PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. - "It takes a village" is an expression that came to mind following the recent accreditation inspection of the Presidio's Army Community Service, said Presidio ACS Director Kevin Moore.
Accreditation is a Department of the Army process for recognizing ACS centers as having high levels of performance, integrity and quality. ACS mission-readiness is the goal, and standards are set to ensure ACS provides consistent levels of support Army-wide.
Presidio Garrison Commander Col. Darcy A. Brewer was notified July 15 that the Presidio's ACS has been recommended for full accreditation with commendations following a thorough inspection of its operations by its higher headquarters, the Installation Management Command. A seven-member IMCOM team spent four days reviewing Presidio ACS documents and conducting interviews to determine how well the program met 207 standards for excellence. The Presidio's ACS, with offices at General Stilwell Community Center at Ord Military Community, is a division of the Presidio's Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation headed by Robert Emanuel.
"I could not be prouder of this ACS staff for achieving such high success," Emanuel said. "The fact that they take such excellent care of their clients, yet still sacrificed additional personal effort in preparation for this arduous inspection speaks volumes about their dedication to the well-being of all service members and their families."
Moore noted that former U.S. First Lady and current U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had used "It Takes a Village" as the title of a book published in 1996. Although Clinton's book is about what's needed for the rearing of a child (the phrase itself is attributed to African folklore), the saying also connotes the network of relationships that support communities and institutions.
"The Presidio's ACS is like that," Moore said. "It's a whole village of agencies on post and off-post taking care of Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. ACS is one link in this network of social providers that support and assist military families."
The stated mission of the Presidio's ACS is to facilitate the Presidio Garrison commander's ability to provide "comprehensive, coordinated and responsive services" in support of service members, civilian employees and service families.
Moore said an accreditation study of ACS operations within each Army garrison is undertaken every three years. The IMCOM inspection teams apply Department of the Army standards. ACS personnel and supporting agency personnel are interviewed by inspection team members and supporting documents are reviewed for completion and compliance with standards. The team also reviews case records within each of the ACS programs. The Army's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command evaluates the accreditation team's recommendations and makes decisions about compliance.
The 207 accreditation standards address 13 areas: structure, oversight, management, deployment or mobilization and stability and support operations readiness, the Family Advocacy Program, the Exceptional Family Member Program, the Armed Forces Action Plan, the Armed Forces Team Building Program, Transitional Compensation for Abused Family Members, Relocation Readiness, Employment Readiness, Financial Readiness and volunteerism.
"Many of programs were noted as 'model programs,' with the inspection team commenting that our programs serve as a great support and resource for our service members and their families," Moore said. "This was a team effort requiring day-to-day support and coordination across the ACS programs and with supporting agencies as well."
Moore explained that through partnerships and memoranda of agreement, ACS can call upon support from many to meet the needs of service members. By choosing partners well, efficiency in service is achieved and program-redundancy is avoided.
"Those agencies we partner with on post include the California Medical Detachment, the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, the Directorate of Public Works, the Directorate of Human Resources and the Directorate of Emergency Services," Moore said. "Out in the community we have partnerships with Monterey County, the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, United Way and many others."
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