The people responsible for carrying out the program's tasks. For purposes of after school program recognition, the term "personnel" covers both full-time and part-time employees, as well as volunteers who perform the same duties as personnel and have a regular, ongoing role at the program.

Unless otherwise noted, standards related to the provision or oversight of direct services generally apply only to personnel who: (1) work with children and youth, (2) supervise personnel who work with children and youth, or (3) are responsible for overseeing the program. For example, COA would not expect personnel providing clerical services to receive the same training provided to those who work with children and youth.

A written statement of principles, values, or rules intended to guide the program and provide a basis for consistent decision making. A policy is formal in nature, and intentionally broad in its language and application. The following is an example of an anti-discrimination policy: "[Organization/Program Name] shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers, selection of vendors, and provision of services.”

In contrast, a procedure is a detailed, step-by-step description of a process. Policies are generally implemented through procedures – procedures will describe the actions required to carry out and implement the principles included in the policy. For example, the above anti-discrimination policy would require a detailed grievance procedure in order to operationalize it.

Programs will not necessarily be responsible for adopting their own policies - policies need to be reviewed and approved by the person or entity providing oversight. If the program is part of a not-for-profit organization, the organization’s governing body is responsible for approving and reviewing policy. In an owner-operated for-profit, the owner can act as the governing body and set its own policy, depending on the corporate structure. In a public agency the responsibility for setting policy may belong to the agency's management team, elected officials, another governmental agency, or a combination of the above. If the program implements policies that have been developed and adopted by another body (e.g., the school board, or the governing body of the organization of which the program is a part), the program does not need to develop its own separate policies. Instead, it should provide evidence of the policies it has been given to enforce.