Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(1) Requirements to
Contract. To receive a contract from the department to receive state or federal
funds, a licensed child care provider and staff shall meet the following
requirements:
(A) The child care provider
shall be fully licensed and in good standing with the Department of Health and
Senior Services, section for Child Care Regulations;
(B) The licensed child care provider and all
staff shall be legally allowed in the presence of children;
(C) The department shall not pay for any
costs associated with the requirements of licensure or requirements to contract
with the department;
(D) The
licensed child care provider and all staff shall register with Opportunities in
a Professional Education Network (OPEN) and secure a Missouri Professional
Development Identifier (MOPD-ID) to track and complete trainings. The licensed
child care provider and all staff shall complete the following training prior
to a contract being issued, which includes, but is not limited to:
1. First Aid and Cardiopulmonary
Resuscitation (CPR);
2. Prevention
of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Safe Sleeping, if serving children two (2)
years old or younger;
3. Prevention
of Shaken Baby Syndrome and Abusive Head Trauma, if serving children two (2)
years old or younger;
4. Emergency
Disaster Response and Planning;
5.
Mandatory Child Abuse and Neglect (CA/N) Reporting;
6. Prevention and Control of Infectious
Diseases (including immunizations);
7. Administration of Medication, consistent
with standards for parental consent;
8. Prevention and Response to Food Allergy
Emergencies;
9. Building and
Physical Premises Safety; including identification of and protection from
hazards that can cause bodily injury;
10. Handling and Storage of Hazardous
Materials and the Appropriate Disposal of Bio-Contaminants; and
11. Transportation of Children, if providing
transportation as part of child care services.
(E) If a licensed child care provider seeking
to contract with the division has an outstanding debt owed to the state due to
a previous child care overpayment, the licensed child care provider must
participate in a repayment plan pursuant to 13 CSR 3532.110 to become
contracted with the division;
(F) A
licensed child care provider shall require all staff to meet all requirements
listed in section (1) within ninety (90) days of becoming employed or
volunteering. A staff member shall not provide direct supervision of children
until the staff member has met the eligibility criteria set forth in section
(1). A licensed child care provider may not be eligible for a contract if the
licensed child care provider was denied a contract, or a previous contract was
terminated for cause, and the underlying issues causing denial or termination
of the contract have not been resolved;
(G) A licensed child care provider may not be
eligible for a contract if the owner, director, board member, officer,
shareholder, agent, agent registered with the secretary of state's office, or
any other person with decision making authority over the facility, was denied a
contract, or a previous contract was terminated for cause, and previous owner,
director, board member, officer, shareholder, agent, agent registered with the
secretary of state's office, or any other person with decision making authority
over the facility remains in a position to make decisions on behalf of the
facility.
(2) Contract.
(A) Upon receipt of a request to contract,
the division shall make a determination as to whether the licensed child care
provider is eligible to enter into a contract with the department for state or
federal funds for child care services.
(B) If the division determines the licensed
child care provider meets all eligibility requirements, the division may issue
a contract to the licensed child care provider. The licensed child care
provider shall sign a contract, agreeing to all terms including, but not
limited to:
1. Child care provider and staff
shall not be engaged in other employment while providing child care
services;
2. Child care provider
shall maintain records pursuant to
13 CSR
35-32.130;
3. Child care provider shall notify all
custodial parents and legal guardians of the child care provider's-
A. Phone number;
B. Discipline policy; and
C. Emergency preparedness and response
plan;
4. Child care
provider shall ensure custodial parents and legal guardians have access to
their child(ren);
5. Child care
provider shall report child deaths and serious injuries to the division within
twenty-four (24) hours of the incident, using a form provided by the division.
This includes, but is not limited to:
A. The
death of a child if the child died while at the child care provider;
B. The death of a child enrolled at the child
care provider if the child died of a contagious disease; or
C. A serious injury to a child that occurs
while the child is at the child care provider or away from the child care
provider's facility, but still in the care of the child care provider, which
results in the child being treated by a medical professional or admitted to a
hospital;
6. Child care
provider shall cooperate with any investigations, audits, or other requests of
the division;
7. Child care
provider shall follow all statutes, regulations, and policies of the
division;
8. Child care providers
must report the following changes to the division in writing within ten
business (10) days: physical address, mailing address, telephone number, email
address, or any other circumstance, incident, or occurrence which would alter
any information provided in the child care provider's original application for
contract;
9. Child care provider
shall not utilize physical or corporal punishment including, but not limited
to, spanking, slapping, shaking, biting, or pulling hair;
10. Child care provider shall submit to
monitoring by division or its designee for compliance with contractual or
regulatory obligations. Such monitoring may include, but is not limited to:
A. Providing attendance records at the
request of the division or its designee;
B. Submitting to unannounced or announced
on-site inspections; or
C. Other
monitoring as determined necessary by the division;
11. Child care provider shall attend annual
training as approved by the division and provide documentation of the
successful completion of all training to the division through the Opportunities
in a Professional Education Network (OPEN).
(C) If the division determines the licensed
child care provider fails to meet all requirements to contract, the division
shall provide written notice of the denial to contract with the licensed child
care provider. The notice shall-
1. Inform the
child care facility of the nature of the decision;
2. State generally the factual and legal
basis for the division's decision, if applicable; and
3. Notify the child care facility of the
right to seek administrative review.
(D) Corrective Action. The division may
require the licensed child care provider to submit and implement a corrective
action plan to resolve any health or safety concerns, regulatory violations, or
contractual violations. The division shall provide written notification to the
licensed child care provider of the requirement to submit and implement a
corrective action plan, identifying the specific performance, regulatory
requirements, or contractual requirements not being met and the expected
corrective resolution.
1. The licensed child
care provider shall submit a written corrective action plan to the division
within ten (10) days of notice.
2.
The corrective action plan must include the actions the licensed child care
provider proposes to take to remedy concerns, time frames for achieving such,
the staff responsible for the necessary action, the improvement that is
expected, a description of how progress will be measured, and a description of
the actions to be taken to prevent the situation from recurring.
3. The division shall notify the licensed
child care provider in writing if the corrective action plan is approved or if
modifications are required. In the event the division requires changes to the
corrective action plan, the licensed child care provider shall submit a revised
corrective action plan within ten (10) days of notice that changes are
required.
(E) Termination
of Contract. The division may immediately terminate a licensed child care
provider's contract upon written notice if-
1. The licensed child care provider allows
staff to work within the child care facility who have a substantiated CA/N
report;
2. The licensed child care
provider committed an intentional violation;
3. The licensed child care provider failed to
report child abuse and neglect;
4.
The licensed child care provider employs individuals or allows volunteers who
are not mentally, emotionally, or physically fit to care for children as
determined by a medical professional or mental health professional;
5. The licensed child care provider employs
individuals or allows volunteers who are not legally allowed in the presence of
children;
6. The licensed child
care provider failed to cooperate in a Welfare Investigative Unit
investigation, Child Abuse and Neglect investigation or assessment, compliance
review, or audit; or
7. The
Department of Health and Senior Services, section for Child Care Regulations,
takes action to immediately suspend or revoke licensed child care provider's
license;
8. If a condition exists
that negatively impacts the health and/or safety of the children and the child
care provider fails to rectify the issues in a timely manner;
9. The licensed child care provider fails to
successfully submit or complete the requirements of a corrective action plan
within the time period specified in the plan; or
10. The licensed child care provider is
non-compliant with contractual requirements.
11. The division shall provide written notice
of the termination. The notice shall-
A.
Inform the child care facility of the nature of the termination of the
contract; and
B. State generally
the factual and legal basis for the division's decision; and
C. Notify the child care provider of his/her
right to seek administrative review.
(3) Administrative Review.
(A) The licensed child care provider may
request an administrative review of the decision to deny a contract by
providing a written request for an administrative review within ten (10) days
of the notification. The licensed child care provider may submit additional
documentation for consideration with the request for an administrative review.
Documentation received after the request may not be considered by the
division.
(B) The licensed child
care provider may request the opportunity to present additional information by
telephone conference call by making such a request in writing with the request
for administrative review. If the licensed child care provider timely requests
a telephone conference call, the division shall notify the licensed child care
provider in writing of the date, time, and telephone number at which the
licensed child care provider may present information. In such circumstances,
the licensed child care provider is responsible for ensuring that he/she is
able to present information via telephone on the date/time provided, and that
he/she has a working telephone and stable connection. The division shall not be
responsible for any technical difficulties the licensed child care provider may
experience.
(C) The division shall-
1. Review the denial/termination of contract
and any written materials provided by the licensed child care
provider;
2. Conduct a telephone
conference call, if timely requested by the licensed child care provider;
and
3. Upon completion of the
administrative review, the division shall notify the licensed child care
provider of the results of the administrative review in writing. This decision
shall be the final decision of the agency.
*Original authority: 207.020, RSMo 1945, amended 1961,
1965, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1993, 2014; 210.025, RSMo 1999, amended 2004; and
210.027, RSMo 1999, amended 2014.