ACA Accreditation Visit information for summer 2009
If your camp is scheduled for an Accreditation visitation during the summer 2009 season. There are three important items to help you prepare:
1. The NEW Standards Process Guide
You will need a copy of the new Accreditation Process Guide, 3-ring binder. We have a copy for you in the office and we will provide it for you at no charge, but if you would like to have additional copies beyond the one book they are only available for $79.95 per book plus shipping from Healthy Learning in California. Unfortunately, ACA National had to sell its bookstore to a private business, Healthy Learning. This company only allows ACA sections to buy one copy per camp at a reduced price. After that one book has been purchased the cost to ACA IL is the same as it is to the general public. Please indicate how we can deliver your copy of the Standards Process Guide to you on the enclosed response sheet. Some of you already have your copy
2. Standards Course Requirement
For Camp Directors who have never had the course OR have never participated in an ACA Accreditation Visit as the camp’s primary representative
A representative of a camp to be visited, who will be on the site and involved with the visit during the visit, must attend the Standards Course. If you have not taken the Standards Course since 1998 you must take the new course to be eligible for an Accreditation visit. We will arrange to give the full Standards Course to you on a one camp at a time basis. That is, a special Standards Course for just your camp with one or more persons from your camp participating. If the qualification described at the beginning of this paragraph fits you or your camp situation please select “Contact me to arrange a Standards Course for one camp at a time” on the Standards Visits 2009 Registration form.
Please note: If you have already had this session the is no need for any further action.
For Camp directors who have had the Standards Course since 1998 and who have participated in an Accreditation Visit as the camp’s primary representative:
If you or another person from your camp who will be involved with your visit on the day of the visit took the course since 1998 or have prepared for a Visit and been the person who worked with the Visitors during that Visit you do not have to take the FULL course again. However, you must take an Update Course for an orientation to the changes in the new version of the Standards process. This is a national requirement. Of course you can also take the full course again if you desire. We will offer three (3) Standards Update Courses in January, February, and April. Information about these courses is detailed below, and on the registration form. If you cannot make these dates are, please contact us at info@acail.org.
3. Standards Mentoring Session & Pre-Visit Documentation Review Session
If you have not been involved with the ACA Standards Accreditation Visitation process before, we suggest that you meet with a Certified Visitor for a Standards Mentoring Session AND that you attend the Standards Pre-Visit Documentation Review Session (to be offered in May 14, 2009) to discuss your written documentation and obtain answers to any questions you may have. The Standards Mentoring Session and the Standards Pre-Visit Documentation Review are optional sessions offered to assist you.
If you request a Mentoring Session on the registration form, we will arrange to have a Certified Standards Visitor meet with you.
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Standard Visits Summer 2009 Registration Form
The schedule below indicates the date, time and location of the three (3) Standards Update Courses to be offered this year. There is no charge for this course. One of the three courses will be offered as part of the Mid States Camping Conference. You will not have to register for Mid States to attend this one course. However, even if you plan to register for the Standards Course held at Mid States, please also register on the enclosed form if you plan to take the course at Mid States. Within two weeks of the course you select we will send you a confirmation, travel directions, and for the Mid States course, the meeting room location.
Please complete and return registration form with your choices.
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Standards Update Course Schedule for 2009
The Standards Update Course (for people who have had a Standards Course and have been the lead camp representative participating in an Accreditation Visit) - There is no charge for this course, but you must bring your own Accreditation Process Guide (if you already have one). If you need the new Accreditation Process Guide, we will distribute them at the Standards Course, unless you request that we ship it to you earlier.
PLEASE NOTE: If none of these dates are possible for you to attend please call Gordie Kaplan or Mike Hoffenberg to make other arrangements.
- Thursday, January 22, 2009, 10:00 am –3:00 pm At Salvation Army Norridge Citadel Corps Community Center Norridge, Illinois at Foster and Cumberland just east of O’Hare Airport.
- Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 10:00 am –3:00 pm At Salvation Army Norridge Citadel Corps Community Center Norridge, Illinois at Foster and Cumberland just east of O’Hare Airport.
- Thursday, March 26, 2009, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm A Mid States Leadership Institute Course At Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, Illinois.
- Standards Pre-Visit Documentation Review - Thursday, May 14, 2009, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm OR 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm At Salvation Army Norridge Citadel Corps Community Center Norridge, Illinois at Foster and Cumberland just east of O’Hare Airport.
The Accreditation process & times when you will hear from us
You will be notified about your assigned Visitors by mid May, if not sooner. The Lead Visitor will call you to select a mutually agreeable Visit date. You will be notified about the results of the Visit in August or September when the score results are mailed to us from ACA national (or very soon after scoring by/at ACA National, if you did not meet all minimum score percentages required for Accreditation).
All camps visited and Accredited during the summer of 2009 will also receive a letter indicating their Accreditation status and including all score percentages in late October or early November. The ACA-IL Board of Directors meets in late October to formally act on the Accreditation status of all camps Accredited through ACA IL.
