Sec.19a-428-2. Administration and Staffing

(a) The licensee shall be responsible for compliance with the requirements of this section and sections 19a-428-3 to 19a-428-7, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies and chapter 368r of the Connecticut General Statutes. Unless otherwise specified in this section and sections 19a-428-3 to 19a-428-7, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, the licensee or the licensee’s designee shall respond to the Office’s requests for information or documentation related to compliance with this section and sections 19a-428-3 to 19a-428-7, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies and chapter 368r of the Connecticut General Statutes within the time period and in the manner specified by the Office. The licensee or the licensee’s designee shall not furnish or make any false or misleading statements to the Office in order to obtain or retain the license.

(b) The licensee shall provide staff, programs and services to meet the needs of all campers. All staff shall have the personal qualities necessary to care for and work with children and relate to adults.

(c) Each youth camp shall have a youth camp director who shall be at least twenty-one years of age. Except for those persons who have already served at least one summer as a youth camp director, any person serving as a youth camp director shall have had at least sixteen weeks administrative or supervisory experience in an organized youth camp or, in lieu thereof, equivalent administrative or supervisory training or experience in an organized youth program as determined by the Office.

(1) The youth camp director shall be responsible for the supervision of the campers at all times while the campers are at the youth camp, indoors or outdoors or on excursions. An assistant director, acting in the youth camp director’s absence, shall meet the qualifications of this subsection and shall comply with all requirements applicable to the youth camp director.

(2) The youth camp director, or the youth camp director’s designee, shall make arrangements to escort the Office’s inspector around the youth camp premises and to supply the Office's inspector during an inspection or investigation with any information, documents or materials necessary to comply with the inspection or investigation. The youth camp director or, in the absence of the youth camp director, the assistant director shall be familiar with all of the activities offered at the youth camp during the period of the youth camp’s license, and have immediate access to all records and facilities utilized for all activities offered during the period of the youth camp’s license.

(3) The youth camp director shall be responsible at all times for the health, comfort and safety of campers and staff.

(4) The youth camp director shall be responsible for the implementation of the youth camp’s plans, policies and procedures developed by the licensee. The licensee shall be responsible for developing all plans, policies and procedures required pursuant to sections 19a-428-3 to 19a-428-7, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.

(d) The youth camp shall have a director of each individual waterfront or swimming area, including areas devoted to the practice of aquatics, if such areas are used by the youth camp for swimming activities, who shall be at least twenty years of age and shall possess an American Red Cross Lifeguard Training current rating or its equivalent, as determined by the Office.

(e) The youth camp shall have a director of each small craft waterfront area, if such area is used for small craft activities by the youth camp, who shall be at least twenty years of age, shall possess current certification in American Red Cross Lifeguard Training or its equivalent, as determined by the Office, shall have successfully completed a boating safety course applicable to the type of small craft used at the youth camp and shall have experience and boating safety skills appropriate for the type of small craft used and body of water at the youth camp, verified and documented by the youth camp director. Each such director shall comply with the provisions of the applicable state statutes and regulations governing boating laws and scuba diving.

(f) Staff acting in a lifeguard capacity shall meet the requirements of section 19a-113a-1 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.

(g) Waterfront areas, swimming areas, and small craft waterfront areas utilized by campers or staff while on excursions shall have a director who meets the applicable requirements of subsection (d) or (e) of this section.

(h) The youth camp shall have a director of the firing range, if such range is provided by the youth camp, who shall be at least twenty-one years of age and shall possess a current National Rifle Association Instructor's card or equivalent, as determined by the Office.

(i) The youth camp shall have a director of the archery range, if such range is provided by the youth camp, who shall be at least eighteen years of age and possess evidence satisfactory to the Office of appropriate training and experience in archery, as determined by the Office.

(j) The youth camp shall have a director of horseback riding activities, if such activities are provided by the youth camp, who shall be at least eighteen years of age and possess evidence satisfactory to the Office of appropriate training and experience, as determined by the Office.

(k) The youth camp shall have a director of the challenge course, if such course is provided by the youth camp, who shall be at least twenty years of age and possess evidence satisfactory to the Office of appropriate training from an authoritative source in all of the challenge activities offered at the youth camp. The authoritative source shall have published standards, guidelines, or other instructional materials that are in accordance with current published standards and generally accepted operational practices. The challenge course director shall be an employee or contracted vendor of the youth camp and on-site at the youth camp during the majority of time when campers or staff are participating in a challenge course. Any staff member leading a challenge course shall be at least eighteen years of age and shall have completed training on the course elements they are leading that is in accordance with current published standards and generally accepted operational practices and had their skills verified and evaluated by the challenge course director.

(l) The youth camp director may serve as the director of archery or horseback riding activities, in addition to his or her duties as youth camp director, provided the youth camp director meets the requirements of subsection (i) and (j) of this section.

(m) Staff acting as counselors shall be at least sixteen years of age. Campers acting as counselors-in-training shall be at least fourteen years of age.

(n) In resident youth camps, the ratio of staff to campers shall be at least one staff sixteen years of age or older to six campers under eight years old, and to eight campers eight years of age or older. In day camps, the ratio shall be at least one staff sixteen years of age or older to nine children under six years of age, and to twelve children six years of age or older. The ratio of staff to campers, as specified in this subsection, shall be maintained at all times, including during all youth camp outings and trips.

(o) Whenever campers or staff are participating in the activities described in subsections (d), (e), (h), (i) and (j) of this section, the director of the activity, or, in the absence of the director of the activity, any other staff member who satisfies the age, training, and experience requirements of the director of the activity, as prescribed in said subsections (d), (e), (h), (i) and (j), shall be on-site where the activity is occurring.

(p) Whenever campers or staff participate in the activities specified in subsection (k) of this section, the director of the activity or any other staff member, who is at least eighteen years of age and who meets the training requirements in subsection (k) of this section, shall be on-site where the activity is occurring.

(q) Any staff member that has reasonable cause to suspect or believe that any camper has been abused or neglected, or is in imminent risk of serious harm, shall immediately report such suspicion or belief to the youth camp director or youth camp assistant director.

(r) The licensee shall develop, in consultation with the local emergency management director, a written emergency management plan for matters that include, but are not limited to, fire, a medical incident, a weather related incident, a man-made disaster, natural disasters or acts of terrorism. The plan shall address the assignment of staff responsibilities, identification of means of egress, identification of evacuation sites that will provide safe temporary care for children, transportation, plans for shelter in place if evacuation is not feasible, lock-down procedures, and accommodations for children with disabilities and chronic medical conditions that have been developed in consultation with the child’s parent(s). All staff shall be trained on the details of the plan and a copy shall be maintained on-site and available to all staff.

(s) Each staff member shall meet the age requirements prescribed in this section on or before the date such staff member commences employment at the youth camp.

(t) The licensee shall:

(1) Submit the documentation required by section 19a-421(g) of the Connecticut General Statutes and a notification required by section 19a-421(f) of the Connecticut General Statutes in the format and manner specified by the Office.

(2) Obtain from each prospective employee, who is eighteen years of age or older, for a position that requires the provision of care to a child or involves unsupervised access to a child, a listing of all employment held in the United States for an organization that provides care or services to children in the preceding five years. The operator shall take reasonable steps to contact each such previous employer and any employers made accessible to the Operator by the Office, to verify, at a minimum, the prospective employee’s job title and description of his or her regular duties, confirm the employment dates, and ask whether such previous employer would recommend the prospective employee for employment. The Operator shall maintain on file at the youth camp documentation that verifies efforts to comply with the requirements of this subdivision and provide to the Office any information obtained pursuant to this subdivision upon request of the Office.

(Effective September 25, 2017; Amended June 13, 2022)