Center for Youth Leadership ______Why wait for someone else to make a difference?
Connecticut Legislature: Committee on Children Testimony in Support of HB 5336: An Act Requiring Background Checks for Certain Employees of Licensed Youth Camps
February 29, 2020
Aly Molina and Jane Hussey
On behalf of the 104 members of the Center for Youth Leadership at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk, we are writing in support of HB 5336: An Act Requiring Background Checks for Certain Employees of Licensed Youth Camps. We are submitting this testimony to Representative Linehan, Senator Moore, and members of the Committee on Children.
Our interest in this topic dates to 2007. Here are a few examples of our work. In September 2007, we wrote to several municipal departments of recreation with recommendations for conducting background checks of employees and volunteers. Please see Attachdement A for one such letter. On February 28, 2012, we testified before this committee in support of SB 193. And on June 27, 2017. we wrote to David Wilkinson, then the commissioner of Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood (see Attachment B).
Our work continues to this day. In addition to press conferences we’ve hosted and op-ed essays we’ve written, we call camps in Fairfield County every year to ask if they conduct state and national criminal background checks of employees and volunteers and/or offer workshops on how to recognize and report child abuse. We also reach out to the parents of elementary and middle school age children in Fairfield County to urge them to ask camp directors about background checks and child abuse workshops before they enroll their children in camp.
Although somewhat dated, here is some context of the state’s youth camp industry. According to the Division of Licensing at the state Office of Early Childhood (OEC), the OEC licensed 481 camps in 2016. The camps served a projected 145,348 campers and employed a projected 17,735 staff. The American Camp Association found that the "...state's camps employ 13,600 seasonal workers" and "...estimates at $212 million the economic impact of Connecticut's summer camps" (Economic Impact Study, 2017).
What we wrote to Commissioner Wilkinson in 2017 still holds. “Since Connecticut requires national criminal background checks of camp directors and assistant directors only, we are concerned about the number of seasonal workers who have direct access to campers on a daily basis. Granted, some camps conduct their own background checks of seasonal workers, but the checks are not always national in scope, and many workers are hired, with access to campers, before the results of the checks have been submitted to camp administrators. In a random, unscientific survey of camps we conducted, administrators cited two barriers to national criminal background checks: cost and the time it takes to get the results. Reasons, yes, but not when it comes to the physical and emotional safety of children and teens.”
300 Highland Avenue • Norwalk, Connecticut 06854 • 203.852.9488 Comments and Suggestions: HB 5336
1.See line 22: We suggest it be revised to read: “…prospective employee or volunteer of a youth camp. The only person who does not have to complete a background check is the adult who provides the camp with a one-time paid or volunteer service in the presence of a camp administrator and/or licensed camp counselor.”
2.See lines 25-26. We could not agree more with the requirement of a “…national criminal history records check.”
3.See line 28. When we last checked, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) did not have a field for “reports of abuse at summer camps” in it data collection system. If this remains true, you may want to ask DCF to revise its data system to include such a field.
4.See lines 29-32. Line 30 ought to read “…prospective employee or volunteer.” We strongly agree that a prospective employee or volunteer should not begin work at a camp until the state and national criminal background checks have been returned and the results are consistent with state regulations for hire. Here’s a long-standing issue, per camp administrators: it takes too long to get the results of background checks. Sometimes, administrators offer jobs to people a week or so before the start of camp (e.g., college students). Administrators have argued that camp programs will be impacted if prospective employees have to wait for completed background checks to be returned.
5.We suggest HB 5336 include a statement about who will pay for the state and national criminal background checks. There are a few options: the prospective employee/volunteer pays; the camp pays; or the camp and the prospective employee/volunteer split the cost.
6.We suggest the Office of Early Childhood update its website to include the number of confirmed abuse cases by camp.
7.See lines 75-77. This is a tough one. We will defer to OEC regulations, but a lot can happen in a person’s life in five years, no? Also, some camp administrators hire public school teachers, many of whom bristle at submitting to a national criminal background check. As you know, public school teachers in Connecticut complete background checks at the time of hire by a school district and when they move to another public school district. There is even a question about public school teachers informing their employers that they have been arrested.
We know all of this sounds incredibly cynical. The vast majority of adults who work with children do so because they care about their well-being; they would never do anything to harm them. They do not hesitate to complete a national background check and are willing to wait on their hire until the checks have been reviewed and accepted by camp administrators. Nevertheless, we believe national criminal background checks of employees and volunteers should be part of every camp's safety plan, and the Office of Early Childhood should require such checks as part of its licensing process.
Sincerely, Aly Molina and Jane Hussey Center for Youth Leadership
ATTACHMENT A
Center for Youth Leadership ______Why wait for someone else to make a difference?
September 24, 2007
Mr. Bill McCarthy Milford Department of Recreation 70 West River Street Milford, Connecticut 06460-3317
Dear Mr. McCarthy:
On behalf of the 120 members of the Senators Community Foundation, we are writing to applaud your consideration of background checks of adults who work and/or volunteer with children through Milford’s Department of Recreation.
The Senators Community Foundation is a program of the Center for Youth Leadership, which is based at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk. Our mission is to prevent child abuse, and one of our social change campaigns focuses on background checks. In fact, we published a paper about background checks called, “I Thought Emily Was Safe.”
As you may know, the United States Postal Service, the Norwalk Board of Education, and Norwalk’s Department of Recreation have strengthened their policies on background checks of adults at the prompting of the Senators Community Foundation. The latest to join our campaign was the Norwalk Board of Education, which introduced a new policy on background checks for volunteers on July 1, 2007.
As you review the policy for Milford’s Department of Recreation, we kindly ask that you keep the following points in mind.
1 What is the definition of a background check? We define a background check as “a review of national databases for involvement with police services, child protective services, and departments of motor vehicles.”
2 Who cannot work and/or volunteer with Milford’s Department of Recreation? We believe that anyone convicted of a sexual offense, especially in cases that involve children, should not be permitted to volunteer. The Department of Recreation will need to decide if people convicted of other crimes (e.g., drug dealing) should be prevented from volunteering.
3 Who should complete a check? Any adult who wants to work and/or volunteer with the Milford Department of Recreation should complete a national criminal background check. This includes a parent and/or guardian who wants to work and/or volunteer with his/her child’s team or program.
300 Highland Avenue • Norwalk, Connecticut 06854 • 203.852.9488 4 Who does not have to complete a background check in order to volunteer? The only person who does not have to complete a background check is the adult who provides the Milford Department of Recreation with a one-time service in the presence of an administrator and/or coach; e.g., a presentation by someone from the Bridgeport Bluefish.
5 Who decides if a prospective employee/volunteer must complete a check? No one. The policy applies to any adult who wants to work and/or volunteer with the Milford Department of Recreation. Allowing a department staff member and/or team coach to decide which prospective employee/volunteer completes a background check introduces way too much subjectivity into the process. Everyone should be required to complete a check (see #s 2 and 4 above for exceptions).
6 Can an adult start his employment/ volunteer service while the Milford Department of Recreation is waiting for the results of his background check? No. Every prospective employee/volunteer must wait until the background check has been returned and department officials are satisfied with the results, per department guidelines.
7 Who pays for the background check? This is a tough one. There are a few options: The prospective employee/volunteer pays. The Milford Department of Recreation pays. Or the department and the prospective employee/volunteer split the cost. The department should research companies, e.g., Hire Watch, Inc., that conduct an unlimited number of checks for a flat monthly fee.
8 Will the Milford Department of Recreation accept a background check conducted by a prospective employee/volunteer's employer and/or an entity for which he volunteers (e.g., a church group)? If the Milford Department of Recreation accepts the results of a background check from another source, it should do so under with the following conditions:
(a) The check from the other source reviewed national databases for involvement with police services, child protective services, and departments of motor vehicles;
(b) The Milford Department of Recreation receives a written copy of the results of the national criminal background check from the other source; and
(c) The check has been completed within a reasonable period of time prior to the prospective employee/volunteer’s request to join the Milford Department of Recreation; e.g., within three months of the last background check.
9 How often does an employee volunteer have to complete a check? We suggest every employee/volunteer complete a national criminal background check at the beginning of every calendar year or school year.
We know that background checks are a complex issue. They are costly for some people, municipal agencies and school districts. They may flag an incident from a person’s past, but they do not predict future behavior. And, as Julie Underwood of the National School Boards Association has said, “…fingerprinting (adults) who want to be involved in (programs for children) may create a chilly environment, one where adults are discouraged from getting involved; but you do what you can to keep children safe” (Tamar Lewin, “Want To Volunteer in Schools? Be Ready for a Security Check,” The New York Times, March 11, 2004). Nevertheless, we believe that a fair and well-informed policy about national criminal background checks for adults who want to work/volunteer with children should be part of the Milford Department of Recreation’s comprehensive child safety plan.
Thanks for considering our suggestions.
Sincerely, Chelsea Kordas Leia Cadotte cc: James Richetelli, Jr., Mayor Daniel W. Worroll, Jr., Chairman ATTACHMENT B
Center for Youth Leadership ______Why wait for someone else to make a difference?
June 27, 2017 VIA EMAIL Mr. David Wilkinson Commissioner, Office of Early Childhood 450 Columbus Boulevard Hartford, Connecticut 06103
Dear Commissioner Wilkinson:
I am writing on behalf of the 125 members of the Center for Youth Leadership, which is based at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk. Our members address several social issues, including child abuse. This letter is about national criminal background checks for seasonal staff and volunteers at camps that are licensed by the Office of Early Childhood (OEC), As you know, such checks are not required as part of the OEC licensing process.
Our work on the topic dates to 2012, which is when we briefed the general assembly's Select Committee on Children and testified in support of SB 193 (it did not pass). Since then, in letters to the media, talks to parent-teacher associations, and outreach at street fairs and festivals, we have urged parents to ask camp directors about national criminal background checks of staff, especially those with direct access to children.
Here is a bit of context. According to the OEC Division of Licensing, the OEC licensed 481 camps in 2016. The camps served a projected 145,348 campers and employed a projected 17,735 staff (1). The American Camp Association found that the "...state's camps employ 13,600 seasonal workers" and "...estimates at $212 million the economic impact of Connecticut's summer camps" (2). And in its 2016 report to the general assembly, the Office of Public Auditors recommends that "...legislators should consider changing the background check requirement to a pre-certification process for prospective child day care employees" (3), which we believe may be appropriate for camps.
Since Connecticut does not require national criminal background checks of seasonal hires, we are concerned about the number of such workers that have direct access to campers on a daily basis. Granted, some camps conduct their own background checks of seasonal workers, but the checks are not always national in scope, and many workers are hired, with access to campers, before the results of the checks have been submitted to camp administrators. In an unscientific survey of camps we conducted, administrators cited two barriers to national criminal background checks: cost and the time it takes to get the results. Reasons, yes, but not when it comes to the physical and emotional safety of children and teens.
We are asking you to consider the following changes to the licensing process. In order to obtain an operating license from the OEC camps will (a) conduct national criminal background checks of seasonal hires and volunteers and (b) wait to hire such staff until after the completed background checks have been reviewed and accepted by camp administrators. In addition, if these changes are made, we ask that you revise the OEC camp inspection form accordingly. We know this sounds incredibly cynical, especially since we cannot quantify the problem in Connecticut. As you may know, the Department of Children and Families does not have a field for "reports of abuse at summer camps" in its data collection system.
The vast majority of adults who work with children do so because they care about their well- being; they would never do anything to harm them. They do not hesitate to complete a national background check and they are willing to wait on their hire until the checks have been reviewed and accepted by camp administrators. Nevertheless, we believe national criminal background checks of seasonal hires and volunteers should be part of every camp's safety plan, and OEC should require such checks as part of its licensing process.
Thanks for considering our suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely, CYL Executive Committee
Notes: 1.Letter of June 26, 2017. 2.ACA 2017 Economic Impact Study of Northeastern Summer Camps, June 6, 2017. See Alex Soule. "Study: Summer Camps Contribute $212 Million to Connecticut Economy," Norwalk Hour, June 7, 2017. 3.Jessica Lerner, "Connecticut Auditor Urges Stronger Laws on Background Checks for Day Care Workers," Middletown Press, June 15, 2017. ATTACHMENT C
Center for Youth Leadership ______Why wait for someone else to make a difference?
April 3, 2018
Via Email To the Editorof Hearst Media:
This letter is in response to an article about summer camps (Tips on Summer Camp, April 2). We are writing on behalf of the members of the Center for Youth Leadership at Brien McMahon High School. Connecticut statutes require the director and assistant director of camps that are licensed by the Office of Early Childhood to pass a national criminal background check. The same is not required of camp counselors, seasonal hires, and volunteers.
We are concerned about the number of such workers that have direct access to campers on a daily basis. Granted, some camps conduct their own background checks of seasonal workers and others, but the checks are not always national in scope, and many workers are hired, with access to campers, before the results of the checks have been submitted to camp administrators. According to research we have conducted, camp administrators cite two barriers to national criminal background checks: cost and the time it takes to get the results. Reasons, yes, but not when it comes to the physical and emotional safety of children and teens.
The vast majority of adults who work with children do so because they care about their well- being; they would never do anything to harm them. They do not hesitate to complete a national background check and they are willing to wait on their hire until the checks have been reviewed and accepted by camp administrators. Nevertheless, we believe national criminal background checks of counselors, seasonal hires, and volunteers should be part of every camp's safety plan, and the Office of Early Childhood should require such checks as part of its licensing process. Until it does, parents need to ask about the background check of every camp employee.
Sincerely, Tatyanna Molina Erika Folgar