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Child Care and Education Programs - School Age Care
ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS:
In addition to the nine essential elements listed at the beginning of the Childhood Care and Education section, specific standards can be looked at regarding quality school age care. The National School Age Care Alliance (NSACA) has identified 36 standards for high quality school age care. These standards apply to school-age child care programs as well as after-school or out-of-school time enrichment programs. For more details related to the standards contact the NSACA web site.
The NSACA standards are listed below:
Human Relationships
- Staff relate to all children and youth in positive ways.
- Staff respond appropriately to individual needs of children and youth.
- Staff encourage children and youth to make choices and to become more responsible.
- Staff Interact with children and youth to help them learn.
- Staff use positive techniques to guide the behavior of children and youth.
- Children and youth generally interact with one another in positive ways.
- Staff and families interact with each other in positive ways.
- Staff work well together to meet the needs of children and youth.
Indoor Environment
- The program's indoor space meets the needs of children and youth.
- The indoor space allows children and youth to take initiative and explore their interests.
Outdoor Environment
- The outdoor play area meets the needs of children and youth, and the equipment allows them to be independent and creative.
Activities
- The daily schedule is flexible, and it offers enough security, independence, and stimulation to meet the needs of all children and youth.
- Children and youth can choose from a wide variety of activities.
- Activities reflect the mission of the program and promote the development of all the children and youth in the program.
- There are sufficient materials to support program activities.
Safety, Health and Nutrition
- The safety and security of children and youth are protected.
- The program provides an environment that protects and enhances the health of children and youth.
- The program staff try to protect and enhance the health of children and youth.
- Children and youth are carefully supervised to maintain safety.
- The program serves foods and drinks that meet the needs of children and youth.
Administration
- Staff-child ratios and group sizes permit the staff to meet the needs of children and youth.
- Children and youth are supervised at all times.
- Staff support families' involvement in the program.
- Staff, families, and schools share important information to support the well-being of children and families.
- The program builds links to the community.
- The program's indoor space meets the needs of staff.
- The outdoor space is large enough to meet the needs of children, youth, and staff.
- Staff, children, and youth work together to plan and implement suitable activities, which are consistent with the program's philosophy.
- Program policies and procedures are in place to protect the safety of children and youth.
- Program policies exist to protect and enhance the health of all children and youth.
- All Staff are professionally qualified to work with children and youth.
- Staff (paid, volunteer, and substitute) are given an orientation to the hob before working with children and youth.
- The training needs of the staff are assessed, and training is relevant to the responsibilities of each job. Assistant Group Leaders receive at least 15 hours of training annually. Group Leaders receive at least 18 hours of training annually. Senior Group Leaders receive at least 21 ours of training annually. Site Directors receive at least 24 yours of training annually. Program Administrators receive at least 30 hours of training annually.
- Staff receives appropriate support to make their work experience positive.
- The administration provides sound management of the program.
- Program policies and procedures are responsive to the needs of children, youth, and families in the community.
School Age Care
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