Inspection · 2024-07-10

A prospective director, employee or volunteer may begin to work or volunteer at a child day care center, small day care center, school-age child care program, group family day care home or family day care home after completing the check described in paragraphs (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) of this section.

No child may be accepted for care in a child care program unless the program has been furnished with a written statement signed by a health care provider verifying that the child is able to participate in child care and currently appears to be free from contagious or communicable diseases. A child's medical statement must have been completed within the 12 months preceding the date of enrollment.

The provider, assistant(s), and substitute(s), must each submit a medical statement on forms furnished by the Office or an approved equivalent from a health care provider: before such person has any involvement in child care work.

The Licensee must prepare a health care plan on forms furnished by the Office. Such plan must protect and promote the health of children. The health care plan must be on site, followed by all caregivers and available upon demand by a parent or the Office. In those instances in which the program will administer medications, the health care plan must also be approved by the program's health care consultant unless the only medications to be administered are:

No person other than a caregiver may have unsupervised contact with a child in care at the program.

The caregivers, employees, volunteers and all members of the household must be in good health and be of good character and habits.

The program must maintain on file at the group family day care home, available for inspection: a daily schedule documenting the arrival and departure times of each caregiver, employees and volunteers;

The program must maintain on file at the group family day care home, available for inspection daily attendance records that are filled out at the time a child arrives and departs, and must include arrival and departure times;

Evacuation drills must be conducted at least monthly during the hours of operation of the group family day care home.

Children cannot be left without competent supervision at any time. Competent supervision includes awareness of and responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child. It requires that all children be within a caregiver's range of vision except as provided in section 416.8(b) of this Part and that the caregiver be near enough to respond when redirection or intervention strategies are needed. Competent supervision must take into account the child's age, emotional, physical and cognitive development.

Only approved caregivers may be left unsupervised with day care children.

One caregiver may care for a maximum of six children younger than school age, or eight children when at least two of the eight children are school aged.

Two caregivers must be present when more than six children, none of whom are school age, are in care.

When care is provided for children under the age of two years, there must be at least one caregiver present for every two children under the age of two years in attendance.