Youth Protection and Compliance

Children visit our campus to participate in a variety of programs such as sports camps, theatre productions, academic and personal enrichment programs, tutoring, school field trips and many more. As such, SUNY Oswego is committed to protecting the safety and well-being of children who participate in College-sponsored youth programs both on and off campus, or for third party organizations who utilize campus facilities for such activities and programs that involve children.

In compliance with the SUNY-wide Child Protection Policy, all members of the campus community – including faculty, staff, students, visitors, and outside organizations that utilize campus facilities to host youth programs are required to adhere to the policies and procedures pertaining to the Child Protection Policy. This website was designed to help program coordinators navigate the Child Protection policy; our campus procedures, including event registration; Child Protection resources that are available to program coordinators; and the responsibilities of hosting a youth program/activity.

To continue to ensure the health and safety of our campus community, all visitors, guests, and/or spectators are required to follow current New York State Health and Safety Guidelines. View COVID Guidance for the most up to date information regarding campus policies including current masking guidelines. For additional details, please visit Oswego Forward.

Resources and Policies

NYS Office of Children and Family Services NYS Council on Children and Families NYS Department of Health Children’s Camps Child Protection Policy

Mandatory Prevention and Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse Child Protection Policy Guidance (PDF) Air Quality Protocol for Outdoor Youth Programs

Campus Responsibilities

Training

Employees, students, and volunteers who will be responsible for the custody, control and supervision of children during a Covered Activity are required to complete the necessary training prior to the start of the scheduled program.

Sex Offender Searches

Those who will be responsible for the custody, control and supervision of children during a Covered Activity are required to be vetted through the NY State and National Sex Offender Registry prior to the scheduled activity.

Identification for Covered Persons

Covered Persons must wear and display prominently at all times during the Covered Activity an ID badge that identifies the individual as a Covered Person in the program or activity.

Event Registration

To host a Covered Activity, the sponsoring organization must complete the Registration for Youth Programs/Activities form below. This form should be returned to Melissa Paestella and Megan Runge at least 4 weeks prior to the program date. Once the form has been received and reviewed, a meeting will be scheduled to review all requirements for the Child Protection Policy and the Mandatory Reporting and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse Policy.

Registration Form

Third-party organizations

Third-party organizations and educational institutions may co-sponsor Covered Activities with the College. For co-sponsored programs, the College and the co-sponsor have a shared responsibility for the custody, control, and supervision of the children who are participating in the program. Third-party organizations that bring children under the age of 17 to visit or participate in co-sponsored programs must review in advance of the scheduled activity the SUNY-wide Child Protection Policy and the Policy on Mandatory Reporting and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. Third-party organizations that are participating in co-sponsored programs must sign the Acknowledgment of Receipt of SUNY Oswego’s Child Protection Policy Conduct Requirements below and submit the form within 5 business days of the scheduled program.

Acknowledgement of Child Protection Policy

Revocable Permits (Third Party Organizations)

Off-campus organizations that are given permission to use University facilities for Covered Activities must do so pursuant to completing a Revocable Permit prior to the scheduled activity. The Revocable Permit attached to the Child Protection Policy is for use with Covered Activities only.

To help guide Third-Party users who would like to use College facilities for an event involving children under the age of 17, a list of procedures as it pertains to the Child Protection Policy that must be followed is outlined below.

Outside organizations are required to complete a Revocable Permit and return the signed permit to the Child Protection Compliance Coordinator four (4) weeks prior to their scheduled event. To begin the process, the Child Compliance Coordinator will require the following information in advance to generate the permit:

Official name of the sponsoring organization;
Identify if the organization is a commercial or non-commercial organization;
Official address of the sponsoring organization;
Name of authorized officer or official representative who will be signing off on the permit.

Required Documentation Needed

Certificate of Liability Insurance
- Name the State University of New York and the State University of New York at Oswego as an additional insured party on the policy;
- Include general liability insurance of two million dollars ($2,000,000) for each occurrence and two million ($2,000,000) in the aggregate.
- NYS Workers’ Compensation Certificate (C-10502) or Exemption Certificate (CE-200).
- Disability Certificate (DB-120.1)
- W-9 Form
- Federal ID Number

Contact:

Melissa Paestella
Assistant Director for Conference Services and Youth Policy Compliance

Megan Runge
Conference Services and Youth Protection Coordinator

135 Marano Campus Center
315.312.2937
[email protected]

135 Marano Campus Center
315.312.3505
[email protected]