DEPARTMENT: Parks & Recreation
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Janet A. Martin, Interim Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Self-Monitoring Standards for the 2016 Summer Youth Program
SUMMARY:
This ordinance authorizes the adoption of Self-Monitoring Standards for the Parks and Recreation Department's recreation programs to comply with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services regulations.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Parks and Recreation Department has provided recreational summer programs for youth for over 25 years. These programs provide supervised, structured recreational activities to children ages six (6) through fourteen (14) years. The programs operate for eight weeks and serve over 5,700 children at over 60 sites each summer, consisting of both Parks Community Centers and school sites.
These recreation programs are available to registered participants at each site and have a twenty-five to one (25:1) participant to staff ratio. Youth participate in a variety of activities including math and science enrichment programs, as well as theme programming. These recreation programs have operated under Self-Monitoring Standards since 2003. The 2016 Self-Monitoring Standards required no changes from last year.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) allows an exemption from child care licensing regulations to municipally operated recreation programs that serve school age youth and adopt Self-Monitoring Standards. These standards must include staffing ratios, minimum staff qualifications, minimum facility health and safety standards, mechanisms for monitoring and enforcement; and are required to be adopted annually. Copies of the Self- Monitoring Standards are provided to the parents of all program participants as required. Should the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department pursue any other programs requiring Self-Monitoring, these standards would apply as well.
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