesson. 
TA Tip of the Month: SACERS Activities

The School Age Care Environment Rating Scale (SACERS) is an assessment tool used by the Council to evaluate the program quality of school age programs. By using this tool, strengths of the program as well as areas that need improvement are identified, leading to quality improvement activities.

 

The Activities subscale of the SACERS looks to see if there is a variety of age appropriate materials that are accessible for children to choose from in a number of areas. Here is a list of the various activities evaluated by the SACERS and examples of each. See how your program rates!

 

Arts and Crafts: This area should contain a variety of drawing materials including paper, colored pencils, markers, and crayons; tools such as glue and scissors, watercolor and tempera paints and a variety of collage materials, like buttons, feathers, cut up paper and foam pieces.

 

Construction Materials: Include a variety of blocks, Legos, duplo blocks, erector sets or carpentry materials and tools.

 

Music/Movement: Have a cassette or CD player with different types of music, dance props and musical instruments for the children to use in your program environment.

 

Drama/Theater: A variety of props (dress up clothes, costumes, furniture, puppets) that support many roles and situations should be available and accessible. Programs can create a variety of prop boxes, which are created around a particular theme (such as restaurateur) and provide the materials and props (menus, receipt book) that support role play.

 

Science/Nature: A well-stocked science/nature interest area should contain books, activities and toys that support science exploration, along with a collection of natural objects and living things such as pets and plants.

 

Language: Activities that encourage language skill development include crossword puzzle book, a dictionary, a thesaurus and games like Jr. Scrabble and Pictionary.

 

Math/Reasoning: Games and props that provide activities for number concept and problem solving development include puzzles, chess, checkers and board games such as Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders and those that have children count objects and play money.

  

The Council offers technical assistance and training to maintain compliance with OCFS regulations and to familiarize school age staff with best practices in school age care. Contact Mary Ann Brendler at maryannb@cccwny.org or 914-761-3456 x 172, if you would like additional assistance on this topic or any other topic relating to school age care. 

Upcoming Events and Workshops

Pre-registration is required for all workshops and conferences.  When registering online at www.childcarewestchester.orgyou automatically save $3.00 on standard workshops costing $33/$43

 

 

Saturday, November 5, 9:00am - 6:00pm

Medication Administration Training Course

Training Categories: 2, 4, 5, 7

Cost: $150
Code: 11029  
Modality/Age: All

Trainer: Elissa Guzzardi, Director, Health Services, CCCW

Description: The MAT Course is highly recommended for all child care programs and will cover all regulations for programs that administer medication and programs that only administer emergency medication.  .

 

Thursday, November 10, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Child Abuse Identification & Prevention, Including Shaken Baby Syndrome
Training Categories: 1, 6, 8, 9
Cost: $33 Members/$43 Non-Members (eligible for $3.00 discount when you register online)
Code:  12121             Modality/Age:  All   
Trainer: Daryl Gibbs, founder of the Cynthia Gibbs Foundation & Laura Cleare, Infant/Toddler Specialist, CCCW
Description:  Join Daryl Gibbs, founder of the Cynthia Gibbs Foundation and "Mikey", the SBS Simulator, to learn how to identify and prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome. In addition, help break the cycle of child abuse and neglect by understanding your responsibility as a mandated reporter and learn how, when and why to report suspected cases of child abuse.
  
Tuesday, November 15, 10 am - 12:00 pm
School Age Directors Network Meeting  
  
Thursday November 17, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm 
Homework Assistance in Your After School Program (part of the Training Kit Series)
Training Categories:  1, 3, 4
Cost:  $69 Workshop and Training Kit: $35 Workshop only
Code: 12145           Modality/Age:  F, G, C, School Age
Trainer: Mary Ann Brendler, Management Consultant, CCCW
Description:  The CCCW/ISACC Training Kit Series is designed to give child care professionals who work with school age children an additional resource with which to train program staff. This training explores different types of homework assistance and helps program staff determine which type of homework assistance best meets their needs of their children and families.
 
Thursday, December 1, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Information Session on School Age Accreditation
Training Categories: 5
Cost: Free      Modality/Age: School Age
Trainer: Susan M. Edelstein, Director, ISACC, CCCW
Description:  In the current outcomes-oriented environment, organizations are increasingly called upon to demonstrate the impact of their services.  Accreditation is designed as a framework within which an organization can measure a variety of its achievements. Learn about the New York State School Age Accreditation and the Council on Accreditation models, and why school age accreditation might be right for your program.
 
Saturday, December 3, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Heartsaver CPR with AED & Heartsaver First Aid

Training Categories: 2, 3, 4 for each

Cost: $95 members, $105 non-members for both CPR & First Aid combined
Code: 12125   
Modality/Age: All

Trainer: David A. Cadogan, President, Lifeline Rescue Training

Description: The CPR with AED workshop will cover the basic techniques of adult, child, and infant CPR, how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and how to respond to a choking victim. Each participant receives a course completion card valid for 2 years through the American Heart Association and a training certificate. In the First Aid training, participants will learn how to manage illnesses and injuries in adults, children, and infants. Topics include First Aid Basics, Medical Emergencies, Injury Emergencies, and Environmental Emergencies. Each participant receives a course completion card for each of the trainings valid for 2 years though the American Heart Association and training certificates from the Child Care Council of Westchester. 

 

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