(1)  Plans.  New construction, major renovations and/or 


additions to existing facilities must be constructed according 


to standards of the Fire Prevention Division of the 


Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance and of 


the Division of Food and General Sanitation of the 


Tennessee Department of Health.  (See Appendices E and 


F.)  Before construction begins, plans for new structures that 


will house or accommodate 13 or more children must be 


drawn by a registered architect or registered engineer and 


must be submitted to the Fire Prevention Division of the 


Department of Commerce and Insurance and to the local 


health department for approval. 


 


(2)  Initial approval.  Facilities that have been unlicensed, 


relocated, and/or renovated, as well as new construction, 


must be inspected and approved initially either by a 


representative from the State Fire Prevention Division, 


where applicable, or by a local authorized fire safety 


inspector, and by an environmentalist from the Tennessee 


Department of Health.  Fire safety requirements and 


environmental standards in the Child Care Handbook 


(Appendices E and F) must be met before a license can be 


issued.  Requests for inspections are made by the licensing 


counselor. 


 


(3)  Continuing compliance.  Physical facilities must 


continue to meet all standards in Appendices E and F and 


any updated Fire Prevention or environmental standards. 


 


(4)  Annual inspection.  All facilities must be inspected and 


approved annually by either state or authorized local fire 


safety inspectors and by environmentalists.  Provided, 


however, that facilities providing before and/or after school 


care in public school buildings being used as schools during 


the day for children of the same age group, and which have 


already been inspected by the appropriate fire safety 


inspectors, shall not be required to be reinspected. 


 


(5)  The center must not be located in a building used for 


purposes which would be hazardous to the children or 


would prohibit outdoor play.  [Exception:  inner city centers 


may not have outdoor play space.  See Rule No. 1240-4-3-


.05(1)(f).] 


 


(6)  There must be a working telephone in the center. 


 


(7)  The building must provide 30 square feet of usable 


indoor play space per child, not including the restrooms, 


halls, kitchen or office space.  Each nap room must also 


contain 30 square feet of floor space per child. 


 


(8)  Occupational/vocational child care classes must have 


separate space for the group of young children, with 30 


square feet per child of usable space, apart from the 


classroom space for students. 


 


(9)  Outdoor play areas must contain 50 square feet of 


usable space per child. 


 


(10)  The areas where children play or are cared for must be 


properly maintained.  These areas must be free of hazardous 


items or materials unless adequately protected by storage, 


inaccessibility, proper supervision, or other safety 


procedures.  These areas must present no conditions which 


are hazardous to children.  All such areas shall be free of all 


animal wastes. 


 


(11)  If swimming is included in the program, the center 


must comply with swimming pool requirements in 


Appendix E.