West Virginia Code of State Rules
Agency 78 - Human Services
Title 78 - LEGISLATIVE RULE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES BUREAU FOR SOCIAL SERVICES
Series 78-01 - Child Care Center Licensing Requirements
Section 78-1-19 - Safety and Emergency Operating Procedures

Universal Citation: 78 WV Code of State Rules 78-1-19

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 38, September 20, 2024

19.1. A center shall develop, implement, and maintain attendance policies and procedures to ensure that it has a current and updated written record of the first and last name of each child who is participating in center activities, onsite and offsite, and who is being transported in a vehicle provided by the center.

19.2. Daily Attendance Sign-In and Sign Out.

19.2.a. A center shall ensure that the responsible person bringing the child to the center signs the child in as the child arrives and that the responsible person picking up the child signs the child out as the child departs the center.

19.2.b. A center shall require the following sign-in and sign-out information:
19.2.b.1. Arrival time including the date and time;

19.2.b.2. Departure time including the date and time;

19.2.b.3. The name and signature of the responsible person who drops off the child; and

19.2.b.4. The name and signature of the responsible person who picks up the child.

19.2.c. A center shall have an attendance procedure for notifying the parent when a school-age child does not arrive as scheduled.

19.3. Transportation Log.

19.3.a. A center shall provide a passenger log to be kept by the driver of the vehicle, the designated staff member, or the volunteer riding in the vehicle that shall include the first and last names of each child boarding the vehicle. There shall be a notation on the log each time a child boards the vehicle or departs the vehicle.

19.3.b. Immediately upon unloading the last child from a vehicle, or before parking the vehicle, the driver or the designated staff member shall physically search the vehicle to ensure that all children have been unloaded. The transportation log shall then be reviewed either by the driver or the designated staff member to check that the information is correct.

19.3.c. The driver or the designated staff member shall deliver the transportation log to the person responsible for maintaining attendance records.

19.4. Daily Roster.

19.4.a. A center shall prepare a written, daily roster that includes the first and last names of each child in each group of children, the name of the staff member responsible for the group, and the space designated for use by the group both at the center and at off-site locations used during field trips.

19.4.b. Periodically throughout the day, the staff member responsible for each group of children shall check the daily roster to ensure that all children are present or accounted for.

19.4.c. A center shall keep each daily roster in a designated location where it is readily available in case of emergencies and can be used to confirm attendance following an evacuation from the premises or upon returning from a field trip.

19.4.d. A center shall ensure that its attendance procedures include accounting for a child at all times and taking action when a child is lost on or off the premises.

19.5. Emergency File. A center shall develop and maintain an emergency file with information for each enrolled child that is accessible to all staff members, including at off-site activities.

19.6. Emergency Disaster Plan. A center shall develop, implement, and maintain an emergency and disaster plan that addresses at a minimum:

19.6.a. Medical and non-medical emergencies, including situations that could pose a hazard to staff and children, such as a fire, storm, flood, chemical spill, power failure, bomb threat, persons coming onto the premises whose health or behavior may be harmful to a child or staff member, or kidnapping;

19.6.b. Evacuation from the center in the event of an emergency that could cause damage to the center or pose a hazard to the staff and children;

19.6.c. Evacuation from a vehicle used to transport children;

19.6.d. The age and physical and mental abilities of the enrolled children; types of emergencies that are likely to affect the area; the requirements of the State Fire Marshal; and advice from the Red Cross or other health and emergency professionals;

19.6.e. Review of the emergency plans with new staff during orientation and with all staff at least once a year;

19.6.f. The notification of parents of procedures for relocation and reunification during evacuation emergencies and disasters;

19.6.g. Submission of an emergency and disaster evacuation plan to the Director of the Office of Emergency Services in the county where the center is located or any other designated authority with a procedure to submit any changes to that plan by December 31 of each year;

19.6.h. In the case of a medical emergency, identification of the staff responsible for implementing the plan. The plan for a medical emergency shall include:
19.6.h.1. The procedures to be followed;

19.6.h.2. The location of a center's first aid kit and other emergency supplies;

19.6.h.3. The location of the child's emergency information;

19.6.h.4. The name, address, and telephone number of a health professional or facility available to provide medical consultation to the center;

19.6.h.5. The name, address, telephone number, and location of the emergency facility to be used when a center cannot reach the child's parent or licensed health care provider, or when transporting the ill or injured child to the preferred hospital could result in a serious delay in obtaining medical attention;

19.6.h.6. Identification of a means of transportation that is always available in case of an emergency, and telephone numbers for an ambulance or other transportation that might be required; and

19.6.h.7. Other emergency telephone numbers as required in this rule; and

19.6.i. For a non-medical emergency that identifies staff members responsible for implementing the plan and includes:
19.6.i.1. The procedures to be followed;

19.6.i.2. The location of the center's first aid kit and other emergency supplies;

19.6.i.3. The location of the child's attendance records and emergency information;

19.6.i.4. The identification of a safe location within a center where a children and staff members can stay until the threat of danger passes;

19.6.i.5. A diagram of the routes to be used by the child and staff members to reach the safe location and a copy of the plan for moving to the safe location that the center shall post by the telephone and in each room of the center;

19.6.i.6. A procedure for notifying the local fire department when a center offers evening or night time care;

19.6.i.7. A procedure for practicing with staff members and volunteers moving to the safe location within a center at least two times a year;

19.6.i.8. A procedure for practicing relocation with staff members and volunteers two times per year;

19.6.i.9. A procedure for maintaining a written record of the dates and times when the practice sessions are conducted; and

19.6.i.10. A procedure for ensuring that a staff member determines that all of the children attending at the time of the non-medical emergency are safe during an emergency or practice.

19.7. Evacuation and Drill Plan.

19.7.a. A center shall have a plan for evacuating the center in an emergency posted by the telephone in each room of the center that identifies staff members responsible for implementing the plan that includes:
19.7.a.1. The procedures to be followed;

19.7.a.2. The location of the child's attendance records and emergency information;

19.7.a.3. A diagram of safe routes by which the child and staff members may exit each area of the center used by the child; and

19.7.a.4. The name and address of a nearby relocation site and the name and address of a more distant relocation site that the center has arranged to use in temporarily relocating during an emergency or disaster, that can accommodate the children and staff until reunification of the children and parents can occur.

19.7.b. A center shall conduct a fire drill at least two times a month during its regular hours of operation, keeping a written record of the dates and times when fire drills are conducted.

19.7.c. When a center offers evening or night time care, a center shall also conduct fire drills during the hours of operation of its evening or night time program at least once a month.

19.7.d. A center shall ensure that a staff member is responsible for determining that all of the children attending at the time of the event have been evacuated safely during an emergency evacuation or practice.

19.8. Evacuation from a Vehicle.

19.8.a. A vehicle evacuation plan shall be posted in each vehicle regularly used by the center to transport a child that includes:
19.8.a.1. The procedures to be followed;

19.8.a.2. The location of the vehicle's first aid kit and other emergency supplies;

19.8.a.3. The location of the vehicle's transportation passenger log and the children's emergency information; and

19.8.a.4. The name and address of the emergency medical facilities closest to the vehicle's route.

19.8.b. When it provides transportation according to a regular schedule, a center shall conduct a vehicle evacuation drill at least two times a year.

19.8.c. A center shall maintain a written record of the dates and times when vehicle evacuation drills are conducted.

19.8.d. A center shall ensure that a staff member is responsible for determining that all of the children have been evacuated safely during an emergency evacuation or practice.

19.9. Staff Responsibility Regarding Medical Emergencies and Evacuation.

19.9.a. For a medical emergency at a center, a center shall develop, implement, and maintain procedures for ensuring that staff members:
19.9.a.1. Attend to the injured child with first aid or follow appropriate emergency procedures if the child is experiencing an acute condition, including an asthma attack, seizure, or life-threatening anaphylactic reaction;

19.9.a.2. Notify the parent or other individual designated by the parent to assume responsibility for the child and inform him or her of the child's illness or injury and the center's response; and

19.9.a.3. Complete the required documentation.

19.9.b. For a medical emergency requiring treatment at a medical facility, a center shall provide staff to:
19.9.b.1. Accompany the ill or injured child to the medical facility;

19.9.b.2. Ensure that signed authorization for treatment accompanies the ill or injured child to a medical facility;

19.9.b.3. Notify the parent or other individual designated by the parent to assume responsibility for the child and inform him or her of the child's illness or injury and the center's response;

19.9.b.4. Inform the medical facility that the ill or injured child is being transported for treatment; and

19.9.b.5. Obtain substitute staff, if needed, to provide adequate supervision for the children who remain at the center.

19.9.c. A center shall ensure that staff members are informed of their responsibilities in the event of an evacuation of the premises or a center's vehicle, as required by the center's procedures and notify the Secretary.

19.10. First Aid Kit. A center shall provide a first aid kit for every 20 children that is stored where it is easily accessible to staff members, but out of reach of the children. The location of the first aid kit shall be clearly marked and in view of the staff member. The kit shall be:
19.10.a. Equipped with band aids, a non-mercury thermometer, gauze, tape, scissors, tweezers, disposable nonporous gloves, a first aid guide, the telephone number of a poison control center, and pencil and paper. A bottle of clean water shall be stored with or accompany the first aid kit; and

19.10.b. Readily available at all times, including in the outdoor activity area, on all field trips away from the center and in each vehicle provided by the center for the transportation of children.

19.11. Telephone. A center shall provide at least one operable landline telephone that is in the center space, is not a pay station or locked telephone, and is available during the center's hours of operation, or shall provide at least one activated mobile or cellular telephone that remains on-site at all times. Close to the location of each landline telephone or, or in case of a center using a mobile phone, in each administrative space and classroom, a center shall post:
19.11.a. The name, address, and telephone number of the center;

19.11.b. A list of emergency numbers, including 911, the fire department, police department, ambulance service, the center's medical consultant, and a poison control center;

19.11.c. When a center operates at more than one site, the name and telephone number of the center's principal place of business; and

19.11.d. When a center occupies space it does not own, the name and telephone number of the owner of the building.

19.12. Reporting a Serious Occurrence. A center shall:
19.12.a. Immediately inform the parent or parent's authorized designee when a child is involved in a serious occurrence;

19.12.b. Report the occurrence verbally or via email within 24 hours or by the next work day to the Secretary, and before the end of the day, ensure that the staff member in charge prepares and signs a serious occurrence report; and

19.12.c. Complete a report of each serious occurrence ensuring that the report is signed by the staff member completing it and by the child's parent. Copies of the report are to be placed in the child's file and in a separate cumulative file maintained by the center.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. West Virginia 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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