Program/Aquatics Confusing DNAs

In the PA — Aquatics section of the standards book, user groups are incorporated into the wording of the standards differently than in any other section of the book. This has caused some confusion when it comes to interpreting applicability. The PA standards have DNA statements that (we thought) indicated when that standard applied only to the camp-run programs. E.g., DNA when user groups provide their own aquatic personnel.

To clarify: If the camp provides personnel for aquatic activities for day camp, resident camp, weekend programs, outdoor ed groups, or any other group, the following standards DO APPLY to those programs: PA-1, PA-2, PA-3, PA-7, *PA-15B, *PA-20B. (Note that *PA-15B and *PA-20B require documentation of skill verification.)

Requirements for Leaders of Specialized Activities

Some of the standards most often missed by camps in 1999 were those requiring documentation of skill checks and observations for leaders of specialized activities — such as archery, riflery challenge course activities, aquatics, horseback riding, and tripping.

Camps must be sure staff have the appropriate skills and must be sure staff are teaching/leading activities correctly. Both steps must be documented to meet standards.

Camps must have written documentation of:

• Credentials of overall supervisor of the specialized activity (See PD-12, PA-1, PC-1, PH-1, and PT-3.)
• Verification of skills of each staff member who will be teaching the specialized activity (See PD-13, *PA-15B, *PA-20B, PC-3, *PT-2, and PT-5.)
• Regular observations of staff teaching specialized activities (See PD-14, PA-2, PC-4, PH-2, and PT-6.)

Documentation forms that can be adapted to individual camps are included in Resource Pack and Resource Pack II (on disk in WordPerfect and Word formats). Order online or by phone at 800-428-CAMP. Several samples of Resource Pack forms are also available!

Certifications

Worried about whether your staff are certified to meet the first aid/CPR or aquatics standards requirements? The current lists of acceptable equivalent certifications are available in the Accreditation Center on ACA's Web site.

If you have questions on certifications not listed on the Web site charts, contact Cindy Andrews in the standards department (765-342-8456, ext. 333) or accreditation@aca-camps.org.  

Originally published in the 2000 Spring issue of The CampLine.