Higher Calling Christian Academy

Rule .33(3)(a)-(k) - New - Staff Training-Health and Safety Orientation: 33(3)(a)-(k) Health and Safety Orientation. Each staff member with direct care responsibilities shall complete health and safety orientation training within the first 90 days of employment. The state-approved training hours obtained will count toward required first year training hours. The training must address the following health and safety topics: (a) prevention and control of infectious diseases (including immunization); (b) prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices; (c) administration of medication, consistent with standards for parental consent; (d) prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions; (e) building and physical premises safety, including identification of and protection from hazards that can cause bodily injury such as electrical hazards, bodies of water, and vehicular traffic; (f) prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma and child maltreatment; (g) emergency preparedness and response planning for emergencies resulting from a natural disaster or a human-caused event (such as violence at a child care facility); (h) handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate disposal of bio contaminants; (i) precautions in transporting children; (j) recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect; and (k) child development to include all major domains: cognitive; social and emotional; physical development and motor skills; communication, language, and literacy; and approaches to play and learning.

Rule .25(13) - Indoor Storage-Hazards: (13) Indoor Storage Areas. Potentially hazardous equipment, materials and supplies shall be stored in a locked area inaccessible to children. Examples of items to be stored include non-food related products under pressure in aerosol dispensing cans, flammable and corrosive materials, cleaning supplies, poisons, insecticides, office supplies and industrial-sized or commercial buckets with a capacity of three gallons or more or any other similar device with rigid sides which would not tip over if a toddler fell into the container head first.

Rule .16(f) - Amendment Requests: (f) Amended License. If there is a change in the name of the program or Center, changes in the ages of the children to be served, an increase in the regular hours of operation such that the Center would be providing evening or night-time care in addition to day-time care, changes in the services provided, additions to or changes in the use of the building by the licensed Center, an application for an amended License shall be submitted at least thirty (30) days prior to the change, except in the case of an emergency. If an emergency situation arises which makes it impossible to give thirty (30) days' notice, the management of the Center shall notify the Department by telephone and shall submit an application for an amended License as soon as management becomes aware of the change that will be necessitated by the emergency situation. In no case, however, shall a new owner operate the Center without first securing a new License or Permit from the Department.

Rule .14(2)(b) - First Aid/CPR trained Staff in each classroom: (b) There must always be one staff person present in each classroom where children are present that has current and valid pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and pediatric first aid training.

Rule .36(7)(c)2. - Load/Unload Accounted For: The driver or other designated person shall immediately document in writing, with a check or other mark/symbol to account for each child listed on the passenger transportation checklist each time a child enters and exits the vehicle. The driver or other designated staff person shall document in writing with a different mark/symbol to account for each child listed on the passenger transportation checklist who was not present on the vehicle for any reason. An explanation shall be documented in writing whenever a child is transported to a field trip site but is not present on the return trip to the Center.

Rule .30(1)(b)1 - Cot and mat construction: 1. Cot and Mat Construction. Cots and mats shall be of sound construction and of sufficient size to accommodate comfortably the size and weight of the child. Mats must be in good repair, washable, covered with waterproof material and at least two inches (2") thick.

Rule .25(3) - Clean, free of debris, good repair: (3) Cleanliness. The Center and surrounding premises shall be kept clean, free of debris and in good repair. Hygienic measures such as, but not limited to, screened windows and proper waste disposal procedures shall be utilized to minimize the presence of rodents, flies, roaches and other vermin at the Center.

Rule .25(13) - Indoor Storage-Hazards: (13) Indoor Storage Areas. Potentially hazardous equipment, materials and supplies shall be stored in a locked area inaccessible to children. Examples of items to be stored include non-food related products under pressure in aerosol dispensing cans, flammable and corrosive materials, cleaning supplies, poisons, insecticides, office supplies and industrial-sized or commercial buckets with a capacity of three gallons or more or any other similar device with rigid sides which would not tip over if a toddler fell into the container head first.

Rule .17(7) - Handwashing-Children: (7) Handwashing, Children. Children's hands shall be washed with soap and warm running water: immediately upon arrival for care; when moving from one child care group to another, and upon re-entering the child care area after outside play; before and after eating meals and snacks, handling or touching food, or playing in water; after toileting and diapering, playing in sand, touching animals or pets, and contact with bodily fluids such as, but not limited to, mucus, saliva, vomit or blood; and after contamination by any other means.

Rule .15(4) - Feeding chair requirements (Recite-Not Met): Feeding Chairs. A feeding chair or similar equipment designed for feeding children shall be provided for the use of each child being fed who is capable of sitting up but who is unable to sit unassisted at a table. The chair or similar equipment must be cleaned with a disinfectant. Such chair or similar equipment shall have a broad base to prevent tipping; a surface that the child cannot raise; a strap or other device which prevents the child from sliding out of the chair; and a feeding surface free of cracks.

Rule .10(5) - Diapering-Unattended child: Infants and children shall not be left unattended while being diapered or having their clothes changed on the diaper changing surface.

Rule .07(5) - Pacifiers and other attachments around neck: (5) Hazardous Items. Children shall not be permitted to wear around their necks or attach to their clothing pacifiers or other hazardous items.

Rule .30(2)(c) - Sleep in safety-approved cribs: (c) Infants shall not sleep in equipment other than safety-approved cribs, such as, but not limited to, a car safety seat, bouncy seat, highchair, or swing. Infants who arrive at the Center asleep or fall asleep in such equipment, on the floor or elsewhere, shall be transferred to a safety-approved crib.

Rule .30(2) - Safe sleep environment: (2) Sleeping and Resting Environment for Infants. A Center shall provide a safe sleep environment in accordance with American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) recommendations as listed in these rules for all infants. Center Staff shall place an infant to sleep on the infant’s back unless the Parent has provided a physician’s written statement authorizing another sleep position for that particular infant that includes how the infant shall be placed to sleep and a time frame that the instructions are to be followed. When an infant can easily turn over from back to front and back again, Staff shall continue to put the infant to sleep initially on the infant’s back but allow the infant to roll over into his or her preferred position and not re-position the infant. Sleepers, sleep sacks and wearable blankets that fit according to the commercial manufacturer’s guidelines and will not slide up around the infant’s face may be used when necessary for the comfort of the sleeping infant. However, swaddling shall not be used unless the Center has been provided a physician’s written statement authorizing its use for a particular infant that includes instructions and a time frame for swaddling the infant. Staff shall not place objects or allow objects to be placed in or on the crib with an infant such as but not limited to toys, pillows, quilts, comforters, bumper pads, sheepskins, stuffed toys, or other soft items and shall not attach objects or allow objects to be attached to a crib with a sleeping infant, such as, but not limited to, crib gyms, toys, mirrors and mobiles.

Rule .26(6) - Equipment-outdoor: (6) Equipment. Playground equipment shall provide an opportunity for the children to engage in a variety of experiences and shall be age-appropriate. For example, toddlers shall not be permitted to swing in swings designed for School-age Children. The outdoor equipment shall be free of lead-based paint, sharp corners and shall be regularly maintained in such a way as to be free of rust and splinters that could pose significant safety hazard to the children. All equipment shall be arranged so as not to obstruct supervision of children.

Rule .15(4) - Feeding chair requirements: Feeding Chairs. A feeding chair or similar equipment designed for feeding children shall be provided for the use of each child being fed who is capable of sitting up but who is unable to sit unassisted at a table. The chair or similar equipment must be cleaned with a disinfectant. Such chair or similar equipment shall have a broad base to prevent tipping; a surface that the child cannot raise; a strap or other device which prevents the child from sliding out of the chair; and a feeding surface free of cracks.

Rule .09(1)(j) - Portability-Records Check Determination (Recite-Not Met): (j) Portability for Directors, Employees and Provisional Employees, excluding Students-in-Training. Only the most recently issued determination letter is eligible for portability and must be ported electronically. A Center may accept a satisfactory Fingerprint Records Check Determination letter or a satisfactory Comprehensive Records Check Determination letter issued by the Department if the Records Check Clearance Date is within the preceding 12 months from the hire date, the individual has not had a lapse of employment from the child care industry that lasted for 180 days (6 months) or longer, and the Center does not know or reasonably should not know that the individual's satisfactory status has changed.

Rule .32(7) - Supervision-Watchful Oversight: (7) Supervision. Children shall be supervised at all times appropriate to the individual age, needs and capabilities of each child. Such supervision must include, but not be limited to, indoor and outdoor activities, mealtimes, naptime, transportation, field trips, and transitions between activities. "Supervision" means that the appropriate number of Staff members are physically present in the area where children are being cared for and are providing watchful oversight to the children, volunteers and Students-in-Training. The persons supervising in the child care area must be alert, positioned to maximize their ability to hear and see the children at all times, and able to respond promptly to the needs and actions of the children being supervised, as well as the actions of the volunteers and Students-in-Training, and provide timely attention to the children's actions and needs. Staff shall be attentive and participating with all children during mealtimes and shall be seated within an arm’s length away from children thirty-six (36) months of age and younger.

Rule .09(1)(l)3. - New Comprehensive Records Check Determination required: 3. At least once every five years; and

Rule .09(1)(b) - Director - satisfactory Comprehensive Records Check Determination: (1)(b) A Center must ensure that every Director has a valid and current satisfactory Comprehensive Records Check Determination on file prior to being present at the Center while any child is present for care or before an individual age 17 or older resides in the Center. The Comprehensive Records Check Determination must have a Records Check Clearance Date that is no older than the preceding 12 months of the hire date; provided, however, if the Director has had a lapse of employment from the child care industry that lasted for 180 days (6 months) or longer, a new satisfactory Comprehensive Records Check Determination is required.

Rule .30(1)(b)3 - Cot and mat sheets: 3. Sheets. Sheets or similar coverings for cots or mats shall either be marked for individual use or laundered daily. If marked for individual use, they must be laundered weekly or more frequently if needed.

Rule .25(3) - Clean, free of debris, good repair (Recite-Not Met): (3) Cleanliness. The Center and surrounding premises shall be kept clean, free of debris and in good repair. Hygienic measures such as, but not limited to, screened windows and proper waste disposal procedures shall be utilized to minimize the presence of rodents, flies, roaches and other vermin at the Center.

Rule .17(8) - Handwashing-Staff: (8) Handwashing, Staff. Personnel shall wash their hands with liquid soap and warm running water: immediately upon arrival for the day, when moving from one child care group to another, and upon re-entering the child care area after outside play; before and after diapering each child, dispensing medication, applying topical medications, ointments, creams or lotions, handling and preparing food, eating, drinking, preparing bottles, feeding each child, and assisting children with eating and drinking; after toileting or assisting children with toileting, using tobacco products, handling garbage and organic waste, touching animals or pets, and handling bodily fluids, such as, but not limited to, mucus, saliva, vomit or blood; and after contamination by any other means.

Rule .17(7) - Handwashing-Children: (7) Handwashing, Children. Children's hands shall be washed with soap and warm running water: immediately upon arrival for care; when moving from one child care group to another, and upon re-entering the child care area after outside play; before and after eating meals and snacks, handling or touching food, or playing in water; after toileting and diapering, playing in sand, touching animals or pets, and contact with bodily fluids such as, but not limited to, mucus, saliva, vomit or blood; and after contamination by any other means.