New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 18 - DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES › Chapter II - Regulations of the Department of Social Services › Subchapter C - Social Services › Article 2 - Family and Children's Services › Part 416 - Group Family Day Care Homes › Section 416.12 - Nutrition

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a) The group
			 family day care program must provide sufficient and nutritious snacks to
			 children.
(b) The program must
			 ensure that each child in care for more than four hours a day receives a
			 nutritious meal.
(c) Each child in
			 care for more than 10 hours a day must receive a minimum of two nutritious
			 meals.
(d) Food must be prepared
			 and stored in a safe and sanitary manner and served at appropriate
			 intervals.
(e) If the program does
			 not furnish meals, there must be adequate supplemental food available in the
			 event that no meal is provided by the parent or if the meal provided by the
			 parent is inadequate or of inadequate nutritional value.
(f) Programs changing their meal policy must
			 provide adequate notice to parents.
(g) When meals are furnished by the program,
			 food preferences for personal, religious or medical reasons may be
			 accommodated. If resultant meal patterns or serving sizes will not meet the
			 child's nutritional needs, a medical statement must be obtained documenting the
			 appropriateness of the variation.
(h) When meals are furnished by the program,
			 the servings must be in portions suitable for the size and age of the children
			 in care, including infants. There must be a sufficient amount of food available
			 to children to permit second helpings of nutritious foods.
(i) Children must be helped to gain
			 independence in feeding themselves and should be encouraged to learn acceptable
			 table manners appropriate to their developmental levels.
(j) Sufficient time, based on age and
			 individual needs, must be allowed for meals so that children will not be
			 hurried.
(k) Perishable food, milk
			 and infant formula must be kept refrigerated.
(l) Safe drinking water must be available to
			 children at all times and must be offered at intervals that are responsive to
			 the needs of the individual children.
(m) Disposable cups, plates and utensils may
			 be used if discarded after use. Plastic eating utensils may be used if such
			 utensils are not easily broken by young children and are discarded after use.
			 Styrofoam cups may not be used for infants or toddlers.
(n) The program must obtain a written
			 statement, from the parent of each infant in care, setting forth the breast
			 milk, formula and feeding schedule instructions for the infant and must be
			 updated as changes are made.
(o)
			 Where infant formula is required, such formula may be prepared and provided by
			 the parent, or by the program when agreed to in writing by the
			 parent.
(p) The program must
			 develop a plan for introducing age-appropriate solid foods in consultation with
			 the parent.
(q) If more than one
			 child in the program is receiving breast milk, infant formula or other
			 individualized food items, all containers or bottles must be clearly marked
			 with the child's first and last name.
(r) Unused portions of bottles or containers
			 from which children have been spoon-fed must be discarded after each feeding or
			 placed in a securely tied plastic bag and returned to the parent at the end of
			 the day.
(s) Heating infant
			 formula, breast milk and other food items for infants in a microwave oven is
			 prohibited.
(t) If foods for older
			 children are heated in a microwave, the food must be stirred and allowed to
			 reach serving temperature before serving to prevent burns from hot
			 spots.
(u) All devices used to warm
			 breast milk, formula or food for infants, must be kept at a low temperature not
			 exceeding 120 degrees.
(v) A
			 caregiver or volunteer must not hold an infant while removing a bottle or
			 infant food from a crock pot or other warming device.
(w) All devices used for warming bottles or
			 food must be kept out of reach of children.
(x) Every effort must be made to accommodate
			 the needs of a child who is being breast-fed.
(y) Infants six months of age or younger must
			 be held while being bottle-fed. Infants over six months of age must be held
			 while being bottle-fed until the infant consistently demonstrates the
			 capability of holding the bottle and ingesting an adequate portion of the
			 contents thereof.
(z) The propping
			 of bottles is prohibited.
(aa) Each
			 infant and toddler must be removed from the crib, playpen or cot and held or
			 placed in an appropriate chair for feeding.
(ab) Children may not be placed in a crib
			 with a bottle, food or drink.
(ac)
			 A caregiver or volunteer must not force or bribe a child to eat nor use food as
			 a reward or punishment.
(ad) Fluid
			 milk, 100 percent juice and water, are the only beverages a caregiver may
			 provide to children in the program.
(ae) When milk is served as a beverage,
			 low-fat or fat-free milk (one percent fat or less) must be served to children
			 two years of age or older.
(af)
			 When provided by the parent, beverages are not subject to the regulatory
			 beverage standards.
(ag) All
			 children with dietary restrictions based on a child's medical condition or
			 religious beliefs of the family are exempt from the regulatory beverage
			 requirements, when instructed in writing by the parent to the
			 program.
(ah) The program must
			 share information on healthy food and beverage choices and the prevention of
			 childhood obesity with the parent.
(ai) Individual children's food allergies
			 must be posted in a discreet location visible only to caregivers.
(aj) Caregivers must take steps to prevent a
			 child's exposure to the foods to which the child is allergic.