TOP
STORIES
Continuing
Education
Clock Hours, Where to Find Them
By
Kathy Hughes, ADC, NCCAP President
Many
people struggle to get their clock hours for their NCCAP
renewal on a regular basis. Here are some ideas that
might make that struggle a little less stressful.
#1.
Find your state activities association. Each year state
activity associations hold annual conferences, either
in the spring or fall. Some hold two conferences. They
are a great resource for getting those clock hours on
a regular basis. You can use the www.nccap.org website
and find the NCCAP State Rep who will let you know about
their upcoming conferences. Also listed are the various
state activities association links to go directly to
their websites. Most state associations have enough
hours available for you to get everything that you need.
Keep in mind that if you write an article that is 400-600
words in length, about activities and have it published
in your state association newsletter that could count
for one hour of continuing education. Many state associations
are looking for articles that they can share with their
membership.
#2.
Find a community continuing education opportunity. www.nccap.org
has a "Sample Certificate" posted under the
"Downloads and Requests" link from the homepage
that you can copy and use for those opportunities that
fall within the NCCAP Body of Knowledge. A computer
course at your local high school, a craft class at a
local craft store, as well as your local library has
many continuing education opportunities. Even your local
Toastmasters (www.toastmasters.org) have workshops on
management subjects and there is one in your area.
#3.
Don't forget that you can also use 20% of your continuing
education for facility inservices. Take the "Sample
Certificate" and fill it in at each of your inservices.
If your facility sponsors a workshop you can utilize
it just like a regular workshop. Make sure that the
certificate of attendance is completed properly.
#4.
Need just a couple of hours? NCCAP sponsors a "NCCAP
Chat" on Wednesday nights at 8:00PM EST, everyone
is welcome and the chat lasts one hour. Information,
as well as a form that you need to complete for NCCAP
can be found on www.nccap.org as well. The $10.00 fee
is our fundraiser for our scholarship fund. Share ideas
with activity professionals from all over the world.
Many folks join in just to chat with others while some
have earned their entire clock hours by joining the
chat. It is a chat room just for activity professionals.
#5.
Online and home study courses are always a non-traditional
form of continuing education. Keep in mind that all
online and home study course have to be NCCAP pre-approved,
or taken through a college or university supported by
an official transcript. Always ask the company for their
NCCAP pre-approval number prior to taking the course.
We encourage companies to post their pre-approved online
and home study courses on the NCCAP Bulletin Board.
Several members have also posted ideas on obtaining
continuing education courses on the NCCAP Bulletin Board
to inspire and help you get your hours.
#6.
Make sure that the certificate that you receive has
all of the required information on it. The following
information needs to be on your certificate, if the
course or session was not NCCAP pre-approved:
a) name of the attendee
b) title of the educational session
c) date of the session (sessions/workshops over 8 hours
need to include a time outline verifying the number
of hours attended)
d) clock hours spent in the session
e) instructor's name and credentials
f) signature of instructor or sponsor
g) sponsoring agency
Earning
clock hours for your continuing education is as varied
as our credentialed members. There are many possibilities
and many ways to learn. We encourage a life long updating
of your skills and education. NN
|
