For Immediate Release:   April 4, 2008

 

BPS School Age Child Care Programs Continue to Earn High Marks

 

            VIERA—School Age Child Care Programs across Brevard Public Schools are earning recognition for their quality and safety. So far this year, 41 of 58 sites have received comprehensive Gold Key validation visits, with outstanding results.

The validation visits cover five components that contain a total of 98 standards. Twenty-nine of the 41 sites achieved all 98 standards, meeting five of the five components. None of the sites visited thus far met less than 94 standards and every one of the 41 sites visited met all standards in the safety component.

“We are told that those who conducted the validation visits observed excellent safety procedures at all sites,” said Superintendent Dr. Richard A. DiPatri. “We are pleased that our child care programs continue to earn such high marks.” 

This is the first year the entire Gold Key Assessment tool has been implemented across Brevard Public Schools. The district operates 58 School Age Child Care Programs providing before/after and out-of-school day activity and enrichment programs in every elementary school. Student safety is and always has been an important focus of these programs. In the spring of 2006, a safety initiative was introduced to every site. This initiative included a safety review component, which provides 10 safety standards that include 39 indicators of compliance. Site coordinators were provided training, support and technical assistance by the district’s School Age Child Care Department to document the safety processes in every program. An assessment team was developed to provide unannounced visits to review the documentation and observe the practice of these safety standards during program operation times. 

 This safety initiative has heightened the awareness of safety procedures that were already in place at the sites and has also provided site coordinators and staff a way to measure and document the process of their daily work practices. This plan also includes a safety monitor at every program, whose role is to maintain constant observation of program safety. Their primary responsibility is to insure that every child is supervised at all times and to identify adults who are authorized to pick up the children. The monitors are not assigned to a group of children, which allows them to check the overall safety of the entire program.

In addition to the already existing safety component, coordinators were able to assess their programs prior to the validation visits in the following areas: Health & Nutrition; Customer Service & Relationships; Staffing, Leadership, & Management; and Children’s Activities & Play Spaces. Validation visits for the remaining elementary schools will be completed by the end of May.  

-BPS-