(1)  Schedule and Routines 





        (A)  Routines such as snacks, meals, and rest must 


occur at about the same time each day to give security to the 


children. 





        (B)  There must be a balance between free-choice 


and adult-directed activities. 





        (C)  There must be alternating periods of vigorous 


activity and quiet play or rest throughout the day. 





        (D)  Use of television must be limited, and other 


activities must be available for children who do not wish to 


watch television. 





        (E)  If television is used, only those programs 


designed for children's education and/or enjoyment are 


acceptable.  Television programs or movies with violent 


content are not acceptable. 





        (F)  Except in extreme weather conditions, there 


must be an opportunity for outdoor play for all children who 


are in care for more than three consecutive daylight hours.  


(Exception:  For inner city centers where outdoor play is 


prohibited or dangerous, unoccupied indoor space providing 


50 square feet per child is acceptable.) 





        (G)  A reclining rest period of at least one hour 


must be provided for all preschool children in care for 6 


hours or more. 





        (H)  Special consideration must be given to 


providing for all late afternoon activities that will help 


children cope with possible unhappiness over separation 


from parents and end-of-day fatigue. 





                        (i)  Each caregiver must be 


responsible for providing consistent care for a specific child 


or children.  "Consistent care" includes, but is not limited to, 


planning, record-keeping, communication, and routine care. 





        (J)  Time, in addition to diapering and feeding, 


must be provided for an adult to give individual attention to 


each child and for children to have opportunities to interact 


with each other. 





        (K)  Opportunities must be provided for children to 


be by themselves to play alone or do homework, if they 


choose, in a small quiet area away from other activities. 


 


(2)  Behavior Management and Guidance 





        (A)  Attention spans and skills of children must be 


considered so that caregivers do not require behavior of 


children which is developmentally inappropriate. 





        (B)  Discipline must be reasonable, appropriate, 


and in terms the children can understand. 





        (C)  Praise and encouragement of good behavior 


must be used instead of focusing upon unacceptable 


behavior only. 





        (D)  Punishment that is shaming, humiliating, 


frightening or injurious to children is abusive and must not 


be used. 





        (E)  Punishment must not be related to food, rest, 


or toileting. 





        (F)  Spanking or any other type of corporal 


punishment is prohibited.  ("Corporal punishment" is the 


infliction of bodily pain as a penalty for behavior that the 


punishment disapproves of.) 





        (G)  Efforts must be made to help infants and 


toddlers develop a feeling of self-worth.  A desirable 


activity must be substituted for an undesirable, or the child's 


attention must be distracted from the undesirable activity. 


 


(3)  Educational Activities 





        (A)  A daily program must provide opportunities 


for learning, self-expression, and participation in a variety 


of creative activities such as art, music, literature, dramatic 


play, science and health. 





        (B)  Indoor physical activities, requiring children to 


use both large and small muscles, must be provided for 


children of each age group. 





        (C)  Staff must plan ahead for age-appropriate 


activities. 





        (D)  The curriculum must include instruction in 


personal safety as needed but at least once a year.  The 


personal safety curriculum must include a prevention of 


child abuse, approved by DHS. 





        (E)  Activities must be based in sound educational 


practices.  They must provide experience for the 


development of language, gross motor, fine motor, 


social/personal, cognitive, and self-help skills.  Examples of 


such activities include music, dramatic play, storytime, free 


activity periods, outdoor play, and the opportunity to 


explore many materials, situations and roles. 





        (F)  Because of the importance of language 


development and communication skills, children must be 


talked to, listened to, read to, and sung to, in addition to 


other language experience activities, i.e., finger plays, patty 


cake, and flannelboard stories. 


 


(4)  Nighttime Care 





        (A)  Agencies providing nighttime care must meet 


the following additional requirements: 





                1.  Calming activities preceding bedtime 


must be provided, including such things as listening to a 


story or soft music, and individual/adult attention as needed. 





                2.  Routine personal hygiene must be 


encouraged and supervised.  A plan must be made with 


parents for brushing teeth, baths, bed dress, etc.