WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SITE VISITS?

In order to continue maximizing the use of our Endorsers, maintain reasonable site visit fees for programs, and continue to ensure quality reviews, after receiving feedback from both Endorsers and accredited after school programs, we are making the following changes to the general assignment of Endorsers to site visits.

COA uses various criteria to determine the length of each site visit and the number of Endorsers needed to conduct each review. This criteria is used to determine which of numerous models may be selected. These include, but are not limited to:

• Small program site visits (typically under 50 children average daily attendance) will generally occur by a single on-site Endorser (Solo Endorser). Typically, for programs this small, we will not assign a remote Endorser.
• Medium size program site visits (typically ranging from 50 to 99 children average daily attendance) will generally occur by a single on-site Endorser, and a remote Endorser conducting paperwork reviews (policies, procedures, etc.) and staff and other stakeholder interviews.
• For large programs (100 to 199 children average daily attendance) the site visit will typically include at least 2 on-site Endorsers.
• Programs with 200 or more children (average daily attendance) may require additional resources/Endorsers to conduct the site visit. A third onsite Endorser will generally be added for programs with 200 or more children (average daily attendance).
• For programs of 300 children or more, the site visit team will be determined on a case-by case basis.
• All program site visits typically require a two (2) day site visit to be able to accommodate the observation and interviewing of staff from each component.
• When multiple site visits are clustered together within the same trip, the programs are still reviewed and accredited independent of one another, however, the schedule and number of days will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
• In the event programs operate from different locations, factors such as the distance from one location to another, the amount of information (policies, procedures, etc.) that is common, etc. will be taken into consideration when scheduling the site visit and determining the necessary resources.

Please refer to the sample site visit schedules in the related files section for example templates of the various options.

COA will make the final determination, based on various factors, regarding the size and length of the site visit to ensure a comprehensive review is conducted. The above guidelines and examples are intended to give an overview and are not intended to be definitive in nature.