DH Special Services
Education for the Activity Professional |
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April 2018
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 I am excited, packed up and ready to head to Philadelphia to participate in the National Association of Activity Professionals conference. If you are attending the NAAP conference - come find me and it would be fun to take some photos of the NJ contingent. I am proud to be representing NJAPA in the state flag ceremony on Wednesday. At the same time, I am sad not to be attending the annual New Jersey Activity Professionals Association spring convention on Thursday and Friday. I know it will be as awesome as ever with lot  s of great education, cammeraderie and I am sure dancing at lunch time. The NCCAP table will be set up - so make sure you visit that. There is information about the NCCAP Symposium in June as well as information about NAAP Membership. Hugs and greetings to all my NJ peeps! I will miss you! |
DH Special Services Distant Learning Program NEWS! |
The E-Learning Library is almost complete. There will be several programs that will be accessible via a Learning Management System - meaning you register and can access all materials on line immediately. Once you successfully complete the accompanying tests and materials, you can print out a certificate of completion. There are some final details to complete and it needs to be tried out on a few candidates before implementation during the month of May.
We have thirty-four programs available for your continuing education needs. Many are based on books which are mailed to you with course materials. Another six programs are E-Programs and are sent via a google drive link. The topics range from specific programming approaches to leadership topics to memory care to management and documentation topics.
To gain the hours, you read the book and complete the course materials. Once the materials are successfully submitted, the certificate is sent to you via email and the hard copy is mailed. This is an excellent way to gain continuing education hours while building your professional library of resources. The courses can be discounted if you already have the book or you share the program with your peers.
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The MEPAP Classroom Fall schedule is being established and that information will be available by the end of May. Watch for locations and dates in next month's newsletter.
However, meeting your professional goals of becoming NCCAP certified can start when you are ready. The independent study version of the MEPAP course can be started at any time and completed at your own pace. E-mail for more information on the classroom or independent study version of MEPAP class or national certification.
 If you are interested in certification through the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals or the MEPAP Courses but are unsure as to how to proceed - feel free to contact me. I will be happy to assist you in defining your path to professional growth and certification.
If you are not NCCAP certified - check out the requirements. You may have some of the qualifications and it is only a matter of gathering some documents and sending them in.
 √ Visit the NCCAP site and check out the requirements. √ You may already have some of the requirements needed to apply today.
√ For personal assistance in defining your path toward certification, e-mail today
There are some activity professionals unable to attain Activity Director Certified status because they have not completed college. If you have completed MEPAP I and II and have over 6 years of work experience within the past ten years - you may want to look into Track Four. This track enables to you become Activity Director Certified without college credits. . If you think you fulfill these criteria, email for more information.
Also check out newly introduced Track Five which is a professional equivalency path for those who are certified through another certifying body (NCTRC, etc) and have related experience. See NCCAP web site for details.
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1. Recreation Services Supervisor for Parker Homes in New Brunswick (Middlesex County). This is a leadership position - check out the job board for details Email slauritzen@parkerlife.org for more information. 2. Director of Activities for Alaris Health of Hamilton Park in Jersey City, NJ. This is a long
3. Director of Activities for Communicare Adult Day in Washington Township (Gloucester County. Call Jackie DiMeo at 609-501-1817
If you find a position filled, please let me know as I strive to keep job board current. |
~ Facebook continues to be the on line meeting place for activity professionals and it is wonderful to be able to reach out to others for ideas and resources.
~ My page is a celebration of what we do: promoting opportunities to live a good life no matter your age or living situation. My favorite posts get "smile of the day" and "age is just a number".
 ~ Posts are added daily, not only by myself but members of the group. I am happy to say - the page is a positive promotion of the new age of aging. ~One of my favorite posts this month was from Cycling without Age - where older adults enjoy a bike ride on an adaptive cycle. If you check out their site - they have some great videos and information as to where to purchase the bikes. ~As a member of this group, you are invited to share posts about your good works with our elders.
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I find and post many articles and items of interest to activity professionals on a few sites. You are invited to join, like, follow or contact me through any of the following sites:
Facebook My facebook page is very active with several postings daily, not only from myself by by the group members. This is a great place to get the latest news in activities.
Linked In My group here mainly focuses on articles of interest related to aging, dementia care, industry news and similar topics.
Google + I post articles of interest that I find here as well but also updates about my classes. There is a place to review the classes which is a nice feature.
Pinterest My Pinterest page continues to grow daily. If you are not on Pinterest - you should check it out. It is a free resource and a quick avenue to find countless ideas and resources for programming.
Twitter - Tweet me a hello if you are on Twitter too.
Hope to "see you" on one page or another.
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