Sharpening the Finer
Points of Pre-ApprovalEducators
Corner
by Kathy Hughes, ADC
NCCAP offers educators a
pre-approval packet for their workshops,
inservices, seminars and courses. The
pre-approval lets our members know that
this particular session has been approved
by NCCAP. The process of previewing
sessions assures content and course
objectives meet the NCCAP standards
Pre-approval is done by our trained,
volunteer NCCAP members. All
sessions/offerings must meet NCCAP
standards within the NCCAP Body of
Knowledge.
You can use the certificate
with the NCCAP number on it for renewals
or for initial certification. When NCCAP
reviewers are going through their
process, a certificate with a current
NCCAP pre-approval number (example:
NCCAP# 97-465) on it means that the
member will not have a problem with that
particular certificate. Any pre-approval
numbers that are outdated will not be
accepted (example NCCAP# 93-414). This
number should be current and any number
that starts with a 97 or below is
outdated and the educator should apply
for a new pre-approval number.
To apply for NCCAP
pre-approval you can print off the
application found at our website (http://www.nccap.org)
or contact our office (757-552-0653) and
request a pre-approval packet.
The process involves filling
out the form and including a short, brief
summary of the instructors credentials, a
short session objectives paragraph, the
total clock hours (excluding breaks and
meals), a sample brochure, evaluation
form that you will be using and a
completed certificate.
Many associations and
individuals fail to provide all of the
information needed for the certificate.
You should have a completed certificate
that has the following information on it:
A. The Title of the
Session
B. A space for the participant’s
name
C. The Instructor’s Name and
Credentials (Extremely Important)
D. The total clock hours that the
session is (excluding breaks and
meals)
E. The location of the session (city,
state)
F. A signature of the sponsoring
organization or speakers signature
G. A space for the NCCAP pre-approval
number
This process is reviewed by
our trained, volunteer NCCAP members. We
pre-approve sessions that meet our
criteria and that meet the NCCAP Body of
Knowledge. The process takes some time
for our volunteers to do and so we
request that you do this at least 60 days
prior to your session. We cannot
pre-approve sessions that have already
happened. Many associations wait until 30
days prior to the session and then expect
NCCAP pre-approval.
Unfortunately, we cannot
respond as quickly in this small window
of time. The cost of contacting people,
faxing information back and forth and
finally making sure that the process is
complete, is higher than the original
cost of the pre-approval process.
To continue to assure that
the session that is being offered our
NCCAP members meets our standards, please
submit your application for pre-approval
at least 60 days prior to your session.
NCCAP/NAAP instructors will
now be receiving a renewal notice that
will allow them to renew their courses
for two years at a time. If you have not
recently renewed your pre-approval number
and your number is lower than 1997
(example: NCCAP# 97-211), please contact
us (e-mail info@nccap.org)
or call for a renewal application
(757-552-0653). We will be instructing
reviewers to the new course pre-approval
numbering system shortly. NCCAP/NAAP
Course instructors should have a renewal
number that ends with their current date
(example: NCCAP# 96-234-00).
NCCAP no longer accepts
“Provider” numbers on
continuing education certificates. If a
certificate has a “provider”
number it is not valid and may hinder a
participant in their renewal process.
State association using the
“provider” number should apply
for their individual sessions again to
receive a current number. NCCAP wants to
assure their members that the information
contained in the session meets the
current needs and interests of the
residents that we serve.
If you require assistance or
have any questions or concerns about the
pre-approval process, please contact us
(e-mail: info@nccap.org)
and we will be happy to assist you.
NCCAP pre-approval states
that the session has met our standards,
however, it does not reflect the content
of the session. We recommend that the
participant check speaker references and
course references from previous
engagements. NN
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