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Council adopts Parks & Recreation youth‑program standards of care unchanged for 2025–26
Summary
Council approved the Parks & Recreation Department’s youth program standards of care for 2025–26, required by Texas Health and Human Services rules for municipal programs exempt from state child‑care licensing.
The Temple City Council unanimously approved an ordinance adopting the City of Temple Parks & Recreation Department’s youth program standards of care for 2025–26 at its July 17 meeting.
Susan Krauss, division director for recreation, presented the standards and said the city’s after‑school and camp programs must adopt written standards even though municipal programs are exempt from state child‑care licensing. “To remain compliant with the HHS requirements, we have to adopt standards of care for our programs by ordinance, and we must provide these standards to parents,” Krauss said.
The standards adopted are unchanged from the prior year and include staff‑to‑child ratios (no more than one staff per 20 children), minimum employee qualifications and required certifications (background checks, first aid, CPR and food handler; 10 hours of annual training), building health and safety checks, emergency procedures and a minimum participant age of five for programs covered by the standards. Krauss said scholarship and payment‑plan options are available and that registration and parent communications are being improved.
The public hearing on the item produced a brief comment from resident Alan Lytle who praised the youth programming. Council voted 5–0 to approve the standards and the associated annual report figures presented.
Speakers identified included Susan Krauss and the resident commenter Alan Lytle.
