Alaska Administrative Code › Title 7 - Health and Social Services › Part 3 - Public Assistance and Medical Assistance › Chapter 41 - Child Care Assistance Program › Article 2 - Provisions for Providers › 7 AAC 41.220 - Environmental health and safety requirements

Current through May 31, 2024
(a) A licensed
				  child care provider described in
				  7 AAC 41.200(a)(l) shall meet the
				  applicable health and safety requirements of
				  7 AAC 10.1000 -
				  7 AAC 10.1095. A provider described in
				  7 AAC 41.200(a)(2), (3), or (4) shall
				  meet the applicable environmental health and safety requirements of the
				  accrediting, certifying, or approving agency.
(b) A provider described in 7 AAC
				  41,200(a)(5) must meet the environmental health and safety requirements of (c)
				  of this section before approval to participate in the child care assistance
				  program under this chapter.
(c) In
				  addition to the meeting other health and safety requirements of this chapter, a
				  provider described in (b) of this section shall ensure basic environmental
				  health and safety by meeting the requirements of this subsection. The provider
				  shall
(1) maintain a functional telephone or
				  other identified means of communication;
(2) maintain an ample supply of potable
				  water;
(3) provide and maintain
				  clean and sanitary toilet facilities and ensure that in each toilet room
(A) at least one easily cleanable waste
				  receptacle is provided; if soiled diapers are kept in a waste receptacle until
				  disposed of, that waste receptacle must be covered;
(B) toilet tissue is provided from a
				  wall-hung or protected container at each toilet;
(C) each step stool, if provided, has a
				  nonslip tread made of a water-impervious, durable material;
(D) each floor and wall is covered with
				  smooth, durable, nonabsorbent, easily cleanable material;
(E) each toilet lid, seat, and handle and
				  each handsink is kept clean and sanitary;
(F) each handsink is used only for its
				  designated purpose and is equipped with accessible soap and a single-use towel
				  dispenser or cloth towels; the provider must ensure single-use towels are
				  discarded after each use and cloth towels are laundered after each use;
				  and
(G) each potty-cbair is emptied
				  into a toilet and cleaned and sanitized after each use in a utility sink or
				  another place approved by the department; the provider shall ensure that the
				  utility sink or other area is cleaned and sanitized after each
				  use;
(4) ensure that the
				  child care premises and surrounding gjounds are kept clean, sanitary, safe, and
				  in good repair; the provider shall ensure that
(A) the premises are free of hazards,
				  including splintered surfaces, sharp edges, protruding corners, broken or
				  hazardous toys or play equipment, steep stairways, ice on walkways, unsecured
				  play equipment, and unsafe play areas;
(B) insects, rodents, and other pests are
				  controlled and that the premises are kept free of conditions that are likely to
				  attract or harbor pests; any pesticide use is subject to the notice and other
				  applicable requirements of
				  7 AAC 10.1093; if the department determines that the
				  provider is not adequately controlling pests, the department may require the
				  provider to hire a commercial pest control applicator certified under 18 AAC
				  90, or to take other appropriate action if a commercial pest control applicator
				  is not available in the community;
(C) outdoor areas are well drained and free
				  from deep depressions that may collect standing water; if necessary to ensure
				  the safety of children in care, the department will require that an outdoor
				  recreation area be enclosed with landscaping, a fence, or another effective
				  barrier that prevents or deters access to a busy roadway or other potential
				  hazard;
(D) ventilation by natural
				  or mechanical means is provided to keep air fresh and to prevent the
				  accumulation of heat, steam, condensation, vapors, smoke, or fumes; openings to
				  the outside must prevent the entrance of rodents, insects, and other
				  pests;
(E) walls and ceilings have
				  smooth, durable, nonabsorbent, easily cleanable surfaces, except that
				  rough-textured and acoustical tile ceilings are permitted in bedrooms and
				  living rooms;
(F) lead-based paint
				  is not used, and any painted surface is free from flaking;
(G) stairways and steps have handrails and
				  nonslip treads or covering;
(H) at
				  any faucet that is accessible to children, hot water temperature is no less
				  than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and no more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit;
(I) an artificial light source is provided in
				  each area of the premises; the light must be sufficient and appropriate for the
				  activities performed in each area by children in care;
(J) cleaners, medicines, and other harmful
				  substances are stored in a place that is inaccessible to children;
				  and
(K) furniture and equipment is
				  durable, safe, and easily cleanable, and is kept clean and in good
				  repair;
(5) ensure that
				  smoking is prohibited on the child care premises while children are in care;
				  the provider shall ensure that
(A) tobacco,
				  cigarettes, or other smoking products, and ashtrays, lighters, or other smoking
				  accessories are not visible or accessible to children;
(B) the premises do not smell of smoke from
				  cigarettes or other smoking products; and
(C) any vehicle used to transport children is
				  smoke-free;
(6) ensure
				  that alcohol, marijuana, legal controlled substances, and illegal controlled
				  substances are not accessible to children or used during the hours that
				  children are in care; in tills paragraph, "controlled substance" means a drug,
				  substance, or immediate precursor included in the schedules set out in
				  AS
				  11.71.140 -
				  11.71.190;
(7) transport children in safe vehicles and
				  use appropriate child restraints in each vehicle in accordance with
				  7 AAC 57.565;
(8) ensure that any firearms are unloaded and
				  stored in a locked gun safe or other locked place that is not visible or
				  accessible to children; the provider shall also ensure that ammunition is
				  stored separately from the firearms in a place that is inaccessible to
				  children; if firearms are present on the premises, the provider shall inform
				  each parent that firearms are present on the premises;
(9) ensure that safety gates are installed
				  and used to prevent access to stairs if infants or toddlers as described in 7
				  AAC 41,025(b) are in care;
(10)
				  ensure that outlet covers are installed in all electrical outlets that are not
				  in use and that are accessible to children under five years of age;
(11) ensure that items brought by a parent
				  for a child's personal use, including towels for bathing, toothbrushes, and
				  combs, are stored separately to prevent contamination;
(12) ensure that toys used by children are
				  kept clean and sanitary and if a toy has been mouthed or is otherwise
				  contaminated, that toy is cleaned and sanitized before use by another
				  child;
(13) ensure that each crib,
				  crib mattress, cot, mat, and playpen is cleaned and sanitized
(A) at least weekly;
(B) before assignment to another child in
				  care; and
(C) whenever soiled;
				  and
(14) ensure that
				  children are not allowed to participate in a high-risk activity including
				  playing near or jumping on any type of
				  trampoline.