Receiving NSACA

accreditation for an after-school program is no small accomplishment.

There are approximately four programs in Georgia that have met accreditation

standards. Fayette hopes to add two more schools to the list as North

Fayette Elementary and Hood Avenue Primary begin their accreditation process

this year. According to After-School Program director Julie Simpson, the

process thrives on community involvement, self-study and continuous program

improvement.

NSACA has outlined

six elements of quality that after school programs must meet: human relationships,

administration, activities, indoor/outdoor space, safety and health/nutrition.

Under those elements are 144 keys that determine whether or not the quality

indicators are being satisfied. Before accreditation is granted, each

school is graded on all 144 keys. It takes about two years for a school

to complete the process.

Once North

Fayette and Hood Avenue receive accreditation, they will serve as mentors

to two more schools going through the process. This will continue until

all schools offering after school programs have received NSACA accreditation.

Accredited schools go through reaccredidation every two years.

Simpson said

she believes Fayette's after school program's greatest strength is its

human relationship factor. She says her staff is dedicated to engaging

students in activities that will help them experience positive academic

and social growth.

"We have

employees with a mission and a vision to enrich the lives of students,

not to just be babysitters. We service the entire county by offering activities

that our student population needs instead of doing what is convenient

for us and we support our staff by providing training so that they can

continue to meet student needs," says Simpson.

Approximately

1,400 elementary and middle school students are enrolled in the county's

after-school program. Daily attendance records indicate that about 1,200

students are taking part in the program on any given day. With such a

large number of students in attendance at different levels of development,

training is essential to help staff members learn how to best meet the

needs of each age group.

Site coordinators,

assistant site coordinators and many other employees from Fayette's after

school program were among 67 staff members who recently participated in

a seminar led by Simpson on the effective strategies to use in order to

enrich the lives of school-age children at various levels of development.

Techniques

learned during the seminar will assist employees in planning activities

and in guiding typical behaviors of children at various stages. Simpson

offered helpful tips concerning the growth children experience physically,

emotionally and socially. The information provided was intended as a guide

for the staff to develop age-appropriate activities for the children.

"It is

typical for children to exaggerate. Younger ages are not ready for competition.

These facts are important for those working with children to know so that

they can better relate to the child and keep down frustration. We want

to offer the best, positive environment possible and the way to do that

is to understand why children behave the way they do," said Simpson.

In order to

maintain quality, there are enrollment caps for the after school program.

Although some schools are currently at capacity, Simpson says she encourages

parents to fill out an application form and turn it into their school

in order to be placed on a waiting list for vacancies within the year.

Parents are also invited to make an appointment to visit the program.