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Supervision of Minors

Appropriate supervision is essential to maintaining a safe environment for youth participants. Review minimum staffing expectations, factors that may require additional supervision, and considerations for higher-risk activities.

Supervision Ratios

University Policy 8.8 requires Cornell-affiliated programs to meet or exceed the following minimum supervision ratios:

Participant Age GroupNumber of residential (overnight) participants**Number of non-residential participants**Number of supervising adults*
5 and under561
6-8 years681
9-14 years8101
15-18 years10121

Important:

  • Programs must have a minimum of two supervising adults, regardless of program size, to prevent one-on-one interactions. 
  • Programs serving participants of multiple genders should make every effort to include supervising adults of multiple genders.
  • Based on the nature and duration of the program, the activities planned, and the population served, RMI/CYS may require additional supervising adults beyond these minimum ratios.
  • Lower ratios may be appropriate for certain passive activities. Contact CYS for guidance.

Who Counts Toward Supervision Ratios?

Ratios apply only to adults who are actively assigned to supervise minors. 

The following individuals do not count toward supervision ratios while performing these duties:

  • Teaching
  • Conducting research
  • Performing administrative or logistical tasks
  • Performing any other duties that prevent them from actively supervising participants

What Is Supervision:

Effective supervision means:

  • Participants remain within sight of a supervising adult, except for infrequent and momentary periods.
  • Participants remain within reasonable hearing distance of an authorized person who is trained to recognize inappropriate or dangerous situations and understands their reporting obligations.
  • Supervision is maintained at all times, including during breaks, transitions, and periods between scheduled activities.
  • Minors are never permitted to travel independently across campus while in Cornell's care.

 

Responsibilities of Supervising Adults

Supervising adults:

  • Must understand their responsibility for participant supervision.
  • Must actively monitor participants and continually assess the environment for health and safety concerns.
  • May not count older minors toward supervision ratios or assign them responsibility for supervising younger minors.

 

The following activities and locations present an increased risk for abuse or misconduct and required heightened supervision and vigilance.

 

HIGH-RISK ACTIVITIES:

  • Transportation
  • Overnights/residential programming
  • Field trips away from campus
  • Transitions between activities
  • Any situation where minors are changing clothes
  • Activities with mixed age groups

 

HIGH-RISK LOCATIONS:

  • Bathrooms and locker rooms
  • Out of the way locations
  • Stairwells
  • Unused rooms
  • Any program room that lacks windows and is not visible to others

Observable and Interruptible Interactions

All interactions with minors in Cornell-affiliated programs must be observable and interruptible.

Private one-on-one interactions between authorized persons and minors is generally prohibited except when vital to the structure of the program, approved by RMI/CYS, and supported by written parental consent.

For additional guidance, please Contact Us.