Youth Activities, Pre-Collegiate Programs and Camps

Effective: November 1, 2012
Updated/Revised: October 17, 2024
Contact: Risk Management

Introduction
Policy Statement
Definitions
Not Covered by this Policy
Authorization of Youth Programs
Program Management
Staffing and Supervision
Operations
Financial Responsibilities
Compliance
Resources

Introduction

Iowa State University is committed to the health, safety and well-being of youth involved in camps, pre-collegiate programs and other youth activities. Such programs are an important component of our service and educational mission. Working with youth involves special responsibilities.

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Policy Statement

All organized youth activities, pre-collegiate programs, and camps, including academic, athletic and recreational camps, clinics, workshops and/or programs and research-related experiential learning opportunities held on Iowa State property or utilizing the university’s name or resources must--

Be authorized and comply with this policy
Operate according to the related Youth Activities, Pre-Collegiate Programs and Camps Procedures (see Resources below).

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Definitions

Youth Activity, Pre-Collegiate Program or Camp (“Youth Program”)
An academic, athletic or recreational activity offered to youth participants. This includes workshops, group lessons, conferences, seminars, competitions, internship programs, group experiential learning opportunities, and other enrichment programs offered to this population.

Youth Participant
An individual under the age of eighteen participating in a youth program.

University Sponsored
A youth program offered by an Iowa State University department/unit as a means of recruitment, outreach or education specific to department/unit mission or operations. The university is the sole or primary sponsor with ultimate responsibility for operation; participant supervision; and control of the camp, program or activity.

University Endorsed
A youth program actively supported or promoted by an Iowa State University department/unit and sponsored or co-sponsored by another entity that provides the primary operational control, participant supervision, and management for the program. These programs have ties to the university’s mission and affiliation with an ISU department or unit, but the university is not the primary sponsor. University facility use and services are permitted by contract.

Third Party
A youth program operated by an individual, organization or entity that is external to Iowa State University. The university leases facilities/premises to the third party and may offer other services for payment, but is not involved in program operations, participant supervision, or management unless contractually obligated.

Program Sponsor
The ISU college, department, unit or affiliate, or a third party entity that operates a youth program.

Program Leader
The authorized adult responsible for youth program management and operation. The program leader shall have adequate qualifications, training and supervisory experience as determined by the program sponsor.

Program Staff
Individuals, paid or unpaid, who provide program elements and/or will have personal contact with youth participants in youth program activities. This includes but is not limited to faculty, staff, volunteers, students, interns, or other individuals (e.g., counselors, chaperones, coaches, instructors, etc.). Program staff includes the program leader and any authorized adult.

Authorized Adult
A person eighteen years of age or older, paid or unpaid, who supervises or has responsibilities for oversight of youth participants and/or program staff.

One-On-One Contact
Personal, unsupervised interaction between a program leader, program staff, or authorized adult and a youth participant without at least one other program staff, parent or legal guardian present.

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Not Covered by this Policy

The following scenarios are not considered youth programs as referenced in this policy:

Activities supervised by the Child Development Laboratory School, a day care provider contracted to the university, or a day care provider affiliated with the university are not subject to this policy.
Youth visitors, individually or in groups, for activities not initiated or supervised by ISU program staff are not subject to this policy (e.g., youth doing research in the Parks Library; field trips supervised by a youth participant’s school or organization but not initiated or supervised by ISU staff or volunteers). Contractually-arranged third party youth programs are subject to this policy and are not intended to be exempted by this scenario.
Office of Admissions or other departmental recruiting visit programs which involve youth visiting campus with their parents/guardians are not subject to this policy. Individuals working with youth in these situations are subject to the Employment References and Background Checks policy (see Resources below).
Incidental visits by individual youth interacting with ISU faculty or staff, but not as part of a coordinated program offering, are not subject to this policy. However, these activities are subject to the Children in the Workplace policy (see Resources below). Examples include:
- Tours of ISU facilities
- Individual lessons (e.g., music) or tutoring/mentoring
- Individual non-student child doing research in a laboratory with a professor
- Job shadowing an ISU employee
- Individualized academic experiential learning/enrichment
ISU credit-bearing academic courses with students under the age of 18 enrolled, including on-campus, distance education, and independent study experiences are not subject to this policy.
Performances or events open to the general public are not subject to this policy (e.g., athletic competitions, plays, concerts, etc.).
Activities designed primarily for adults or enrolled students are not subject to this policy, even if they allow occasional youth attendance (e.g., lecture series).
ISU research projects with youth participating as human subjects must comply only with the background check requirements in this policy. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) approves or denies projects involving human subjects, reviews procedures relating to the safety of youth participants in research, and will make operational recommendations to researchers, including but not limited to use of parental consent forms, emergency contact information and other documents intending to manage the risks of youth participation in human subjects research projects.
College-approved academic curriculum activities that include ISU student interaction with youth (e.g., Child Development Laboratory school visits) are not subject to this policy. Colleges will set policy regarding safety and background checks for these programs/students.
Practicum and student teaching activities as a part of the School of Education are not subject to this policy. The background check policy of the School of Education (see Resources below) applies for these programs/students.
ISU employees under the age of eighteen who are not involved with youth activities are not subject to this policy. Individuals working in these situations are subject to the Employment References and Background Checks policy (see Resources below).

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Authorization of Youth Programs

University Sponsored and University Endorsed Programs
All university sponsored and university endorsed youth programs must be reviewed and authorized as follows before program activities can occur. Ongoing and recurring programs must be reviewed annually for changes in staffing, activities, and other aspects. Based on the changes, re-authorization may be required.

University sponsored and university endorsed programs must be approved by the department chair/director and the dean or vice president for the unit/department. Dean/vice president level authority for approval may be delegated to an individual designated to oversee youth activities and programs for the college/division.
Special approval requirements:
- All programs that are affiliated with ISU Athletics or that are regulated by NCAA rules must also be approved by the director of Athletics.
- In addition to department/unit and dean or vice president approval, all programs involving international travel with youth participants must be approved by and meet the requirements of the ISU Education Abroad Committee or Risk Management (see Resources below).
- In addition to department/unit and dean or vice president approval, all student/campus organization programs involving youth participants must also be approved by the organization’s adviser and the ISU Event Authorization Committee (see Resources below). These programs must be sponsored by an ISU department/unit or work through Conference Planning and Management with a third party program.
- For university sponsored and university endorsed programs to be authorized, program sponsors must meet or exceed the requirements of this policy and the Youth Activities, Pre-Collegiate Programs and Camps Procedures (see Resources below).
University endorsed programs require an agreement for facility/premise use and must be entered into by individuals with signature authority for contracting on behalf of ISU.
University endorsed programs also require an Endorsed Youth Program Agreement, initiated by Risk Management, Office of General Counsel or ISU Athletics Department.

Third Party Programs
Third party youth programs requesting to use university facilities, premises, or services are subject to this policy and must contract through ISU Conference Planning and Management (see Resources below) or the appropriate ISU department/unit, using an approved youth program agreement for facility/premise use.

Authorization and Advertisement of Programs
Approved youth programs must be submitted to Iowa State University’s youth program central registry as indicated in the Youth Activities, Pre-Collegiate Programs and Youth Camps Procedures (see Resources below). Only authorized programs may be advertised. Programs must comply with rules of the Trademark Licensing Office and the Office of University Marketing (see Resources below) regarding the use of the university name and trademarks.

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Program Management

Guidelines and related materials regarding program management are available in the Youth Activities, Pre-Collegiate Programs and Camps Procedures (see Resources below).

Staffing and Supervision

Each program sponsor must designate a qualified program leader to be responsible for implementation and oversight of the youth program and compliance with university policies, procedures and guidelines. The program leader for university sponsored or university endorsed programs must be ISU Faculty or Professional and Scientific (P&S) staff.

Program leaders are responsible for:

Selection and supervision of program staff (both paid and volunteer)
- Program staff (as defined above) must have an approved background check prior to interaction or direct contact with youth participants. Minimum background check requirements are outlined in the Youth Activities, Pre-Collegiate Programs and Camps Procedures (see Resources below).
- Program staff shall have adequate experience, qualifications, and training for the tasks they will be required to perform.
- Programs must comply with the ISU Discrimination and Harassment Policy (see Resources below).
Maintenance of appropriate ratios of authorized adults and program staff for youth participant supervision. The number of staff required is determined by age, needs, program activities, and number of participants. Minimum supervisory ratios are outlined in the Youth Activities, Pre-Collegiate Programs and Camps Procedures (see Resources below).

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Operations

Program leaders are responsible for the proper care and supervision of youth participants, including:

Orientation and training of staff and participants
Compliance with university policies/procedures
Minimizing one-on-one contact to prevent instances of molestation or abuse of youth participants and protect staff from false accusations
Acquisition and secure maintenance of required documentation such as parental permission documents, publicity/image/voice media release forms, and medical emergency information
Obtaining ISU Department of Residence housing (for overnight stays) or arranging for approval with Risk Management for alternate housing
Safe transportation of participants and staff
Establishment of appropriate safety, health and medical protocols including, but not limited to, training for program staff related to first aid, emergency response, confidentiality of personal information and prohibiting staff or volunteers from taking unauthorized photos or videos of youth.
Reporting of crimes, harassment, misconduct or safety concerns

Detailed responsibilities are provided in the Youth Activities, Pre-Collegiate Programs and Camps Procedures (see Resources below).

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Financial Responsibilities

All payroll procedures must adhere to state and federal regulations. All programs are responsible for remitting appropriate payroll taxes to state and federal agencies as necessary.

University Sponsored Programs
The sponsoring department/unit must process all funds and financial transactions according to university policy on Fee-For-Service Operations (see Resources below). All university sponsored programs must process receipts and expenditures through a university account and provide account numbers as a part of the authorization process.

University Endorsed Programs
Programs endorsed by Iowa State University may obtain a university receivables (UR) account for the monthly billing of charges incurred through university departments/units. The UR account number should be submitted to each university department/unit when contracting or incurring charges for service or supplies. Endorsed Programs require a Financial Responsibility Form (see Resources below) between the responsible owner/operator and the department/unit. UR accounts can be requested by contacting the Accounts Receivable Office (see Resources below); account numbers will be issued upon Program authorization.

Cash Handling
All university sponsored and university endorsed programs must adhere to university financial policies and procedures. The Treasurer’s Office has established cash handling requirements (see Resources below) to assure that funds are properly deposited to university funds/accounts.

Student/Campus Organizations Accounting
Recognized ISU student/campus organizations must comply with all financial guidelines set forth by the Office of the Controller. The Campus Organizations Accounting Office has established guidelines for proper accounting and fund management (see Student Organizations Treasurer Training Manual in Resources below).

To offer a university sponsored program, student/campus organizations must collaborate with an ISU department/unit. The program will be considered university sponsored when accounting (the departmental/unit fund) and program management are controlled by the department/unit. The program leader must be ISU faculty or Professional and Scientific (P&S) staff.
To offer a university endorsed program, student/campus organizations must collaborate with an ISU department/unit by utilizing an Endorsed Youth Program Agreement (contact Risk Management). Student organizations may manage finances through a student organization account that must be overseen by the program leader. Each Endorsed Youth Program Agreement must be approved and signed by a related department/unit. The program leader must be ISU faculty or P&S staff.
Student/campus organizations may, with the approval of the Event Authorization Committee, collaborate with a third party. Program operations and financial responsibility will be contractually that of the third party.

Insurance and Contract Requirements
University endorsed and third party programs must comply with the terms of their contract with ISU, including all insurance coverage requirements.

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Compliance

All program staff, participants and visitors must comply with ISU policies and local, state and federal regulations. Program leaders are responsible for oversight of compliance.

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Resources

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Youth Activities, Pre-Collegiate Programs and Camps

Contents

Introduction

Policy Statement

Definitions

Not Covered by this Policy

Authorization of Youth Programs

Program Management

Staffing and Supervision

Operations

Financial Responsibilities

Compliance

Resources

Related Policies

Guidance, Forms, Training

For Parents, Youth and Children

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Resources

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