Substitute and Assistant Guide Policy 

Parter Funded and ESA/Direct Pay substitute and assistant guide policy for the 2023-2024 school year.

School Year 2023-2024

Guides may select subcontractors at their discretion. The guide will contract with their substitute/assistant independent of Prenda and will arrange compensation for their substitute/assistant independent of Prenda. If a guide contracts with a substitute guide or an assistant guide, however, those subcontractors must meet Prenda’s required safety parameters before interacting with any microschool student. If a guide fails to follow this policy, Prenda may terminate the guide’s Master Services/Prenda Platform Agreement or take other punitive measures. 

For the purposes of this policy, 

• A “substitute guide” is defined as an individual who has completed Prenda’s safety clearance and onboarding experience to serve on a temporary basis in lieu of the guide in the guide’s approved space.

• An “assistant guide” is defined as an individual who provides support to the guide during microschool operations. The assistant likely has some supervisory responsibility with the students and is authorized to substitute on a day that a guide is not present. 

Selection

A guide may select a substitute or assistant candidate on their own (oftentimes this is a family member of a student in the guide’s microschool) and recommend this person to Prenda for the required processing. 

Compensation

Regardless of how guides select a substitute or guide, neither the substitute nor the assistant are Prenda employees or contractors. Compensation is arranged directly between the guide and the substitute/assistant.

Requirements for Substitutes and Assistants 

An individual cannot serve as a substitute or assistant guide until they meet all of the following requirements:

1. Successful completion of Prenda’s premium background check with Checkr, provided by Prenda free of charge to the substitute/assistant guide applicant. Please see the Background Check Policy for more information; 

2. Submission of all necessary safety compliance materials per the individual's state of residency. Please see the Safety Clearance Policy for more information; and 

3. Full completion of Prenda’s Substitute/Assistant Guide Orientation. 

Requirements for the Guide

To initiate the Substitute/Assistant process, a guide must first complete the Substitute Guide Form, bit.ly/PrendaSubForm. On this form, a Guide will acknowledge their relationship with the Substitute/Assistant, express understanding of the guide’s responsibilities, and identify their chosen Substitute/Assistant. A Guide should submit one (1) submission per Substitute/Assistant (e.g., two (2) Substitutes = two (2) form submissions). 

The guide should then submit a background check request for their chosen substitute/assistant on Prenda’s Background Check Request Form, bit.ly/BGCRequestPrenda.

The Prenda guide should ensure the substitute/assistant has access to the following information as part of their personal orientation to the microschool:

• Emergency Response Management Plan  

• Students’ family emergency contact information 

• All key operational details

  • Arrival and departure details 

  • Pick-up and walk/bike authorization for students 

  • Medical and allergy information for students 

  • Student learning accommodations 

• Full access to the microschool facility (e.g., keys, security code) 

As a best practice, the guide should host a substitute guide for an introductory/observational visit before leaving them as a substitute. Guides should always notify parents in the event of a substitute or assistant guide joining the microschool.