New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 8 - SOCIAL SERVICES
Chapter 9 - EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
Part 4 - CHILD CARE LICENSING; CHILD CARE CENTERS, OUT OF SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMS, FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES, AND OTHER EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Section 8.9.4.26 - HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR CENTERS
Universal Citation: 8 NM Admin Code 8.9.4.26
Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. HYGIENE:
(1) Children and staff members will wash
their hands with soap and warm running water as needed. Water basins shall not
be used as an alternative to running water. Staff and children will wash their
hands whenever hands are contaminated with body fluids and always:
(a) after using a toilet, assisting a child
with toilet use, or changing a diaper;
(b) before and after caring for a sick
child;
(c) before any food service
activity, including setting the table;
(d) before and after eating;
(e) before and after feeding a
child;
(f) after handling pets or
animals or items used by animals such as water and food bowls; and
(g) after handling trash.
(2) A center will label with the
child's name and store separately any item used for an individual child's
personal hygiene.
(3) If a center
promotes tooth brushing activities, the center will store toothbrushes so that
they do not drip on other toothbrushes and so that they are separate from one
another, with bristles exposed to the air to dry, labeled and not in contact
with any other surface.
B. FIRST AID REQUIREMENTS:
(1) All educators, staff, and management in
direct contact with children must be certified in first aid and cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) with a pediatric component. From the date of hire, staff
will have three months to obtain the first aid and CPR certification. All staff
must maintain first aid and CPR certification with a pediatric component. Prior
to licensure, at a minimum, the director will have first aid and CPR
certification.
(2) A center will
keep a first-aid kit and a first-aid manual together in the center in a
location inaccessible to children and easily accessible to adults. The first
aid kit will contain, at a minimum, band aids, gauze pads, adhesive tape,
scissors, soap, nonporous gloves, and a thermometer.
(3) A center will treat blood spills
cautiously and promptly disinfect the area. Staff members will wear non-porous,
single-use gloves when handling a blood spill, bloody diarrhea, bloody nose, or
any other blood. A center will clean contaminated surfaces first with hot soapy
water then with a disinfecting solution effective against HIV and hepatitis
B.
C. MEDICATION:
(1) All staff and children's medications must
be labeled. A center will keep all medications in a locked and identified
container inaccessible to children and will refrigerate medications when
necessary. If the refrigerator is inaccessible to children, medications do not
need to be in a locked container in the refrigerator.
(2) Facilities will give medication only with
written permission from a parent or guardian, to be administered according to
written directions from the prescribing physician. In the case of
non-prescription medication, written instructions must be provided by the
parent or guardian. For the purpose of this requirement only, non-prescription
medications include sunscreen, insect repellent and diaper creams or other over
the counter medications. With written authorization from the child's parent or
guardian, sunscreen and insect repellant may be shared. Diaper cream shall not
be shared.
(3) A designated staff
member will be responsible for giving medication to children. The designated
staff member will ensure non-prescription and prescription medications have a
label with the child's name and the date the medication was brought to the
center. A center will keep non-prescription and prescription medication in the
original container with written instructions, including the name of medication,
the dosage, and the hours and dates the child should receive the
medicine.
(4) The designated staff
member will keep and sign a written record of the dosage, date and time a child
is given medication with the signature of the staff who administered the
medication. This information will be provided to the parent or guardian who
will initial/date acknowledgment of information received on the day the
medication is given.
(5) When the
medication is no longer needed, it shall be returned to the parents or
guardians or destroyed. The center shall not administer expired
medication.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Mexico may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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