Air Force (AF) School-Age Care (SAC)

Air Force (AF) School-Age Care (SAC)

Inspection Criteria

Revised as of March 2016

The AF SAC Inspection Criteria may be obtained from the Air Force Services Activity Child and Youth Programs (AFSVA CYP) Sharepoint: https://lackland.eis.aetc.af.mil/afimc/sv/SVP/SVPY/default.aspx. AF SAC Programs are responsible for compliance with all AF SAC Inspection Criteria.

AF SAC Inspection Criteria are based on the following:

- AFI 34-144, Child and Youth Programs

- Air Force Policy Directive (AFPD) 34-1, Air Force Services, 2 Nov 12

- AFMAN 34-310, Nonappropriated Fund (NAF) Personnel Program Management and Administration

Procedures, 28 Sep 11

- AF Child and Youth Programs (CYP) Medication Administration Instructional Guide

- AF CYP Positive Guidance and Appropriate Touch Instructional Guide

- AF CYP Topical Application Administration Instructional Guide

- AFJI 48-110, Immunization and Chemoprophylaxis for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases, 7 Oct 13

- Big 3 Service Contracts Policy (Cleaning Standards)

- Council on Accreditation (COA)

- Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) Inspection Guide for AF Youth Programs Facilities

- The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101, Life Safety Code

- United States Department of Agriculture Child and Adult Care Food Program (USDA CACFP) Guidelines

PROGRAM QUALITY

Staff Interactions

S1 CYP Personnel are actively engaged with youth and relate to them in positive ways by:

·  recognizing and responding to youth’s individual needs

o  recognizing the range of youth’s abilities

o  relating to each youth’s culture

o  varying their responses to match the ages and abilities of youth

o  modifying activities so that all youth can participate

§  providing written instructions for activities

·  recognizing youth’s positive achievements

·  treating youth with respect and consideration

o  conveying warmth, closeness, caring, and proper guidance

o  being respectful of gender, sexual orientation, age, language, ability, race, religion, family structure, family background, and culture

·  encouraging appropriate expression of emotions

·  serving as a secure base for youth

·  seeking meaningful conversations with youth

o  asking open-ended questions

o  speaking individually to youth

o  including youth in conversations

o  describing youth’s actions, experiences, and events

o  listening/responding to youth’s comments and suggestions

·  demonstrating responsiveness and connectedness and creating the basis for positive attachment

·  assisting youth without taking control

·  encouraging youth to make choices and to become more responsible

·  encouraging youth to take leadership roles

·  emphasizing and modeling the importance of engaging in regular daily physical exercise

·  calling youth by their names

o  avoid using inappropriate nicknames, pet names, and terms of endearment to address youth

·  helping youth successfully transition from elementary school to middle school

·  expressing high expectations for all youth’s academic achievement, character, leadership, health, wellness, and avoidance of high-risk behaviors

·  modeling positive adult relationships

o  communicating with other CYP Personnel to ensure the program flows smoothly

o  supporting and assisting other CYP Personnel when needed

S2 Adult/youth interactions are positive in nature creating an atmosphere of trust. Practices that

physically or emotionally harm youth are not permitted. CYP Personnel will:

·  not share personal information about youth, families, or other staff in the presence of other adults or youth

·  follow the policies and procedures outlined in the AF CYP Positive Guidance and Appropriate Touch Instructional Guide

o  facilitate positive peer interactions

o  intervene to stop negative aggressive exchanges between youth

o  model desired behavior and acknowledge positive peer interaction

o  support youth who are socially reserved, withdrawn, bullied, and/or excluded

Activities

S3 CYP Personnel provide youth developmentally appropriate opportunities to foster a positive self-concept by:

·  displaying youth’s work and photos

·  encouraging youth to draw pictures and tell stories about themselves and their families

·  providing opportunities for youth to develop independence and demonstrate self-help skills

·  providing learning experiences that respond to individual differences in abilities and interests

·  providing learning experiences that demonstrate respect and value for each youth

S4 CYP Personnel provide youth developmentally appropriate opportunities to develop and enhance social skills that support positive peer interaction and citizenship by:

·  providing space and time for small groups of youth to work together

·  providing opportunities to help youth who have difficulty interacting with others

·  offering programs to support resistance from peer pressure

·  offering youth a wide range of recreational activities

S5 CYP Personnel provide youth developmentally appropriate opportunities to encourage thinking, reasoning, questioning, and experimentation in a manner that supports academic success by:

·  developing their understanding of numbers, number names, the relationship to object quantities, symbols, and integrating mathematical terms into everyday conversations

o  planning activities for labeling, classifying, patterning, sequencing, one-to-one correspondence, graphing, and sorting objects by shape, color, and size

·  exposing youth to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts

o  planning activities for observing and investigating nature, natural events, and objects

o  planning activities for sorting and classifying

o  planning activities for searching for patterns

o  planning activities for noting differences and similarities

o  drawing and discussing what they see

o  planning activities which boost computer based literacy skills

o  planning activities to explore technology opportunities including but not limited to robotics, coding, graphic design, and media making

S6 CYP Personnel provide youth varied developmentally appropriate opportunities to gain an appreciation of art, music, drama, and dance in ways that reflect cultural diversity by:

·  providing opportunities for music appreciation

o  creating their own music

o  using music for movement and singing or for easy listening

·  providing stimulating art activities which focus on creativity rather than a finished product

·  providing opportunities for youth to represent ideas and learn fundamental concepts and skills in the fine arts (e.g., painting, drawing, collage, and modeling clay)

·  providing opportunities for youth to develop an appreciation for the arts by taking trips to historical sites, museums, monuments, galleries, concerts, cultural events, and learning from professional artists (e.g., theater, ballet, trips to artists’ studios, museums, guest performers)

·  providing opportunities for youth to perform (e.g., exhibits, talent shows, puppetry, poetry reading, recitals)

S7 CYP Personnel provide youth developmentally appropriate opportunities to enhance their physical development by:

·  providing opportunities to enhance fine motor skills

·  offering active play (large motor) every day, indoors and outdoors

o  youth have a minimum of 30 minutes in each 3-hour block of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day

o  offering outdoor play as an open-ended choice

S8 CYP Personnel provide youth developmentally appropriate opportunities to help them develop a respect for ethnic and cultural diversity by:

·  exposing youth to different cultural perspectives throughout the year

·  having youth and their families share their home culture and language

S9 CYP Personnel provide youth developmentally appropriate hands-on opportunities to encourage good health, safety, and nutritional practices by:

·  providing opportunities to talk with professionals (e.g., doctors, dentists, fire personnel) to learn about health and safety practices

·  providing opportunities to cook a variety of food and to learn about good nutrition

·  providing opportunities to observe and care for living things such as pets

·  providing programs either through AF, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), 4-H, or locally that increase their nutritional awareness and support positive behavioral change

S10 CYP Personnel provide youth developmentally appropriate opportunities to enhance their language and literacy skills by being active listeners, extending conversations, reading books, encouraging discussions, and providing appropriate reading and writing materials in a manner that supports continued academic success by:

·  providing a wide selection of durable, age appropriate books for youth to explore on their own

·  providing a space conducive to the quiet enjoyment of books

·  providing opportunities for youth to re-tell and re-enact events in books

·  engaging youth in conversations that help them understand the content and the parts of the book

·  assisting youth in linking books to other aspects of the curriculum

·  teaching youth book-handling skills

·  providing an age appropriate print-rich environment to include samples of youth’s writings

·  providing opportunities to extend vocabulary

·  providing opportunities to write plays, poetry, stories, and occasions to present their work

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Facilities, Environments, and Materials

S11 Facility and playground modifications, renovations, and/or replacements to fixed equipment must be coordinated with AFCEC and AFSVA CYP for approval.

S12 Indoor space is designed and arranged to accommodate youth individually, in small groups, or in a large group. Activity rooms:

·  are arranged and organized in a manner to support play and learning

o  a separate space is provided for pre-teens

·  permit youth with special needs access (making reasonable accommodations/adaptations as necessary) to the indoor space

S13 There is a minimum of 35 square feet of usable space per youth in each activity room.

S14 Outdoor play areas must permit a variety of activities to be conducted throughout the year which encourage youth’s exploration of the natural environment.

S15 There is a minimum of 75 square feet of outdoor play space for each youth playing outside at one time.

S16 The exterior of the outdoor play areas are enclosed by chain link fencing at least 6 feet high. Horizontal slat fencing is not used.

·  chain link fencing installed after 1 Jan 15 has powdered/vinyl coating (black, brown, dark green, or tan)

·  meets Installation Force Protection Standards

S17 All playground surfaces and equipment must be age appropriate and meet the Architectural Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Standards, and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA).

S18 A variety of age appropriate materials and equipment are available both indoors and outdoors for youth throughout the day. Equipment and materials:

·  allow youth to have experiences in education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, character and leadership development, sports, fitness and recreation, and technology

o  some combination of each is needed indoors and outdoors but not all are needed both indoors and outdoors

·  reflect diversity, racial, gender, and age attributes

·  reflect the lives of the youth and families served

·  are sufficient in quantity to avoid problems with sharing and waiting

·  are in good condition

·  are organized consistently to encourage independent use

S19 A written system is in place for youth to have input for new materials, supplies, and equipment for SAC.

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S20 Youth must wear properly fitted and approved helmets for wheeled riding/wheeled devices (e.g., bikes, scooters, rollerblades, skateboards, skates, etc.).

·  helmets must meet the standards of CPSC

·  helmets must be cleaned by wiping the lining with a single use damp paper towel between users

Daily Schedules

S21 A daily schedule provides youth a sense of security, independence, and knowledge of what they can expect from their day. The daily schedule is followed, but is flexible to adjust to the needs and interests of youth. SAC will post the daily/weekly activities in a prominent location for youth to refer to when in the facility. The schedule will include:

·  opportunities for outdoor active play

·  choices of planned activities (e.g., art, music, science, fitness) snacks and meals

·  opportunities to socialize, independent activities

·  opportunities to do homework and receive tutoring

Activity Plans

S22 CYP Teaching Staff must use the AF CYP Standard Weekly Planning Form.

·  activity plans are based on youth’s individual needs and interests

o  must include intentional goals or outcomes that support youth’s learning and development

o  provide opportunities for youth to participate in planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of programs and activities

o  provide opportunities that support success at various skill levels

o  incorporate experiential learning opportunities

·  long-term projects shall be planned

o  may extend for multiple weeks depending on the ages and interests of the participants

·  CYP Teaching Staff responsible for activity planning must be provided a minimum of 1 hour of paid planning time per week

·  activity plan is reviewed and initialed by the Training and Curriculum Specialist (T&C) prior to implementation

o  written activity plans are posted in activity rooms/areas available to staff and kept on file for 1 year

Routines and Transitions

S23 CYP Teaching Staff provide smooth and unregimented transitions between activities by:

·  utilizing transition activities/games or music while moving from one activity to another (particularly if there is a possibility of a waiting period)

·  providing youth advance warnings and avoiding prolonged waiting times

o  completing the required preparations for the new activity before the transitions

·  being sensitive to youth that have difficulty with transitions and assisting them with the transition by giving them advance notice or adjusting their schedule to allow more or less time depending on the need (e.g., youth loves art and has difficulty leaving his/her work to transition to school)

o  modifying or suspending activities based on the needs and interests of youth

·  allowing youth to move smoothly from one activity to another (usually at their own pace)

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

Parent Communication and Education

S24 Parents must be provided an orientation at the time of initial enrollment. Parents are:

·  given a handbook upon enrollment or access to an online version

·  provided a tour of the facility

·  introduced to the staff

S25 Parents are provided a program specific handbook (or access to an online version) that includes:

·  a list of key personnel

·  a list of community resources

·  any topics required by accrediting agencies

·  operating hours (e.g., opening/closing times, holiday closures)

·  financial policies (e.g., fees and charges, late pick-up procedures and fees, special event fees, transportation, refunds)

·  medical/health (e.g., emergency procedures for accidents and injuries, conditions for sending ill youth home, procedures for parents to notify the program if their youth has contracted/been diagnosed with a communicable illness/disease, allergies, administration of medication)