Current through all regulations passed and filed through March 18, 2024
(A)
What is to be available on all trips, including routine
walking trips?
The center is to:
(1)
Have written and
signed permission from the parent before transporting or escorting a child away
from the center for field trips and routine trips as detailed in appendix A to
this rule. The permission slips are to be kept on file at the center for one
year from the date of the trip.
(2)
Attach to each
child on a routine or field trip, except children being transported only to and
from school or to and from home, identification containing the center's name,
address, and a telephone number to contact in the event the child becomes
lost.
(3)
Have a completed copy of the JFS 01234 "Child
Enrollment and Health Information for Child Care" for each child on the trip,
except routine walks.
(4)
Have first aid supplies as required by rule
5101:2-12-16
of the Administrative Code.
(5)
Have the
completed JFS 01236 "Child Medical/Physical Care Plan for Child Care" for any
child who has a health condition which could need medication, special
procedures or precautions during the course of the trip. The center is also to
take supplies needed to provide such treatment and medications that may need to
be administered during the trip.
(6)
Have a working
cellular phone or other means of immediate communication. Cellular phones are
not to be used by a driver while the vehicle is in motion.
(7)
Ensure that the
child care staff member responsible for each child on the field trip maintains
a written record of which vehicle each child is being transported in and the
cellular phone number of the adult in that vehicle who could be contacted in an
emergency.
(8)
Ensure that a person trained in cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR), first aid and management of communicable disease in
accordance with rule
5101:2-12-10
of the Administrative Code is present in the vehicle for routine trips and
field trips and at the destination on all field trips. More than one person may
be used to meet this requirement.
(9)
Ensure that if
the vehicle used to transport children is manufactured with seat belts, they
are to be utilized by adults and children, no more than one person may be
strapped in each seat belt. Children or adults are not to be permitted to stand
in a moving vehicle, sit on the floor or ride in a vehicle where all seats are
not securely anchored.
(10)
Not leave children in the vehicle when it is being
refueled except when a trip is of such a length as to need refueling after
starting with a full tank.
(B)
What are the
ratio and supervision requirements for trips, including routine walking
trips?
(1)
The
staff/child ratio requirements of rule
5101:2-12-18
of the Administrative Code are to be met on field trips and routine trips.
Children are to be assigned to specific child care staff members for all field
trips.
(2)
Parents, guardians or adults authorized by the center
may be drivers on field trips as long as staff/child ratio requirements are met
at the destination.
(3)
One additional adult is to be present in the vehicle
whenever five or more children are being transported and one or more of the
children are infants.
(4)
One additional adult is to be present in the vehicle
when there are seven or more children being transported and no infants are
present.
(5)
One additional adult is to be present in the vehicle
when there are ten or more school-age children, or the driver is to have a
means of immediate communication, such as a cellular phone, to summon an
additional adult when only school-age children are transported in one
vehicle.
(6)
The additional adult in the vehicle may be the driver,
parent or volunteer.
(7)
The vehicle is to be checked at completion of each trip
to ensure that no child has been left on the vehicle.
(8)
During routine
walking trips or walking field trips, one additional adult is to be present
when there are five or more infants or a combination of seven or more toddlers,
preschool and school-age children or for ten or more school-age children if the
group of children on the walking trip includes only school-age
children.
(9)
While children are being transported from their homes
or schools directly to the center or from the center directly to their homes or
schools, the children are not to count in the center's
capacity.
(C)
What are the driver requirements for employees and
child care staff members of the center?
(1)
The employee or
child care staff member driver is to:
(a)
Be at least
eighteen years old.
(b)
Hold a currently valid driver's license required for
the type of vehicle driven in accordance with Ohio law.
(i)
A copy of each
driver's current driver's license is to be kept on file at the
center.
(ii)
The center is responsible for ensuring that the copy of
the driver's license on file is kept current.
(c)
Be free from the
influence of any substance which could impair driving
abilities.
(d)
Ensure that all passengers, which includes the driver,
adhere to the state of Ohio's child restraint law found in section
4511.81
of the Revised Code when transporting children in care.
(e)
Not allow
children under twelve years of age to ride in the front seat of any
vehicle.
(f)
See that each child safely boards and exits the vehicle
from the curb side of the street whenever physically possible and out of the
path of moving vehicles. Drop off or pick up at which it is not possible to
board and exit from the curb side is to be conducted in a safe manner and with
close supervision by the child care staff member responsible for the
children.
(g)
Complete the Ohio department of job and family services
(ODJFS) child care transportation training in the Ohio professional registry
(OPR).
(i)
A
trained child care staff member is not required in the vehicle on field trips
when parents are providing the transportation.
(ii)
A trained child
care staff member is not required when public transportation is being utilized
or if the school district is providing transportation to or from the
center.
(h)
Practice the emergency exiting procedures.
(i)
The emergency
exiting procedures are to be practiced with the children on a monthly
basis.
(ii)
This practice is to occur during months that the
vehicle is used for transporting children and is to take place on the center's
premises or another safe location that is protected from traffic and other
hazards to ensure the safety of the children involved.
(iii)
A written
record is to be kept of the dates when the emergency exiting procedure was
practiced and the staff that were involved.
(2)
Parents, who are not employed by the center, who use their
vehicles for transportation to occasional field trips do not have to meet the
requirements of paragraph (C) of this rule. For the purposes of this rule,
"occasional" means three or fewer times per calendar year.
(3)
The requirements
outlined in paragraph (C) of this rule do not apply to public transportation
drivers or companies contracted by the program and who are not employees or
child care staff members.
(4)
Training for transportation is to be documented in the
OPR or kept on file at the center in the employee's or child care staff
member's file for review by the ODJFS.
(D)
What are the
vehicle requirements for the center?
(1)
Any vehicle operated by the center or driven by an
employee or child care staff member to transport children for routine trips or
field trips is to be mechanically safe at all times.
(2)
Requirements for
center vehicles used for transportation of children are listed in appendix B to
this rule.
(3)
The personal vehicles driven by parents who are not
employed by the center are not required to meet the requirements of paragraph
(E) of this rule.
(E)
When are vehicles
used for transporting children to be inspected?
The vehicles used for transporting
children are to be inspected weekly by child care center staff and annually by
an automotive service excellence (ASE) certified mechanic, federal motor
carrier safety administration (FMCSA) safety inspector, or the Ohio state
highway patrol.
(1)
The center is to maintain documentation that staff have
performed weekly inspections followed by any necessary repairs or other
appropriate actions, for the following items:
(a)
A visual
inspection of the vehicle's tires for wear and adequate
pressure.
(b)
A visual inspection for working headlights and
taillights, signals, mirrors, wiper blades and dash gauges.
(c)
An inspection for
properly functioning child and driver restraints.
(d)
An inspection for
properly functioning doors and windows.
(e)
An inspection
for, and cleaning of, debris from the vehicle's interior.
(2)
The
annual safety check is to be completed and approved prior to the use of any
vehicle for transporting children, except that a new vehicle purchased directly
from the dealer is to have the safety check completed before one year from the
date of purchase. The bill of sale from the vehicle purchase is to be
maintained on file at the center to verify compliance.
(a)
Verification of
the safety check is to be documented on the JFS 01230 "Vehicle Inspection
Report for Child Care" and include notation and correction of any safety
violation, and is to be maintained on file at the center for review by the
ODJFS.
(b)
A vehicle sticker issued from the Ohio state highway
patrol indicating the vehicle has passed a school bus or personal vehicle
inspection may be used to meet the annual safety check
requirement.
(c)
School buses and multifunction school activity buses
which are inspected and licensed by the Ohio state highway patrol are exempt
from the annual safety check required in this rule. The center is to prepare
the buses before each trip following the Ohio department of education's
operational and safety rules of Chapter 3301-83 of the Administrative
Code.
Replaces: 5101:2-12-14
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