Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. GUIDANCE:
(1) A program will have written policies and
procedures clearly outlining guidance practices. Facilities will give this
information to all parents and staff who will sign a form to acknowledge that
they have read and understand these policies and procedures.
(2) Guidance will be consistent and age
appropriate.
(3) Guidance shall be
positive and include redirection and clear limits that encourage the child's
ability to become self-disciplined. The use of physical or mechanical
restraints is prohibited unless due to documented emergencies or medically
documented necessity.
(4) A program
will not use the following disciplinary practices:
(a) physical punishment of any type,
including shaking, biting, hitting or putting anything on or over a child's
mouth;
(b) withdrawal of food,
rest, bathroom access, or outdoor activities;
(c) abusive or profane language, including
yelling;
(d) any form of public or
private humiliation, including threats of physical punishment; or
(e) unsupervised separation.
(5) Children will not be lifted by
the arms, hands, wrist, legs, feet, ankles, or clothing.
B. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT:
(1) Environment shall be organized into age
appropriate functional identifiable learning areas. If any of the selected
learning areas are not represented at a given time, the areas shall be rotated
to provide children with the opportunity to gain skills supported by a variety
of learning experiences. The areas may include:
(a) dramatic play;
(b) creative art;
(c) books;
(d) blocks and accessories;
(e) manipulatives;
(f) music;
(g) science;
(h) math/number; and
(i) sensory.
(2) Each center is clearly defined, using
shelves and furniture.
(3) Adults
can visually supervise all centers at all times.
(4) The capacity of each room will be posted
in an area of the room that is readily visible to parents, staff members, and
visitors.
(5) Learning areas have
adequate space and quiet areas are arranged so that children's activities can
be sustained without interruption.
(6) Materials are well cared for and
organized by type. Where appropriate, materials are labeled with words or
pictures. Adaptations to materials are made when needed to accommodate various
abilities of all children. Unused materials are stored in inaccessible
storage.
(7) Examples of children's
individually expressed artwork are displayed in the environment at the
children's eye level.
(8) The floor
surface is suitable for activities that will occur in each learning
area.
(9) File and storage space is
available for educators' materials.
C. SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT:
(1) Educators remain calm in stressful
situations.
(2) Educators are
actively engaged with children. Educators talk, actively listen and respond to
children appropriately by responding to children's questions and acknowledging
their comments, concerns, emotions and feelings.
(3) Educators help children communicate their
feelings by providing them with language to express themselves.
(4) Educators model appropriate social
behaviors, interactions and empathy. Educators respond to children that are
angry, hurt, or sad in a caring and sensitive manner. Educators make
appropriate physical contact to comfort children who are distressed.
D. EQUIPMENT AND PROGRAM:
(1) A program will provide sufficient
equipment, materials, and furnishings for both indoor and outdoor activities so
that at any one time each child can be individually involved. Toys shall be
disinfected, at a minimum of, once per week. Frequency of disinfection of toys
must be increased in the event of a communicable disease, following appropriate
guidance.
(2) Each child at a
program will have a designated space for storage of clothing and personal
belongings.
(3) A program will
store equipment and materials for children's use within easy reach of the
children, including those with disabilities. A program will store the equipment
and materials in an orderly manner so children can select and replace the
materials by themselves or with minimal assistance.
(4) A program will provide children with
toys, educational materials, equipment and other materials and activities that
are safe, developmentally appropriate, and encourage the child's educational
progress, creativity, social interaction, and a balance of individual and group
activity. Program staff must be onsite, available and responsive to children
during all hours of operation.
(5)
A program will post a daily activity schedule. A program will follow a
consistent pattern for routine activities such as meals, snacks and
rest.
(6) Media viewing will be
limited to six hours per month, but not to exceed one full length film in one
day. Programs, movies, music and music programs shall be age appropriate and
shall not contain adult content. Media viewing to include all of the above as
well as computers, tablets, phones, smart devices and screen-based learning
equipment. An exception is media that is used for curriculum-based purposes or
led by an educator.
(7) Children
and family members shall be acknowledged upon arrival and departure.
(8) Equipment and program requirements apply
during all hours of program operation.
E. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN WITH
SPECIAL NEEDS:
(1) Child care facilities are
responsible for staff awareness of community resources for families of children
with disabilities, including children under the age of five years as well as
those of school age. If staff believe that a child may have a delay or
disability, possible resources for referral and assistance are provided to
parents when appropriate. No referral for special needs services to an outside
agency will be made without a parent's consent. Family Education Right and
Privacy Act (FERPA) will be respected at all times.
(2) Child care facilities are responsible for
staff awareness of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to
enrolling and caring for children with disabilities.
F. OUTDOOR PLAY AREAS:
(1) Outdoor play equipment used in out of
school time programs shall be:
(a) intended
for public (non-residential) use and installed and maintained according to the
manufacturer's instructions; and
(b) if intended for residential use, shall be
safe and securely anchored.
(2) A program will place sufficient energy
absorbing surfaces beneath climbing structures, swings and slides. Based on the
consumer product safety commission (CPSC) playground guidelines, grass,
artificial turf, and rubber play mats are not energy absorbent material (as
determined by Subsection P of
8.16.2.8
NMAC).
Critical Heights of Playground Equipment for
Various Types and Depths of Resilient Surfaces Based on Information from the
U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION (CPSC Publication No. 325), Handbook
for Public Playground Safety.
When no requirement is provided for a specific
height of equipment, we have used the requirement for the next higher height,
so requirements are conservative, erring on the side of safety.
|
Equipment Height
|
Wood Chips
|
Double Shredded Bark
|
Uniform Wood Chips
|
Fine Sand
|
Coarse Sand
|
Fine Gravel
|
Uncompressed Depths of Materials In
Fall Zone
|
Five feet or less
|
6 inches
|
6 inches
|
6 inches
|
6 inches
|
6 inches
|
6 inches
|
Six feet
|
6 inches
|
6 inches
|
6 inches
|
12 inches
|
12 inches
|
6 inches
|
Seven feet
|
6 inches
|
9 inches
|
9 inches
|
12 inches
|
12 inches
|
9 inches
|
Eight feet
|
9 inches
|
9 inches
|
12 inches
|
12 inches
|
12 inches
|
12 inches
|
Nine Feet
|
9 inches
|
9 inches
|
12 inches
|
12 inches
|
N/A
|
12 inches
|
Ten Feet
|
9 inches
|
9 inches
|
12 inches
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
12 inches
|
For poured or installed foam or rubber surfaces,
the materials must meet the ASTM F1292 requirements with written verification
from the manufacturer.
|
(3)
The use of a trampoline is prohibited at any time during the hours of operation
or by any children receiving care at the facility.
(4) Licensees shall protect children from the
sun during outdoor play by providing shade (as necessary), sunscreen, proper
attire and limiting the time of exposure to the elements. The program must also
consider instruction by the child's parent or guardian. Drinking water shall be
available as needed and maintained at a cool temperature while children are
playing outside.
G.
SWIMMING, WADING AND WATER:
(1) Each child
will have written permission from a parent or guardian before the child enters
the pool.
(2) If a program has a
portable wading pool:
(a) a program will drain
and fill the wading pool with fresh water daily and disinfect the pool
regularly;
(b) a program will empty
a wading pool when it is not in use and remove it from areas accessible to
children; and
(c) a program will
not use a portable wading pool placed on concrete or asphalt.
(3) If a program has a built in or
above ground swimming pool, ditch, fishpond or other water hazard:
(a) the fixture will be constructed,
maintained and used in accordance with applicable state and local
regulations;
(b) the fixture will
be constructed and protected so that, when not in use, it is inaccessible to
children; and
(c) when in use,
children will be constantly supervised and the number of adults present will be
proportional to the ages and abilities of the children and type of water hazard
in use.
(4) The following
ratios shall be observed for swimming pools more than two feet deep:
Ratio for swimming pools more than
two feet deep |
Age of the youngest child
|
Number of educators, lifeguards or
volunteers
|
Number of children
|
5 years
|
1
|
10
|
6 years and older
|
1
|
12
|
H. FIELD TRIPS:
(1) A program will ensure the children's
safety on field trips and excursions. See Subparagraph (f) of Paragraph (1) of
Subsection D of
8.16.2.41
NMAC for requirements concerning field trip permission slips.
(2) Children will not go to a private
residence unless accompanied by two adults.