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 8.9.4.36 - HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR HOMES
Universal Citation: 8 NM Admin Code 8.9.4.36
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 or feeding a
child;
(e) after handling pets or
animals or items used by animals such as water and food bowls; and
(f) after handling trash.
(2) A home will label with the
child's name and store separately any item used for an individual child's
personal hygiene.
(3) If a home
promotes tooth brushing activities, the provider 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) A home will keep a first-aid kit and a
first-aid manual together in the home 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, non-porous gloves, and a
thermometer.
(2) A home 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 home will clean contaminated
surfaces first with hot soapy water then with a disinfecting solution, which is
effective against HIV and hepatitis B.
C. MEDICATION:
(1) A home 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) Homes will give
medication only with written permission from parents 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 (Paragraph (2)
of Subsection C of 8.9.4.36 NMAC) 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) The licensee 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 home. A home 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 licensee will keep and sign a written
record of the dosage, date and time a child is given 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 home shall not administer expired medication.
D. ILLNESS AND NOTIFIABLE DISEASES:
(1) Children or staff members absent
due to any notifiable disease will not return to the home without a signed
statement from a physician.
(2) A
home will separate and constantly observe a child who becomes sick at the home
and promptly notify a parent or guardian of the child's illness.
(3) A home will send a child home when:
(a) the child's oral temperature is 101
degrees Fahrenheit or greater or armpit temperature is 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
or greater and the child shows signs of illness or behavior changes;
or
(b) the educator observes signs
of contagious disease or severe illness.
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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