Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 441 - Human Services Department › Title XII - Licensing and Approved Standards › Chapter 120 - Child Care Homes › Rule 441-120.8 - Standards

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
Conditions in the home shall be safe, sanitary, and free of
				  hazards. The provider shall certify that the child care home meets the
				  following minimum standards.
(1)
Facility requirements.
a.
				The home shall have a nonpay, working landline or mobile telephone with
				emergency numbers posted for police, fire, ambulance, and the poison
				information center. The number for each child's parent, for a responsible
				person who can be reached when the parent cannot, and for the child's physician
				shall be written on paper and readily accessible by the telephone. The home
				must prominently display all emergency information, and all travel vehicles
				must have a paper copy of emergency parent contact information.
b. Electrical wiring shall be maintained, and
				all accessible electrical outlets shall be tamper-resistant outlets or shall be
				safely capped. Electrical cords shall be properly used. Improper use includes
				the running of cords under rugs, over hooks, or through door openings or other
				use that has been known to be hazardous.
c. Combustible materials shall be kept a
				minimum of three feet away from furnaces, stoves, water heaters, and gas
				dryers.
d. Approved safety gates at
				stairways and doors shall be provided and used as needed.
e. Annual laboratory analysis of a private
				water supply shall be conducted to show satisfactory bacteriological quality.
				When children under the age of two are to be cared for, the analysis shall
				include a nitrate analysis. When private water supplies are determined
				unsuitable for drinking, commercially bottled water or water treated through a
				process approved by the health department or designee shall be
				provided.
f. A safety barrier shall
				surround any heating stove or heating element, in order to prevent
				burns.
g. The home shall have at
				least one 2A 10BC-rated fire extinguisher located in a visible and readily
				accessible place on each child-occupied floor.
h. The home shall have at least one
				single-station, battery-operated, UL-approved smoke detector in each
				child-occupied room and at the top of every stairway. Each smoke detector shall
				be installed according to manufacturer's recommendations. The provider shall
				test each smoke detector monthly and keep a record of testing for inspection
				purposes.
i. Smoking and the use of
				tobacco products shall be prohibited at all times in the home and in every
				vehicle in which children receiving care in the home are transported. Smoking
				and the use of tobacco products shall be prohibited in the outdoor play area
				during the home's hours of operation. "No smoking" signs shall be posted at
				every entrance of the child care home and in every vehicle used to transport
				children. All signs shall include:
(1) The
				telephone number for reporting of complaints, and
(2) The Internet address of the department of
				public health (
smokefreeair.iowa.gov
).
j. Homes served by a private
				sewage disposal system shall be operated and maintained to ensure the system is
				properly treating the wastewater and not creating an unsanitary condition in
				the environment. Discharge of untreated waste water from private sewage
				disposal systems is prohibited. Concerns about noncompliance shall be referred
				to the local county sanitarian.
k.
				A provider operating in a facility built before 1978 shall assess and control
				lead hazards before being issued an initial child care assistance provider
				agreement or a renewal of the provider agreement. To comply with this
				requirement, the provider shall:
(1) Determine
				if painted surfaces on the interior or exterior of the facility are chipping,
				peeling, or cracking or in need of repair. Painted surfaces include walls,
				ceilings, windows, doors, stairs, and woodwork; and
(2) If painted surfaces are in need of
				repair, hire an Iowa certified lead-safe renovator to make repairs or take
				training to become an Iowa certified lead-safe renovator. Iowa lead-safe
				renovators shall apply interim controls on any chipping, peeling, or cracking
				paint found, using lead-safe work methods in accordance with and as defined by
				department of public health rules at 641-Chapters 69 and 70.
l. The child care home shall be
				located in a single-family residence that is owned, rented, or leased by the
				provider.
m. Any driver who
				transports children for any purpose shall have a valid driver's license and
				adequate motor vehicle insurance that authorizes the driver to operate the type
				of vehicle being driven. Child restraint devices shall be utilized in
				compliance with Iowa Code section
				321.446.
n. Providers shall inform parents of the
				presence of any pet in the home.
(1) Each dog
				or cat in the household shall undergo an annual health examination by a
				licensed veterinarian. Acceptable veterinary examinations shall be documented
				on Form 470-5153, Veterinary Health Certificate. This examination shall verify
				that the animal's routine immunizations, particularly rabies, are current and
				that the animal shows no evidence of endoparasites (roundworms, hookworms,
				whipworms) and ectoparasites (fleas, mites, ticks, lice).
(2) Each pet bird in the household shall be
				purchased from a dealer licensed by the Iowa department of agriculture and land
				stewardship and shall be examined by a veterinarian to verify that the bird is
				free of infectious diseases. Acceptable veterinary examinations shall be
				documented on Form 470-5153, Veterinary Health Certificate. Children shall not
				handle pet birds.
(3) Aquariums
				shall be well maintained and installed in a manner that prevents children from
				accessing the water or pulling over a tank.
(4) All animal waste shall be immediately
				removed from the children's areas and properly disposed of. Children shall not
				perform any feeding or care of pets or cleanup of pet waste.
(5) No animals shall be allowed in the food
				preparation, food storage, or serving areas during food preparation and serving
				times.
o. Using an injury
				report form, the provider shall document all injuries that require first aid or
				medical care. The form shall be completed on the date of occurrence, shared
				with the parent, and maintained in the child's file.
p. Serious injuries.
(1) Serious injuries, as defined in Iowa Code
				section
				702.18, that occur
				in a child care home or when a child is in the care of child care home staff
				shall be reported to the department within 24 hours of the incident.
(2) Serious injuries shall be documented and
				information maintained in the child's file as required by subrule
				120.9(2).