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For more questions and answers please check out Northwest Little Leagues FAQ page
Parent Participation
Many responsibilities exist beyond the normal team level commitments that make the Northwest Little League function smoothly. Parents are what make the program a quality experience for all our children. The Northwest Little League can only be as good as we, the parents, make it. Following are some important volunteer areas that are required during the season.
* Park Duty Assistance
* Volunteer Umpiring Help
* Field Preparation and Maintenance
* Special Events Coordination
* Fundraising
* Game Scorekeeping
* Snack Shack
Parent Support
Parent support during both games and practices is critically important to the success of the league. Be supportive of the team by ensuring your child attends each practice on-time. Be a positive role model during games, whether you are a manager, an assistant coach, or simply a spectator. Finally, please keep the following in mind:
* Always be positive and enthusiastic.
* Show your child positive reinforcement.
* Observe practices and games to learn proper techniques to practice with your child.
* Encourage your child toward skill improvement and good sportsmanship in every game.
* Teach your child to always play by the rules.
* Teach your child that hard work and an honest effort are often more important than a victory.
* Applaud good plays by your team and by members of the opposing team.
* Let the managers and coaches do the coaching.
* Let an umpire be the umpire.
Recognize that the umpire is the closest to the play and that each umpire will "call them as they see them". The umpire is often a volunteer parent who has assumed a difficult, but necessary, role.
The Role of the Parent
Parents play a very important role in helping to shape a positive experience for players, coaches, umpires, and other parents! To help you understand the key role parents play in the Northwest Little League, the following excerpt was taken from the Official Regulations and Playing Rules of National Little League Baseball.
"The parents of millions of Little Leaguers, combined with their youngsters, league officials, umpires, managers, coaches, auxiliary members and countless volunteer agencies including sponsors, represent an imposing cross section of this nation.
Parents should accept the fact that they must shoulder responsibility and take initiative to make the local program successful. Little League is not a club in which membership implies baby-sitting benefits and entertainment privileges for your children.
Practically speaking, Little League is an adult, volunteer work project constructed, supervised and assisted by parents who desire to make its benefits extend to their children.
Each parent should join in the total effort. There is a place and a job to do for all. The burden of operating the League should not fall on a few. The parent who shirks this responsibility cannot, in turn, expect others to assume the burden."
Background Checks
All local Little Leagues are required to conduct background checks on managers, coaches, board of directors members and any other persons, volunteers or hired workers, who provide regular service to the league and/or have repetitive access to, or contact with, players or teams. Individuals are also required to complete and submit a Little League Volunteer Application to their local league.
A Parents Guide to the Little League Child Protection Program
Parent Code of Conduct
The essential elements of character-building and ethics in sports are embodied in the concept of sportsmanship and six core principles:
• Trustworthiness,
• Respect,
• Responsibility,
• Fairness,
• Caring, and
• Good Citizenship.
The highest potential of sports is achieved when competition reflects these “six pillars of character.”
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I therefore agree:
1. I will not force my child to participate in sports.
2. I will remember that children participate to have fun and that the game is for youth, not adults.
3. I will inform the coach of any physical disability or ailment that may affect the safety of my child or the safety of others.
4. I will learn the rules of the game and the policies of the league.
5. I (and my guests) will be a positive role model for my child and encourage sportsmanship by showing respect and courtesy, and by demonstrating positive support for all players, coaches, officials and spectators at every game, practice or other sporting event.
6. I (and my guests) will not engage in any kind of unsportsmanlike conduct with any official, coach, player, or parent such as booing and taunting; refusing to shake hands; or using profane language or gestures.
7. I will not encourage any behaviors or practices that would endanger the health and well being of the athletes.
8. I will teach my child to play by the rules and to resolve conflicts without resorting to hostility or violence.
9. I will demand that my child treat other players, coaches, officials and spectators with respect regardless of race, creed, color, sex or ability.
10. I will teach my child that doing one’s best is more important than winning, so that my child will never feel defeated by the outcome of a game or his/her performance.
11. I will praise my child for competing fairly and trying hard, and make my child feel like a winner every time.
12. I will never ridicule or yell at my child or other participants for making a mistake or losing a competition.
13. I will emphasize skill development and practices and how they benefit my child over winning. I will also de-emphasize games and competition in the lower age groups.
14. I will promote the emotional and physical wellbeing of the athletes ahead of any personal desire I may have for my child to win.
15. I will respect the officials and their authority during games and will never question, discuss, or confront coaches at the game field, and will take time to speak with coaches at an agreed upon time and place.
16. I will demand a sports environment for my child that is free from drugs, tobacco, and alcohol and I will refrain from their use at all sports events.
17. I will refrain from coaching my child or other players during games and practices, unless I am one of the official coaches of the team.
Parent Code of Conduct Form
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Proof-of-Age Requirements
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Acceptable Forms Of Proof Of Birth Date
1. Original proof of age document, if issued by federal, state or provincial registrars of vital statistics in the
country in which the Little Leaguer is participating.
2. If country of participation differs from the country of proof of age document, original proof-of-age document
issued by federal, state or provincial registrars of vital statistics, or local offi ces thereof, are acceptable proof
of age, provided the document was filed, recorded, registered or issued within one (1) year of the birth of the
child.
3. An original document issued by federal, state or provincial registrars of vital statistics, or local offi ces
thereof, listing the date of birth, with reference to the location and issue date of the original birth certificate,
is acceptable. (The original birth certifi cate referenced must have been filed, recorded, registered or issued
within one (1) year of the birth of the child.) Also issued by these agencies are photocopies of the certificate
of live birth with the certification also photocopied, including the signature, and include the seal impressed
thereon. Such documents are acceptable without “live” signatures, provided the original fi led, recorded,
registered or issued date of the birth certifi cate was within one (1) year of the date of birth.
4. For children born abroad of a parent or parents who are U.S. citizens, any official government document
issued by a U. S. federal agency or service, is acceptable. For military dependents, Department of Defense
identification cards and military hospital certificates are acceptable. These must be originals, not copies, and
must refer to a filing, recording, registration, or issue date that is within one (1) year of the birth of the child.
5. A “Statement in Lieu of Acceptable Proof of Birth” issued by a District Administrator is acceptable.
NOT ACCEPTABLE AS SOLE PROOF OF BIRTH: Baptismal Certificate; Certificate of Blessing; Certificate of Dedication; Certificate of Circumcision, etc.; Hospital Certificate; photocopied records; passports.
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How To Obtain Acceptable Documents Proving Date Of Birth
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Certified copy-of-birth records may be obtained from the Registrar of Vital Statistics of each state, province or
local office where the child was born. For U.S.-born persons, addresses of these offices or bureaus, fees required,
and other pertinent information are supplied by the United States Department of Health and Human Services
(National Center for Health Statistics). A database listing the method for obtaining birth records from any U.S.
state or territory is available at the following Internet address:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm
Individual states may also have on-line instructions on how to obtain “rush” birth records. To fi nd out a state’s
latest policies regarding birth records, go to the Internet site listed below and type “birth records” into the search
field, designate the appropriate state, then click on “SUBMIT.”
http://www.fi rstgov.gov/
Persons in the U.S. who need a copy of a non-U.S. birth record should contact the Embassy or the nearest
Consulate of the country in which the birth occurred. Addresses and telephone numbers for these offi ces are
listed in the U.S. Department of State Publication 7846, “Foreign Consular Offi ces in the United States,” which
is available in many local libraries. Copies of this publication may also be purchased from the U.S. Government
Printing Offi ce, Washington, DC 20402. Such proof-of-birth records must meet the criteria for acceptable proof
listed above.
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How To Obtain A “Statement In Lieu Of Acceptable Proof Of Birth”
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When an “Acceptable Proof of Birth” as described previously is not available, then the appropriate number of
items in EACH of these FOUR groups are required so that the participant may obtain a “Statement in Lieu of
Acceptable Proof of Birth,” which is required for such a participant to be eligible for regular season or tournament
play:
Group 1 – Any one (1) of the following, provided the date of birth is listed: a naturalization document issued
by the United States Department of Justice; photocopy of birth certifi cate; original birth certifi cate or government
record of birth if not containing a fi ling, recording, registration, or issue date within one (1) year of the date of
birth; passport; PLUS…
Group 2 – Any two (2) of the following, provided the date of birth is listed: Baptismal Certifi cate; Certifi cate of
Blessing; Certifi cate of Dedication; Certifi cate of Circumcision; or any other religious-related certifi cate; Hospital
Certifi cate; School Record (must be dated, and date of issue must be at least two years prior to current season);
Social Security document; Welfare Department document; adoption record. Any item in this group must
be an original document, not a copy; PLUS…
Group 3 – Any two (2) of the following: A written, signed and notarized statement from…
… the doctor who delivered the child;
… a hospital administrator where the child was delivered;
… the principal or headmaster of the school the child attends;
… a Social Worker with personal knowledge of the child’s date of birth;
… a Priest, Rabbi, Minister, Mullah, or other titled religious fi gure with personal knowledge of the child’s date
of birth;
… the child’s pediatrician or family doctor.
NOTE: In each statement in Group 3, the writer must describe his/her responsibilities or his/ her relationship to
the child, and must attest to his/her personal knowledge that the child was born on the date claimed; PLUS…
Group 4 – A written, signed and notarized statement from one or both parents, or the legal guardian (as
appointed by a court of jurisdiction), attesting to the date of birth claimed.
The league president will forward the above documentation to the District Administrator (or, if the team is
traveling, the Tournament Director). If in the opinion of the District Administrator, such evidence is satisfactory,
a “Statement In Lieu of Acceptable Proof of Birth” will be issued. This statement will be considered to be
acceptable proof of age from that point forward, throughout the child’s Little League experience, provided all the
information submitted is accurate. (Note: If the District Administrator is unable to review the documents, they
may be submitted to the appropriate Regional Headquarters.)
NOTE: Situations where players use the name of an adopting family or the name of the family with whom they
live, but whose births are recorded under the surname of the natural father or mother, will be handled as follows:
The president of the league will obtain from the parents or guardian a document that qualifi es under Proof-of-Age
Requirements, as well as a copy of the adoption papers (if the player has been legally adopted. If the player was
not adopted, a notarized statement from the mother and/or father or legal guardian (as appointed by a court of
jurisdiction), saying that the player living under one or the other of their surnames is the same player for whom
the birth certifi cate was issued) is also required.
These documents will be submitted to the District Administrator. If the documents are found to be acceptable,
a “Statement in Lieu of Acceptable Proof of Birth” will be issued and all original documents returned. The
information submitted will be kept confi dential.
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