414-305-0600 General Requirements for the Care of Infants and Toddlers (1) A certified child care center must not provide care for a child under six weeks of age. (2) For infants and younger toddlers, a certified child care center must obtain the following information (also see OAR 414-305-0220, Children’s Records): (a) Schedule of feeding; (b) Types of food introduced and timetable for new foods; (c) Sleep schedule; and (d) Child's way of communicating and being comforted. (3) A certified child care center must provide the following information to each parent of an infant and toddler on a daily basis (also see OAR 414-305-0270, Notifications): (a) Times and amount of food consumed; (b) Their child's toilet and diapering activities; (c) Their child's sleep schedule; (d) Their child’s general mood for the day; and (e) A brief summary of the activities in which the child participated. (4) A certified child care center must be responsive to each infant and toddler’s individual, physical, and developmental needs. (a) Infants and younger toddlers must be allowed to form and follow their own pattern of sleeping and waking periods. (b) Each child must be given opportunities throughout the day to move freely in a safe, clean, open, and uncluttered area. (c) Infants and younger toddlers must be given opportunities to interact and be near one another. (5) A certified child care center must not leave an awake child in a play yard, for the purposes of playing, for more than 15 minutes in any 2 hour period. (6) Restrictive infant equipment, including, but not limited to, bouncers, exersaucers, swings, infant seats, high and low chairs or structured infant carriers may be used for no more than 15 minutes in any 2 hour period. (a) Children must not be left in high chairs or other types of feeding chairs other than feeding times. (b) Children who are actively engaged in eating, outdoor walks, or car rides can exceed the 15 minute limit for restrictive infant equipment used in these activities. (c) Car seats may not be used except for transportation purposes. (7) Throughout the day, a certified child care center must engage each child in frequent, multiple, and social interactions by: (a) Talking and listening to children, encouraging infants to respond, naming objects, feelings, and desires, and describing actions; (b) Giving individual attention to children when needed; (c) Playing and reading with children; and (d) Mirroring similar infant sounds and sharing a focus of the child’s attention. (8) A certified child care center must use routines relating to activities such as naptime, feeding, diapering, and toileting as opportunities for language development (e.g., naming objects, singing, saying rhymes), building the child's self-esteem, and other learning experiences. (9) A certified child care center must not use electronic media, including, but not limited to televisions, laptops, tablets, and cell phone screens with children under the age of 2 years, unless used to supplement an activity for brief periods of time. (10) A certified child care center must encourage the development of self-help skills (dressing, toileting, washing, eating) as children show interest. (11) If infants and young toddlers are sharing an activity area used by older children, a certified child care center must: (a) Ensure there is separation of non-mobile infants from mobile children; and (b) Ensure activities and materials are safe and developmentally appropriate to children in the group. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 329A.260 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 329A.260 History: ELD 10-2023, adopt filed 06/28/2023, effective 01/01/2024