Licensing Standards for DayCare Centers

HUMAN RESOURCES

PERSONNEL POLICIES

GENERAL

70. A Center shall have written personnel policies and practices and shall make them available to all employees and prospective employees.

A. These policies shall include, as appropriate, procedures for hiring, discipline, dismissal, suspension and lay-off of employees in accordance with applicable laws.

71. A Center shall have written job descriptions for every job position at the Center.

72. A Center shall have on file for each employee at least two (2) character references. These references shall verify that the employee:

A. Is of good character and reputation;

B. Respects and understands children, is sensitive to and capable of meeting their needs;

C. Is in sufficient physical, mental and emotional health to perform activities related to child care.

73. A Center shall not employ or retain any person as an employee or volunteer with:

A. Any emotional or physical condition or behavior which would impair his/her ability to care for children;

B. Any conviction, current indictment or substantial evidence of involvement in any criminal activity involving violence against a person, child abuse or neglect; possession, sale or distribution of illegal drugs; sexual misconduct, gross irresponsibility or disregard for the safety of others; or serious violations of accepted standards of honesty or ethical behavior.

i. The Center may, at its own discretion, make exceptions to the above requirement when it is documented that the health and safety of children would not be endangered.

74. The Center shall not employ or retain in any capacity any person whose children are removed from his/her custody because of abuse or neglect.

75. No employee of a Center shall use or be under the effects of alcohol or illegal drugs during hours of work.

76. A Center shall have for every employee and volunteer included in the staff/child ratios:

A. Written report from a licensed physician or nurse practitioner of a medical examination attesting to the health of the employee or volunteer, including his/her physical and emotional ability to care for children, completed within six (6) months prior to the date of employment.

B. Written evidence of freedom from communicable tuberculosis verified within one (1) year prior to the date of initial employment in day care, with further testing required only upon known exposure to the disease.

C. Written evidence of follow-up of any known health problem of the employee or volunteer affecting or potentially affecting his/her ability to care for children.

77. A Center shall require each employee of the Center to read and sign a statement clearly defining child abuse and neglect and outlining the employee's responsibility to report all incidents of child abuse or neglect according to State Law.

78. A Center shall report any suspected or alleged incident of child abuse or neglect to the Division of Child Protective Services through the Child Abuse Reporting Number and shall cooperate fully in the investigation of any incident.

79. A Center shall have written procedures for handling any suspected incident of child abuse/neglect by an employee including:

A. A procedure for ensuring that the employee involved does not work directly with children until the investigation is completed;

B. A procedure for terminating any employee involved in a founded incident of child abuse if the person's continued employment at the Center would place the children at risk.

80. An employee who is in a position at a particular Center before the effective date of these requirements shall have two (2) calendar years from the effective date to meet the qualifications of that position provided the person remains at that Center. A person appointed to a position after these requirements become effective shall meet the qualifications of these requirements for that position.

81. The Chief Administrator shall be qualified by demonstrated knowledge, training and experience to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.

82. The Chief Administrator or a responsible person knowledgeable of the day care operation designated by the administrator shall be on the premises during the hours the Center is in operation.

83. A Center shall ensure that the Program Director of the Center is at least twenty-one (2l) years of age and meets one of the following requirements:

A. At least a four (4) year degree from an accredited college or university including at least twelve (12) credit hours of child development or early childhood education, and one (1) year of experience working with children in a group setting;

B. At least an Associate Degree in a field related to child development, early childhood education, psychology, social work, special education, elementary education, nursing or any health field, including at least twelve (l2) credit hours of child development or early childhood education, and eighteen (l8) months of experience working with children in a group setting;

C. A Child Development Associate Credential and twenty-four (24) months of experience working with children in a group setting;

D. At least a high school degree and twelve (12) credit hours of child development or early childhood education from an accredited college or university and thirty-six (36) months of experience working with children in a group setting.

i. Successful completion of a vocational child care program approved by the Department of Public Instruction can be substituted for three (3) credit hours of child development or early childhood education.

84. A Chief Administrator or employee in the position of Caregiver may serve as Program Director provided that she/he meets the qualifications specified in Requirement 83.

A. The Program Director or other employee meeting the requirements for Caregiver shall be present at all times during the hours the Center is in operation.

85. A Center shall ensure that a Caregiver is at least eighteen (l8) years of age and meets one of the following requirements:

A. At least a four (4) year degree from an accredited college or university, including at least three (3) credit hours in child development or early childhood education and three (3) months of supervised student teaching or six (6) months of experience working with children in a group setting;

B. At least an Associate Degree with three (3) credit hours in child development or early childhood education and six (6) months of experience working with children in a group setting;

C. A Child Development Associate Credential with six (6) months of experience working with children in a group setting;

D. At least a high school degree with successful completion of a vocational child care program approved by the Department of Public Instruction or a one (1) year certificate program in child development or early childhood education approved by the Department and six 6) months of experience working with children in a group setting;

E. At least a high school degree or its equivalent and sixty (60) clock hours of training in child development or early childhood education approved by the Department and one (1) year of experience working with children in a group setting;

i. An individual may be hired conditionally for a six (6) month period in the position of Caregiver before completion of the sixty (60) clock hours of training if the Center has written documentation of compliance with the one (1) year experience requirement and written documentation of enrollment in Department approved training for said individual. At the end of the six (6) month period, the Center shall have written documentation of completion of the sixty (60) hours of training in said individual's personnel file.

86. A Center shall ensure that an Assistant Caregiver is at least sixteen (l6) years of age and works under the observation and supervision of a Caregiver or Program Director at all times.

87. A Center shall ensure that staff charged with caring for children is not given other duties which would interfere with child care.

88. A Center shall have substitute staff, including documentation of qualifications for such staff, to fill positions during the absences of permanent staff.

A. If a substitute is used for two (2) months continuously or longer, the person shall be fully qualified for the position(s).

89. A Center shall document that each new employee has been given an orientation training session including:

A. Emergency and evacuation procedures;

B. Center policies including discipline, health care, child care, sanitation procedures and release of children;

C. Center personnel and administrative policies;

D. Child abuse and neglect law and reporting requirements;

E. Recognition of the symptoms of childhood illnesses, child abuse, sexual abuse and neglect;

F. Title VI Requirements;

G. Applicable licensing requirements.

90. A Center shall ensure that orientation for all substitutes and volunteers includes instruction in the following:

A. Responsibilities of their particular functions;

B. Emergency and evacuation procedures;

C. Center policies including discipline, child care, sanitation procedures and release of children.

91. A Center shall document that all staff, including the Chief Administrator and Program Director, participate in at least fifteen (15) hours of staff development and Department approved training annually in working with children and improving job performance.

A. A Center licensed before the effective date of these requirements shall have one (1) calendar year from the effective date to achieve compliance with the annual training requirement.

92. A Center shall follow the following minimum staff/child ratios for each age group listed during normal daily activities at the Center:

    Age of Child	Minimum Staff/Child Ratio
    0 - l2 Months	l:4
    l2 - 24 Months	l:7
    2 - 3 Years	l:l0
    3 - 4 Years	l:l2
    4 - 5 Years	l:l5
    5 Years and up	l:25

A. A Center licensed before the effective date of these requirements shall have two (2) calendar years from the effective date to achieve compliance with staff/child ratios.

93. A Center shall ensure that for mixed age groups with children over twenty-four (24) months of age, the staff/child ratio shall be that required for the age group with the largest number of children present in the group.

94. A Center shall ensure that for mixed age groups with children under twenty-four (24) months of age, the staff/child ratio shall be that for the age of the youngest child present.

95. A Center shall ensure that the program of daily activities for each group of children shall be planned and monitored by a Caregiver.

96. A Center shall assign sufficient Caregivers and Assistant Caregivers to each group of children to meet staff/child ratios.

A. Only staff members who are qualified, physically present, and working with children can be counted for the purposes of staff/ child ratios.

97. A Center shall ensure that volunteers shall be counted for the purposes of staff/child ratios only when appropriately qualified and present at the Center for more than ten (l0) hours a week.

98. A Center shall ensure that during nap times, at least one-half of the normal staff complement as required by Requirement 92 shall be present with the children.

99. A Center shall provide appropriate care and supervision of children at all times.

A. Children at the Center shall not be left unattended at any time.

100. A Center shall have at least two (2) staff present when seven (7) or more children are present.

A. The Center shall have emergency procedures providing immediate access to emergency service and additional staff when only one (1) staff member is present with children at the Center.

B. When only one (1) staff member is present with children, that staff member shall have no other responsibilities than caregiving during that time.

101. During times when children are normally arriving and leaving, the Center shall not be required to maintain segregation of age groups but shall show evidence of an organized approach to the supervision of and accountability for children.

102. A Center shall document that a person certified in first aid and a person certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for infants and children are present during all hours of operation of the Center when children are present including the beginning and end of the day.

103. A Center shall have an organized system of communication between staff to ensure that any staff member or volunteer assuming responsibility for a child or children as, for example, during shift changes, is adequately informed of any significant information, problem, need or special circumstance involving the child or children.

A. The Center shall have an organized system of communicating with parents to ensure that parents are informed on a regular basis of the child's progress, any accidents or critical incidents involving the child, developmental milestones achieved by the child and any other important information relating to the child.

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