North Dakota Administrative Code › Title 75 - Department of Human Services › Article 75-03 - Community Services › Chapter 75-03-08 - Family Child Care Early Childhood Services › Section 75-03-08-14 - Minimum requirements of the facility

Current through Supplement No. 393, July, 2024
1. The family child care must contain
				adequate space, indoors and out, for the daily activities of the children.
				Adequate space must include a minimum of thirty-five square feet [3.25 square
				meters] of space per child indoors and a minimum of seventy-five square feet
				[6.97 square meters] of play space per child outdoors. Indoor space considered
				must exclude bathrooms, pantries, passageways leading to outdoor exits, areas
				occupied by furniture or appliances that children should not play on or under,
				and space children are not permitted to occupy. Providers who provide
				seventy-five square feet [6.97 square meters] of separate indoor recreation
				space per child are exempt from the outdoor space requirement.
2. The family child care must be clean and
				maintained to protect the health and safety of children. The family child care
				and outdoor play area must be free of clutter, accumulation of refuse, standing
				water, unprotected wells, debris, and other health and safety hazards. Garbage
				must be regularly removed.
3. The
				provider shall ensure adequate heating, ventilation, humidity, and lighting for
				the comfort and protection of the health of the children.
4. The provider shall ensure that the family
				child care is equipped with one properly installed smoke detector located in
				each sleeping area used by the children, and one properly installed smoke
				detector and one fire extinguisher per level. Properly installed means
				installed according to manufacturer's or fire inspector's directions.
5. The provider shall ensure that elevated
				areas, including stairs and porches, have railings and safety gates where
				necessary to prevent falls.
6. The
				provider shall ensure that the family child care has a drinking water supply
				from an approved community water system or from a source tested and approved
				annually by the department of environmental quality.
7. The provider shall ensure that each child
				has a comfortable and clean place to sleep or rest and an individual blanket.
				The provider may allow a child to sleep or rest on the floor only when the
				floor is carpeted or padded, warm, and free from drafts.
8. The provider shall ensure that exterior
				play areas in close proximity to busy streets and other unsafe areas are
				contained or fenced, or have natural barriers, to restrict children from those
				unsafe areas. Outdoor play areas must be inspected daily for hazards and
				necessary maintenance.
9. The
				provider shall ensure that potential hazards, such as guns, household cleaning
				chemicals, uninsulated wires, medicines, noncovered electrical outlets, and
				poisonous plants are not accessible to children. The provider shall keep guns
				and ammunition in locked storage, each separate from the other, or shall use
				trigger locks. The provider shall ensure other weapons and dangerous sporting
				equipment, such as bows and arrows, are not accessible to children.
10. The provider shall ensure indoor and
				outdoor equipment, toys, and supplies are safe, strong, nontoxic, and in good
				repair. The provider shall ensure that all toys and equipment are kept clean
				and sanitary. Books and other toys that are not readily cleanable must be
				sanitized as much as possible without damaging the integrity or educational
				value of the item.
11. The provider
				shall ensure that exit doorways and pathways are not blocked.
12. The provider shall ensure that the family
				child care has a working telephone in the location used for child care. The
				provider shall post emergency numbers of parents and first
				responders.
13. The family child
				care must have an indoor bathroom with a minimum of one sink and one flush
				toilet.
14. The family child care
				must have hot and cold running water. The water in the faucets used by children
				must not exceed one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit [49.2 degrees
				Celsius].
15. The family child care
				must meet the local minimum fire and safety standards. The provider shall
				obtain a fire inspection prior to licensure and annually thereafter. Any
				inspection fees are the provider's responsibility. The provider shall have any
				code violations noted by the fire inspector corrected and shall file reports of
				the inspections and any corrections with the department. If the fire, safety,
				health, or sanitation environment appears questionable, the department may
				require the provider to obtain additional inspections at the cost of the
				provider. The provider shall provide:
a. The
				fire inspector's written statement of compliance with the local fire code, if
				there is one; or
b. The fire
				inspector's written statement that the family child care has been inspected and
				that the inspector is satisfied that the family child care meets minimum fire
				and safety standards.