DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Homer Garcia III
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Self-Monitoring Standards for the 2020 Summer Youth Program and other applicable recreation programs
SUMMARY:
This ordinance authorizes the adoption of Self-Monitoring Standards for the Parks and Recreation Department's Summer Youth Program and other applicable recreation programs to comply with Texas Department of Health and Human Services regulations.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Parks and Recreation Department has provided recreational summer programs for youth for over 26 years. These programs provide supervised, structured recreational activities to children ages 6 through 14 years. The programs operate for 8 weeks and serve over 5,000 children at approximately 60 sites each summer, consisting of community centers, school sites, and other City locations throughout the community. In addition, the Parks and Recreation Department offers additional out of school camps during school breaks.
The Texas Department of Health and Human Services (TDHHS) 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 by City Council annually. Copies of the Self-Monitoring Standards are provided to the parents of all program participants as required. Parks and Recreation staff conducts comprehensive compliance reviews to ensure that guidelines are achieved at each program site. The State reserves the right to visit sites and inspect records to evaluate compliance of Self-Monitoring Standards.
The Summer Youth Program is available to registered participants at each site and has a twenty-five to one (25:1) participant to staff ratio. Youth pa...
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