More Accomplishments
Comprehensive Review of Minimum Standards
State law requires CCL to conduct a comprehensive review of minimum standards every six years. Minimum standards are the baseline rules that operations must follow to promote children’s health and safety in child care settings. In FY 2016, CCL concluded its multi-year process to engage stakeholders, research best practices and emerging research, and look for opportunities to streamline and clarify existing minimum standards. CCL continued to work on and draft these changes in FY 2017, which include:
- Restricting infants from sleeping in restrictive devices.
- Banning the use of e-cigarettes and the use of any vapors.
- Deleting approximately 70 redundant minimum standards from the three daycare chapters.
- Clarifying the service planning requirements for the residential childcare operations.
- Modifying minimum standards to improve normalcy for children residing in residential childcare operations.
Increased Inspections & Health and Safety Audits
As required by the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, CCL increased the frequency of inspections of registered childcare homes to once every year (versus every two years) for homes participating in the childcare subsidy program. CCL also conducted a Health and Safety Audit for each licensed childcare operation. A Health and Safety Audit is an annual review of an operation’s compliance in health and safety areas, including:
- Safe sleep practices and sudden infant death.
- Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome and abusive head trauma.
- Building and physical premises safety.
- Prevention and control of infectious disease.
- Storage of hazardous materials and bio-contaminants.
- Prevention and response to food allergies.
- Administration of medication.
- Emergency preparation and response planning.
- Precautions in transporting children.