Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 441 - Human Services Department › Title XII - Licensing and Approved Standards › Chapter 110 - Child Development Homes › Rule 441-110.8 - 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 development home meets the
				  following standards and also the standards in either rule
				  441-110.13 (237A),
				  441-110.14 (237A), or
				  441-110.15 (237A), specific to
				  the category of home for which the provider requests registration.
(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 the 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 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 development home registration
				or a renewal of the registration. 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 development home shall be
				located in a single-family residence that is owned, rented, or leased by the
				person, or, for dual registrations, at least one of the persons, who is named
				on the child development home's certificate of registration.
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. The provider shall have written policies
				regarding the care of mildly ill children and the exclusion of children due to
				illness and shall inform parents of these policies.
q. The provider shall have written policy and
				procedures for responding to health-related emergencies.
r. The certificate of registration shall be
				displayed in a conspicuous place.
s. Serious injuries.
(1) Serious injuries, as defined in Iowa Code
				section
				702.18, that occur
				in a child care facility or when a child is in the care of child care facility
				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 110.9(4).