Minot AFB School-Age Program maintains high standard Published March 31, 2010 Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Congratulations to Minot AFB for having its School-Age Program recently reaccredited by the Council on Accreditation. According to Col. Jeffrey S. Yocum, Chief of Services Division, Directorate of Manpower, Personnel and Services for Air Combat Command, it takes a total team effort and a lot of perseverance to maintain the high standards set forth by COA. "Once again, Minot SAP has been nationally recognized as a top-notch program and continues to demonstrate a commitment to providing quality school-age care for our Air Force youth," said Colonel Yocum. "I want to thank the 5th Mission Support Group for your leadership and continued endorsement of this very important program." Such a program is a necessity according to Air Force standards. "Accreditation of the before and after School-Age Program by the Council on Accreditation is an AFI [Air Force Instruction] requirement," said Suzanne Larson, 5th Force Support Squadron airman and family services flight chief. "However, we welcomed the challenge of having a civilian agency evaluate our program." "In addition to meeting all required DoD [Department of Defense] standards, meeting the COA accreditation standards puts the 'civilian stamp of approval' on the School-Age program and ensures the highest standards for school-age care are met," added Larson. According to Larson, the COA looks at all aspects of the program from curriculum and environment to records and policies. "Parents can be comfortable knowing that their children are being cared for in an environment that meets, and in our case exceeds, all requirements for school-age care - military and civilian," she added.