February 2025 news

Here are the highlights of this month's newsletter:

• Changes and new features to ACQ standards and guidelines

• Major change Form

• Certification and Compliance Visits 2025

Changes and new features to ACQ standards and guidelines

Reference Framework for Municipal Day Camps

Small changes have been made to improve the understanding of certain standards, here are the main changes:

4.5.5 Coordination training

The standard changes weighting from the “reinforcement” category to “no exemption possible”. It therefore requires from 2025 that coordination staff receive mandatory training of at least seven hours which must cover, in a non-exhaustive manner, elements related to their functions, such as roles, responsibilities and ethics, programming and supervision of staff, risk management, internal camp standards and procedures, customer service and handling of complaints, etc.

4.7 First aid ratios

The standard requires one certified first aid person per 25 participants. However, the training must be at least 8 hours long and conducted in person or a hybrid format (virtual and face-to-face). Asynchronous training, as was the case during the pandemic, will no longer be recognized.

Block 7 and integration into block 6

Block 7 disappears at Tremplin santé's request, the requirements regarding the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits and an approved menu remain and will now be included in block 6—Health and well-being.

Thus, the 6.1 Hygiene Policy is renamed Hygiene and Healthy Lifestyles Policy. We ask that the policy include, in addition to health routines, objectives and means put in place regarding the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits.

Finally, the standard concerning the menu, previously 7.2.1 – becomes 6.8 Review of menus and the approval of menus by a nutritionist member of the ODNQ (Order of Dietitian Nutritionists of QC) for any food offering offered by the camp.

Download the 2025 Reference Framework for municipal day camps manual:

Certification standards

Some changes have been made to clarify the following standards:

4.4 Skills required of the Counsellor

The skill requirements by camp type remain:
Secondary 4: program without accommodation 
Secondary 5: program with accommodation with the following exception: the hiring of secondary 4 staff is permitted for the family camp if participants are not taken care of for the night by the facilitator

4.19 First aid training and ratios

The standard requires one certified first aid person per 25 participants. However, the training must be at least 8 hours long and conducted in person or a hybrid format (virtual and face-to-face). Asynchronous training, as was the case during the pandemic, will no longer be recognized.

Block 7 and integration into block 6

At the request of Tremplin santé, block 7 disappears, the requirements of the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits and an approved menu remain and will now be included in block 6 – Health and well-being.

Thus, the 6.1 Hygiene Policy is renamed Hygiene and Healthy Lifestyles Policy. We ask that the policy includes, in addition to health routines, objectives and means put in place regarding the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits.

Finally, the standard concerning the menu, previously 7.2.1 – becomes 6.12:  Review of menus and approval of menus by a nutritionist member of the ODNQ (Order of Dietitian Nutritionists of QC) for any food offering offered by the camp.

Download the 2025 certification standard manual:

Major change Form

Member camps must inform the ACQ of any major change occurring within their organization such as a new owner, new management, new location or site, new program, etc.

To comply with the Membership Policy and help us:

• Keeping our database up to date

• Communicate up-to-date information to the public

• Prepare certification or evaluation visits

We ask you to confirm these major changes using the form and to send it by email to [email protected] by May 1, 2025.

Certification and Compliance Visits 2025

Are we visiting you this summer?

The Association des camps du Québec (ACQ) will shortly notify the organizations that will be visited by a consultant this summer following;

• a new membership application (certification or reference framework)
• a membership renewal
• one or more major changes such as: new ownership, new management, new location or new site, new program, etc.

Watch your emails!