Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 18, September 16, 2024
PURPOSE: This amendment requires family child care
home providers to implement and maintain written policies pertaining to safe
sleep for children less than one (1) year of age in accordance with the
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations, and provides minimum
requirements for the provider's safe sleep policy.
(1) The provider shall establish, implement,
and maintain written policies pertaining to the program goals, admission, safe
sleep practices for children less than one (1) year of age, care and discharge
of children, and shall provide a copy to the parent(s) at the time of
enrollment.
(2) The provider's
infant safe sleep policy shall comply with section
210.223,
RSMo, and shall include, but not be limited to:
(A) The following safe sleep practices:
1. The policy shall list the licensee's
expectations regarding how and when caregivers are to be trained on safe
sleep;
2. A requirement that
children less than one (1) year of age be placed on their backs to
sleep;
3. A requirement that the
facility shall receive a written statement from the infant's licensed health
care provider stating that the infant requires alternative sleep positions or
special sleeping arrangements that differ from those set forth in
19 CSR
30-61.175(2)(C) prior to allowing the
infant to be placed in a sleep position that is not on his or her back;
and
4. Supervision of infants
during nap/sleep times, to include:
A.
Positioning of staff;
B. Lighting
in the nap room;
C. Physical checks
of the child to ensure he or she is not overheated or in distress;
and
D. Prohibitions against the use
of any equipment such as a sound machine that may interfere with the
caregiver's ability to see or hear a child who may be distressed; and
(B) The following
requirements for safe sleep environments:
1.
The policy shall state that cribs and playpens must have a firm mattress and
tight fitting sheets, be free of loose bedding, bumper pads, pillows, and soft
toys;
2. Shall require infants'
heads be uncovered during nap/sleep times;
3. Shall prohibit covering cribs or playpens
with blankets or bedding;
4. Shall
prohibit smoking in the child care home during the hours children are in care;
and
5. Shall require giving the
parent(s) or guardian(s) of each infant in care a copy of the provider's safe
sleep policy upon the child's enrollment.
(3)
The provider shall have available a copy of the Licensing Rules for Family Day
Care Homes in Missouri and shall advise the parent(s) at the time of enrollment
of his/her child of the availability of the rules for review.
(4) A
child who has a special physical, developmental, or behavioral need shall have
on file an individualized plan for specialized care from a professionally
qualified source.
(5) The provider shall assess his/her ability to
provide care for the special needs child while also meeting the needs of the
other children.
(6) The provider shall develop and implement a
procedure for admitting children which shall include:
(A) A personal interview with the parent(s)
and child to exchange information and arrive at a mutual decision about
admitting a child;
(B) A plan for
continuing communication between the child care provider and the
parent(s);
(C) Discussion of the
plan for providing for the care of the ill child as required by
19 CSR 30-61.185
Health Care;
(D) Discussion of the
parental plan for providing for the care of the child when the provider is ill
or for the care of school-age children on scheduled days of school closing;
and
(E) Completion by the parent(s)
of the following written information which shall be on file before the child is
accepted for care:
1. All information
required by
19 CSR
30-61.210 Records and Reports;
2. Information regarding a child's personal
development, behavior patterns, habits, and individual needs;
3. Instructions for action to be taken if the
parent(s) or physician designated by the parent(s) cannot be reached in an
emergency and permission for emergency medical care;
4. Information indicating that the child has
completed age-appropriate immunizations, is in the process of completing
immunizations, or is exempt from immunization requirements as defined by
19 CSR 30-61.185
Health Care;
5. Permission for
field trips, transportation to and from school, and other
transportation;
6. Permission for
school-age children to leave the home to participate in classes, clubs, or
other activities, naming the activity, time of leaving and returning, and the
method of transportation to and from the activity (Permission for regular
activities such as scouting may be given for the entire school term.);
and
7. Acknowledgement by the
parent(s) that-
A. They have received a copy
of the provider's policies pertaining to the admission, care, and discharge of
children;
B. They have been
informed that the Licensing Rules for Family Day Care Homes in Missouri are
available in the home for their review;
C. They and the provider have agreed on a
plan for continuing communication regarding the child's development, behavior
and individual needs;
D. They
understand and agree that the child may not be accepted for care when
ill;
E. They have received a copy
of the provider's safe sleep policy when enrolling children less than one (1)
year of age; and
F. They have been
notified that they may request notice at initial enrollment in or attendance at
the facility or upon request of whether there are children for whom an
immunization exemption has been filed currently enrolled in or attending the
facility.
(7) If care is
provided for children related to the provider who do not live in the home, the
parent(s) shall complete and sign a form which is supplied by the department.
The form shall be on file at the home before related children are accepted for
care and shall contain the following identifying information:
(A) Each child's name, address, birth date,
and date of admission;
(B) Each
child's relationship to the provider; and
(C) The parent's(s)' name(s), address(es),
and telephone number(s).
(8) If a provider
enrolls children for irregular or intermittent care, all procedures for
admitting children shall be followed. Children enrolled on an irregular or
intermittent basis shall be accepted only by appointment and shall not cause
the home to exceed its licensed capacity.
(9) After attempts
have been made to meet a child's individual needs, any child who demonstrates
an inability to benefit from the care offered by the child care provider or
whose presence is detrimental to other children may be discharged from the
home.
(10) Care of a child may be discontinued if the
provider and the parent(s) cannot establish a mutually satisfactory working
relationship.
(11) Parents shall have access to the home at any time
during child care hours.
*Original authority: 210.221.1(3), RSMo 1949, amended 1955,
1987, 1993.
