Revisions to Accreditation Standards Effective January 2010

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Below are important revisions to the American Camp Association Accreditation Standards. Please note these changes in your copy of the ACA Accreditation Process Guide (APG).

Standard HW-17 now states:

Does the camp have access to an AED (automated external defibrillator) available to the majority of the camp population, within the timeframe recommended by authoritative sources, and managed by trained personnel? The AED may be located on the camp property or available through another provider.

This standard will NOT be mandatory and does not apply to trip or travel camps or other off-site programs.

Interpretation: Examples of authoritative sources include American Red Cross, American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, OSHA. The camp administration should determine the placement of the AED(s) based on population served and activities conducted.

Compliance Demonstration: Explanation of process used to determine where the AED will be located, who is trained in use of the AED and who is responsible for the maintenance of the AED.

Be watching the ACA Web site (under Resources for Accreditation) for additional resource information to be posted!

HR-4A: Additional method by which to meet this standard:

At the September 2009 meeting, the National Standards Committee reviewed the part of Standard HR 4A regarding the mandatory annual check of the National Sex Offender Public Website for all staff with access to campers (www.nsopw.gov, the Web address and name have changed from was what is printed in your APG and all states now participate). In addition to using this VERY SPECIFIC Web site to meet this part of Standard HR4A, effective immediately, a camp may also meet this standard by providing:

Written verification that a check of the Sex Offender Registry in all 50 states and U.S. territories has been conducted.

It is important to realize that if this method is used, the sex offender registry in ALL 50 states and U.S. territories must be checked and not just the states where a staff member says they have lived!

Also, a point of clarification, the NSC recommends removing the words "away from the camp site" in the applicability box on page 234 with regards to Staff Public Facilities for Aquatics use.

Finally, in response to ACA's 20/20 initiative, the ever changing landscape of the camp community and at the request of the National Standards Commission, ACA's Board of Directors removed the eligibility requirement regarding the number of days/sessions a resident or day camp must last. This "old" requirement is stated in the fourth bullet on page 12, of the Accreditation Process Guide.