Table of Contents- IP July 1970

What's the big deal about DAY CAMP Accreditation?
by Shari Ann Wenzel

Q&A ON DAY CAMP ACCREDITATION

With the onset of warm weather and the end of the school year, children are checking into your district's day camp programs. You know you provide them a safe, happy, high-quality experience. You know that your standards are state-of-the-art. Or, do you?

At least six Illinois park districts know the answer to that question. They have chosen to become accredited through the American Camping Association (ACA), which next year will become the American Camp Association (still the ACA). Gaining the ACA stamp of approval may be a good idea for your agency's day camp, in more ways than one. Meeting the ACA's standards is not only reassuring, but can be leveraged to your advantage. Parents will appreciate that your district has taken the time and effort to meet nationally recognized stadards for providing quality programs while ensuring the health and safety of campers. And your commitment will likely result in higher enrollments.

The ACA has been granting accreditation to park district day camps in Illinois since 1998, when the Park District of Oak Park became the first to have accredited day camps in Illinois. Following in Oak Park's Footsteps were the Burbank Park District, Crystal Lake Park District, Round Lake Area Park District, Prospect Heights Park District, Skokie Park District and the Lake County Forest Preserve.

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Why the ACA? What makes Accreditation by the ACA special?

According to Gordon Kaplan, Executive Director of the ACA — Illinois Section, "Accreditation is a statement of a higher level of commitment. Day camp directors are similar to overnight camp directors in that they want to provide a quality program for their campers and are very concerned about risk management issues. They want to ensure the safety of all the campers and facilities as well as provide competent and responsible staff. The ACA standards for accreditation provide support to day camp directors looking to enhance their programs."

Is the accreditation process easy to follow? Will I have time to handle the process without slowly driving myself mad with paperwork and reports?

The answers are yes and yes. The ACA has published the standards for accreditation in an easy-to-follow manual. Each standard listed in the book provides a helpful interpretation of the standard, followed by a statement of what is needed to demonstrate compliance. The accreditation for Camp Programs and Services manual delineates all the standards by six core areas. They are:

1. Site/Food Service - Standards in this category cover fire protection, maintenance, bathing and toilet facilities, food service areas and practices.

2. Transportation - Standards in this category cover procedures concerning drivers and vehicle requirements, traffic control and transportation safety.

3. Health Care-Standards in this category cover staff and facility requirements, medication management and required health information and record keeping.

4. Operational Management-Standards in this category cover safety and security regulations, staff emergency training, crisis communications, insurance and planning.

5. Staffing - Standards in this category cover staff qualifications, training, camper to counselor ratios, supervision and behavior management guidelines.

6. Program - Standards in this category cover goals for camper development, as well as orientation and safety policies for general and specialized programs, including aquatics, challenge courses, extended overnight trips, and horseback riding.

"Most camps have the procedures, but not in a written form," explains Kaplan. "Formatting them the way the standards requires may help protect the park district in case of a law suit and makes training and supervision of staff more consistent and effective."

The amount of paperwork needed for accreditation purposes can vary from park district to park district. A review of the manual's standards can help determine what components a park district needs to gather in written form for the accreditation process.

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16 Illinois Parks and Recreation

IPRA's School Age & Camp Committee Looks at the ACA

So what is the big deal about the ACA? Can one orginization really benefit day camp programs? Why would a day camp be attracted to their certification process and what benefits can they provide? Isn't the ACA an organization for overnight camps?

These questions were answered in the Spring of 2003 when IPRA's School Age & Camp Committee invited the ACA to present the true meaning behind the accreditation proces. What they learned was quite different than what they had expected.

To the committee's suprise, the ACA, which has been around since 1910, has been constantly updating and modifying its standards since they were first created in the late 1940's. The organization has always been a big proponent of both the overnight camps and the day camps.

In recent years, the ACA has seen an increase in day camps seeking accreditation due to the increase in the public's demand for quality programs. It's no longer good enough to just provide a day camp in your community. Parents are demanding more in the area of risk management, behavior management, counselor to camper ratio and more. The standards provide guidelines that allow day camps to meet or exceed these higher demands.

In addition, as a professional organization, ACA can provide an outside objective resource to day camp directors. In a litigious society, adhering to nationally recognized standards can be the backbone to your defense against lawsuits relating to your day camp. The standards are designed to ensure that your policies and procedures are in written form, that your staff is trained adequately to handle emergencies and that your parenst are informed of the policies and procedures. In essence, the ACA wants to ensure your camp has a well-rounded training and procedure manual to referto during training and the implementation of procedures.

At Oak Park, most standards were already -written up as emergency procedures, transportation procedures and as items in the parent manual. The park district merely gathered and organized all the information in a binder. Now that all the information is organized, the day camp director refers to the binder and each year updates it as needed to ensure the ACA standards are being met.

What is an example of a standard that can be found in the ACA manual?

The following is an excerpt listed under the Health and Wellness standards:

For each camper and seasonal staff member, does the camp have a current health history that asks for:

1. Description of any current health conditions requiring medication, treatment, or special restrictions or considerations while at camp,

2. Records of past medical treatment,

3. Record of immunizations and date of last tetanus shot, and

4. Record of allergies

Interpretation: A "health history" is an annually updated record of one's past and present health status that is completed and signed by an individual adult or the parent or guardian of a minor. The required signature serves as evidence that the individual or the parent/guardian has supplied the information and that, to the best of his or her knowledge, it is up to date and accurate.

Compliance: Visitor observation of randomly selected camper and staff health histories.

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Observations by an ACA Visitor

As part of the accreditation process, an ACA visitor will come to your camp to observe your operation. He or she will use a standardized set of guidelines to evaluate the performance of your staff conducting selected higher risk activities. A sample evaluation for an activity leader, for an activity such as archery, is reproduced below. There are standardized observation forms available for such activities.

18 Illinois Parks and Recreation

How much lead-time is required to become accredited? Is there a specific set of steps? What will it cost my agency?

The steps towards accreditation are as follows:

1. Apply for accreditation and submit accreditation fees.

The fees are graduated based on a camp's operating budget. The fee structure ranges for camps operating at less than $25,000 to camps operating at $18 million. But, for example, camps operating at between $25,000 to $50,000 can expect fees of about $600, while camps in the $50,001 to $100,000 range can expect fees of about $750. The Park District of Oak Park finds its annual fee is very reasonable when calculated as a per-camper fee. It is best to consult with the ACA to determine your membership fees. (A free Camp Fee Rate Chart can be obtained by contacting ACA at (312) 332-0833, or you may request one via email: acaillinois@earthlink.net.)

When a park district submits its fees to the ACA, it is in essence becoming a member of the ACA. Once a member, the park district may take advantage of the accreditation process as well as other services and benefits.

2. Attend a standards course.

The standards course is offered annually in Illinois during late winter/early spring in the Chicagoland area and in southern Illinois.

A group of professionals may also request to hold an ACA standards course at an alternate time. Participants will receive a copy of Accreditation Standards for Camp Programs and Services before attending the course.

3. Review, evaluate, and gather written documentation of your camp program based on the guidelines of the standards.

The ACA suggests a lead-time of six months to prepare this information.

4. Schedule a site visit with an ACA Visitor.

Two ACA Certified Visitors will visit the day camp during operation. It is recommended that ACA Visitors observe by August 1 of your day camp year.

5. Participate in a site visit with an ACA Visitor.

The ACA visitor will assess the program, review all the written documentation and rate the program according to the ACA guidelines scoring system.

6. Meet the minimum criteria for ACA accreditation.

A score of 80 percent in each applicable section of the standards is required, as well as compliance with mandatory standards.

7. Annually sign ACA's Statement of Compliance.

The camp director pledges to operate ethically, legally and in compliance with the ACA standards.

Typically the process can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months depending on the current structure of the camp. If a park district already has a strong risk management structure, an in-depth staff training process and high-quality programs, the accreditation process can be easier to tackle.

The process of accreditation can begin January 1. You can gather documentation throughout the winter and spring, and ACA visitors can tour the camp in the summer. By November 1, you will receive notification of your accreditation status.

To Learn More
For more information on the accreditation process contact:
Gordon Kaplan, Executive Director of the ACA, Illinois section 67 East Madison Street, Suite 1406 Chicago, IL 60603-3010 312-332-0833 or 312-332-2497 acaillinois@earthlink.net
Additional information can also be found on the American Camping Association's website at www.acacamps.org.

How long is certification good for and when does the re-certification occur?

Certification is good for three years. An ACA visit will occur every third year.

What do other professionals in the field have to say about the American Camping Association?

Sam Thompson, recreation supervisor at Crystal Lake Park District, says, "The main thing I like is the wealth of experience the ACA staff has, as well as the networking. There's not a problem that I encounter that they do not have experience handling. You would think that an agency that has been around for so many years would be behind in the times. However they are very computer savvy and up-to-date on the latest trends in day camps. Their combination of experience and cutting-edge knowledge makes them a terrific organization."

Charity Luter, preschool, dance, and camps manager at the Park District of Oak Park, adds, "The accreditation process is long but worth every minute. When parents sign up for our camps they see the ACA accreditation as an extra effort on our part to ensure a better camp experience for their children. I think the standards are a check and balance system for the park district. It helps us stay consistent with sign-in sheets, facilities and risk management issues. I have found ACA to be a very good organization."

Shari Ann Wenzel is the Fox Center director at the Park District of Oak Park. She also teaches part time for Chicago State University and Moraine Valley Community College.

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