Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) The program
shall be located in a safe and convenient facility and space that accommodates
the enrollment, supports child growth and development according to program
objectives, and meets the requirements of section
3301.55
of the Revised Code. The space shall be for the exclusive use of the children
enrolled in the preschool program when that program is in session.
(B) The program shall provide written
documentation of an annual fire inspection and approval of the facility.
Annually means within twelve calendar months of
the previous fire inspection.
(C) A
phone shall be available while the program is in session.
(D) The indoor space shall include not less
than thirty-five square feet of usable, wall-to-wall, floor space for each
child.
(1) Such floor space shall not include
hallways, kitchens, storage areas, or any other areas not
designated for the care of children.
(2) Bathrooms shall be included only if they
are used exclusively by children enrolled in the program when the program is in
session.
(3) Square footage, as detailed in section
3301.55
of the Revised Code, shall determine the maximum capacity or number of
children that may be served in the space. Maximum group size shall not exceed
the maximum capacity in any given space.
(4) Spaces meeting the required square
footage per child may be defined by barriers to serve more than one class/group
of children. Barriers shall be at least thirty-six inches in height, may be
permanent or nonpermanent walls, bookcases, partitions or some similar device
used to define the area.
(5)
Electrical outlets are to be covered when not in use
unless documentation is on file that the outlets are tamper
resistant.
(6)
The center is to be cleaned daily and kept in a
sanitary condition at all times. Cleaning and sanitizing is not to take place
while rooms are occupied by children, except for general cleanup activities
such as sweeping, vacuuming, mopping and wiping off tables which are part of
the daily routine.
(7)
Smoking is prohibited on the premises.
(8)
The public may
use areas such as entry ways, hallways, bathrooms, and other areas normally
available for public use if such access does not constitute a risk or hazard to
the health and safety of the children in care.
(E) Safe play space, including both indoor
and outdoor play space, totaling not less than sixty square feet for each child
using the space at any one time, shall be regularly available and scheduled for
use. Additionally, play spaces comply with the
following:
(1) The surface of the
outdoor play space shall offer proection from falls and shall be well
drained.
(2) The play space, including both indoor and outdoor play space ,shall
be free of hazards such as, but not limited to, chipped
and peeling paint containing lead, mold, peeling plaster, holes in the
walls,broken glass, potholes, garbage, flammable materials and other
debris. Equipment and furniture must be without sharp
corners, splinters, or loose and/or peeling paint containing lead. Corrective
action will be issued for any loose and/or peeling paint that may contain
lead.
(3) The play area shall
be well defined to protect children from traffic, animals, or other
hazards.
(4) Child staff ratios are
maintained at all times in accordance with rule
3301-37-04 of the
Administrative Code..
(5)
Groups of children are supervised during the use of and traveling to and from
the play area.
(F)
Infants and toddlers shall be provided space apart from their sleeping quarters
so that each child is allowed to sit, crawl, toddle or walk, and play safely
and comfortably according to his/her stage of development.:
(G) Infants and non-ambulatory children
eighteen months of age or older shall receive care in rooms
approved for that use by local building, fire
officials, and the department prior to use.
(H) Swimming pools,
wading pools, and other
swimming/wading sites shall be
made inaccessible to
the children when not in use. Additionally,
swimming pools, wading pools, and other swimming/wading sites have the
following requirements:
(1)
Wading pools are filtered or emptied daily. Portable
wading pools are sanitized daily or more often, if needed.
(2)
The center
supervises children at all times while a wading pool is in use and staff are
able to clearly see all parts of the wading area.
(3)
There is one
lifeguard or water safety instructor certified by the "American Red Cross" or
an equivalent water safety program present for every thirty-five children when
children are involved in a water activity over eighteen inches in depth. If the
lifeguard is a staff member, the lifeguard does not count in the staff/child
ratio and additional staff would be needed in this scenario.
(I)
Cribs
are to be separated from infant play space by a safe and sturdy physical
barrier which does not impair the ability to supervise infants by sight and
hearing. Sight and hearing is when the preschool staff can see the infants in
and out of their cribs and hear their sounds. The barrier provides for safe
accessibility.
