Licensing Standards for DayCare Centers

Section 17-895-12
Program Provisions

        (a)  The program conducted in the facility shall    

provide for supervision of the infants and toddlers at all    

times and an environment and experiences which are    

developmentally appropriate and which promote the infant    

or toddler's  physical, emotional, intellectual, and    

social well-being and the growth and integrity of the    

family unit.   

     (b)  The director of the facility shall provide the    

department with a brief written description of the    

facility's program goals and activities, which shall    

include the following:       

     (1)        Provisions for the promotion of physical   

                development, which shall include:   

                (A)     Varied, developmentally appropriate    

physical activities; and   

                (B)     Opportunities for the infants and toddlers    

to learn about the health, development, and care of their    

bodies including exercise, safety, nutrition,  and    

hygiene, as appropriate to their  age and development;    

        (2)     Provisions for the promotion of emotional    

development, which shall include:   

                (A)     Staff recognition of the special    

difficulties of infant and toddler separations and    

assistance to families, infants, and toddlers to make the    

transition from home to facility as gently as possible,    

such as a phased-in orientation process to allow infants    

and toddlers to experience limited amounts of time at the    

facility before becoming fully integrated;    

                (B)     Assignment of each infant or toddler to a    

primary caregiver who shall be responsible for care the    

majority of the time;   

                (C)     Prompt response by all caregivers to an     

infant or toddler's physical and emotional needs, i.e.,    

feeding, diapering, holding, touching, and eye contact;   

                (D)     Recognition and care of each infant or    

toddler as an individual with opportunities for individual    

choices, self-expression, and some personal privacy;   

                (E)     Provision of constructive guidance and the    

setting of clearly defined limits which foster the infant    

or toddler's ability to be self-disciplined, as    

appropriate to their age and development;   

                (F)     Prohibition of use of:     

                                (i)     physical punishment; and   

                                (ii)    methods of influencing behavior    

which are frightening, humiliating, damaging, or injurious    

to the infant or toddler's health or self-esteem; and   

                (G)     Respect for each infant or toddler's    

cultural, ethnic, and family background, as well as the    

child's primary language or dialect;     

        (3)     Provisions for the promotion of intellectual    

development, which shall include:   

                (A)     Offering of frequent, but paced, personal,    

verbal, and physical interaction between caregiver and    

infant or toddler as part of the daily routine;   

                (B)     Availability of a variety of learning    

materials, which staff helps children to use; and   

                (C)     Hands-on experiences, including both    

familiar and new activities, to enable  the infant or    

toddler to learn about themselves and the world; and   

        (4)     Provisions for the promotion of social    

development, which shall include:   

                (A)     Caregiver behavior and interactions which    

emphasize and foster attitudes of mutual respect between    

adults and children and between children; and   

                (B)     Guidance to infants and toddlers to enable    

them to develop and work out ways  of getting along with    

each other, including an appreciation of cultural and    

ethnic diversity, as appropriate to the infant or    

toddler's level of understanding.   

        (c)  The program shall provide a balance of active    

and quiet activities and shall recognize the infants  and    

toddlers' need for uninterrupted sleep.     

        (d)  In drop-in centers, every effort shall be made    

to place an infant or toddler, who uses the center    

frequently, with the same caregiver.   

     (e)  The program shall provide information on and    

access to parenting resources (i.e., bulletin boards,    

classes, resource libraries, handouts). 

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