CHAPTER 52 MANUAL OF REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD …

1 CHAPTER 52 MANUAL OF REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS STATE OF NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES EFFECTIVE March 6, 2017 EXPIRES January 31, 2024 DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OFFICE OF LICENSING PO BOX 717 TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 08625-0717 Toll - Free Telephone 1-877-667-9845 i 3A:52 MANUAL OF REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS SUBCHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS .. 1 3 Legal authority .. 1 3 Definition of CHILD care center .. 2 3 Definitions of other terms .. 4 3 Hours of care .. 6 SUBCHAPTER 2. LICENSING PROCEDURES .. 7 3 Application for a license .. 7 3 Issuance of a 7 3 Location of a center .. 8 3 Denying, suspending, revoking, or refusing to renew a license or a Certificate of Life/Safety Approval.

2 9 3 Administrative hearings .. 11 3 Complaints .. 11 3 Public access to the Office of Licensing's records .. 12 3 Procedures for securing a Certificate of Life/Safety Approval .. 12 SUBCHAPTER 3. CENTER ADMINISTRATION .. 13 3 Administrative responsibility .. 13 3 Reporting REQUIREMENTS .. 13 3 Center records .. 13 3 Comprehensive general liability insurance .. 14 3 Communication REQUIREMENTS .. 14 3 Information to Parents document .. 14 SUBCHAPTER 4. STAFF REQUIREMENTS .. 17 3 General REQUIREMENTS for sponsor, sponsor representative, director, and all staff members .. 17 3 Staffing REQUIREMENTS .. 18 3 Staff/ CHILD ratios and 20 3 Grouping of children .. 22 3 Staff 23 3 Staff qualifications .. 25 3 Staff orientation and development.

3 32 3 Orientation training .. 32 3 Special REQUIREMENTS to prevent CHILD abuse and neglect .. 33 3 CHILD Abuse Record Information background check procedures .. 34 ii 3 Criminal History Record Information background check procedures .. 36 SUBCHAPTER 5. PHYSICAL FACILITY REQUIREMENTS .. 40 3 Applicability of REQUIREMENTS to programs operating in public school buildings .. 40 3 State, county and municipal government physical facility REQUIREMENTS .. 40 3 Physical plant REQUIREMENTS for all centers .. 42 3 Additional physical plant REQUIREMENTS for early childhood programs .. 51 3 Additional physical plant REQUIREMENTS for school-age CHILD care programs .. 52 3 Special physical facility and monitoring REQUIREMENTS to prevent CHILD abuse or neglect.

4 52 SUBCHAPTER 6. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS .. 54 3 Activities .. 54 3 Program equipment for children's daily activities .. 56 3 Food and nutrition .. 56 3 Rest and sleep REQUIREMENTS for early childhood programs .. 59 3 Policy on the release of children .. 60 3 Discipline .. 61 3 Special REQUIREMENTS to prevent CHILD abuse or neglect and inappropriate staff behaviors toward children .. 62 3 Parent and community participation .. 63 SUBCHAPTER 7. HEALTH REQUIREMENTS .. 67 3 Illnesses and communicable diseases .. 67 3 Attendance by children or staff members known to be infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) .. 68 3 Health and immunization REQUIREMENTS for children .. 68 3 Health REQUIREMENTS for staff members .. 69 3 Administration and control of prescription and non-prescription medicines and health care 70 3 Injury to a CHILD while in the center's care.

5 72 3 Environmental sanitation REQUIREMENTS .. 73 3 Personal hygiene REQUIREMENTS .. 75 3 Reporting of illnesses, injuries, and reportable 77 3 Information to parents regarding the management of communicable diseases .. 77 SUBCHAPTER 8. REQUIREMENTS FOR CENTERS SERVING SICK CHILDREN 79 3 REQUIREMENTS for all centers serving sick children .. 79 3 Admission criteria .. 80 3 REQUIREMENTS for additional staff for centers serving sick children .. 80 3 REQUIREMENTS for additional physical facilities for centers serving sick children .. 82 iii 3 Program REQUIREMENTS for centers serving sick 82 3 Sanitation and infection control .. 82 3 REQUIREMENTS for additional records for centers serving sick 83 SUBCHAPTER 9. TRANSPORTATION REQUIREMENTS .. 84 3 Scope.

6 84 3 Vehicle definitions .. 84 3 Vehicle REQUIREMENTS .. 84 3 Driver licensing REQUIREMENTS .. 86 3 Vehicle-related safety practices .. 86 3 Vehicle insurance .. 87 3 Transportation records .. 87 3 Vehicle staff REQUIREMENTS .. 88 INDEX .. 89 1 SUBCHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS 3 Legal authority (a) This CHAPTER is promulgated pursuant to the CHILD Care Center Licensing Act, 30:5B-1 et seq. (b) Under the laws specified in (a) above, the Department of Children and Families is authorized to: 1. license certain public and private CHILD care centers that are maintained for the care, development, or supervision of six or more children under 13 years of age for less than 24 hours a day; 2. Inspect and examine the physical plant or facilities, including, but not limited to, storage areas and additional floor levels, and program of a CHILD care center without delay or an escort, and inspect all documents, records, files, or other data maintained pursuant to the above-referenced law during the center's normal operating hours and without prior notice; and 3.

7 Request the appropriate State and local fire, health and building officials to conduct examinations and inspections to determine a center's compliance with State and local ordinances, codes and regulations. The inspections shall be conducted and the results reported to the Department within 60 days after the request. (c) Under the laws specified in (a) above, the Department of Children and Families is authorized to issue a Certificate of Life/Safety Approval to a center that: 1. Operates on a seasonal or short-term basis for eight weeks or less and does not offer a continuous program that extends across the three-year period of licensure; or 2. Was operating on or before May 16, 1984 and was exempt from the licensing provisions because it was operated by an aid society of a properly organized and accredited church.

8 (d) Centers specified in (c)1 and 2 above are required to comply with the physical facility; life/safety; administration and control of medication; environmental sanitation; supervision, minimum staffing, and discipline REQUIREMENTS ; and communicable disease reporting provisions of this CHAPTER . Centers with Certificates of Life/Safety Approval may secure regular licenses on a voluntary basis, as long as they comply with all provisions of this CHAPTER . (e) To be eligible for a license , a center shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Department of Children and Families, or the duly authorized agency, that the center complies with all applicable provisions of this CHAPTER . (f) All applicable REQUIREMENTS shall be met by all CHILD care centers, unless the rules are specified as "for early childhood programs" or "for school-age CHILD care programs.

9 " (g) Responsibility for ensuring that centers comply with the provisions of the laws cited in (a) above and with provisions of this CHAPTER is hereby delegated by the Department of Children and Families to the Office of Licensing. 2 (h) When a person intends to care for six or more children under 13 years of age, he or she shall apply for and secure from the Office of Licensing a license to operate a CHILD care center. Once licensed, the center is subject to all applicable provisions of this CHAPTER , even if the number or ages of the children attending the center at a particular time should fall outside the definition of a center, as specified in 3 (a). (i) The Office cannot complete initial program inspections unless six or more children are present at the center.

10 3 Definition of CHILD care center (a) " CHILD care center" or "center" means any home or facility, by whatever name known, which is maintained for the care, development, or supervision of six or more children under 13 years of age who attend for less than 24 hours a day. 1. For a facility that is located in a sponsor s or sponsor representative's home, the Office of Licensing shall not count the children residing in the sponsor s or sponsor representative's home in determining whether the facility is serving the minimum number of children that would require it to be licensed as a center. (b) The term CHILD care center shall include, but not be limited to, day care centers; drop-in centers; night-time centers; recreation-type centers sponsored and operated by a county or municipal government recreation or park department or agency; day nurseries; nursery and play schools; cooperative CHILD centers; centers for children with special needs; centers serving sick children; infant-toddler programs; school-age CHILD care programs; employment-related centers; centers that had been licensed by the Department of Human Services prior to the enactment of the CHILD Care Center Licensing Act of 1984.