The director of job and family services shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code governing the operation of child day-care centers, including parent cooperative centers, part-time centers, and drop-in centers. The rules shall reflect the various forms of child care and the needs of children receiving child care or publicly funded child care and shall include specific rules for school-age child care centers that are developed in consultation with the department of education. The rules shall include the following:

Terms Used In Ohio Code 5104.015

  • Administrator: means the person responsible for the daily operation of a center, type A home, or approved child day camp. See Ohio Code 5104.01
  • Child: includes an infant, toddler, preschool-age child, or school-age child. See Ohio Code 5104.01
  • Child care: means all of the following:

    (1) Administering to the needs of infants, toddlers, preschool-age children, and school-age children outside of school hours;

    (2) By persons other than their parents, guardians, or custodians;

    (3) For part of the twenty-four-hour day;

    (4) In a place other than a child's own home, except that an in-home aide provides child care in the child's own home;

    (5) By a provider required by this chapter to be licensed or approved by the department of job and family services, certified by a county department of job and family services, or under contract with the department to provide publicly funded child care as described in section 5104. See Ohio Code 5104.01

  • Child-care staff member: means an employee of a child day-care center, type A family day-care home, licensed type B family day-care home, or approved child day camp who is primarily responsible for the care and supervision of children. See Ohio Code 5104.01
  • Employee: means a person who either:

    (1) Receives compensation for duties performed in a child day-care center, type A family day-care home, licensed type B family day-care home, or approved child day camp;

    (2) Is assigned specific working hours or duties in a child day-care center, type A family day-care home, licensed type B family day-care home, or approved child day camp. See Ohio Code 5104.01

  • Publicly funded child care: means administering to the needs of infants, toddlers, preschool-age children, and school-age children under age thirteen during any part of the twenty-four-hour day by persons other than their caretaker parents for remuneration wholly or in part with federal or state funds, including funds available under the child care block grant act, Title IV-A, and Title XX, distributed by the department of job and family services. See Ohio Code 5104.01
  • School-age child: means a child who is enrolled in or is eligible to be enrolled in a grade of kindergarten or above but is less than fifteen years old or, in the case of a child who is receiving special needs child care, is less than eighteen years old. See Ohio Code 5104.01

(A) Submission of a site plan and descriptive plan of operation to demonstrate how the center proposes to meet the requirements of this chapter and rules adopted pursuant to this chapter for the initial license application;

(B) Standards for ensuring that the physical surroundings of the center are safe and sanitary including the physical environment, the physical plant, and the equipment of the center;

(C) Standards for the supervision, care, and discipline of children receiving child care or publicly funded child care in the center;

(D) Standards for a program of activities, and for play equipment, materials, and supplies, to enhance the development of each child; however, any educational curricula, philosophies, and methodologies that are developmentally appropriate and that enhance the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of each child shall be permissible. As used in this division, “program” does not include instruction in religious or moral doctrines, beliefs, or values that is conducted at child day-care centers owned and operated by churches and does include methods of disciplining children at child day-care centers.

(E) Admissions policies and procedures;

(F) Health care policies and procedures, including procedures for the isolation of children with communicable diseases;

(G) First aid and emergency procedures;

(H) Procedures for discipline and supervision of children;

(I) Standards for the provision of nutritious meals and snacks;

(J) Procedures for screening children that may include any necessary physical examinations and shall include immunizations in accordance with section 5104.014 of the Revised Code;

(K) Procedures for screening employees that may include any necessary physical examinations and immunizations;

(L) Methods for encouraging parental participation in the center and methods for ensuring that the rights of children, parents, and employees are protected and that responsibilities of parents and employees are met;

(M) Procedures for ensuring the safety and adequate supervision of children traveling off the premises of the center while under the care of a center employee;

(N) Procedures for record keeping, organization, and administration;

(O) Procedures for issuing, denying, and revoking a license that are not otherwise provided for in Chapter 119 of the Revised Code;

(P) Inspection procedures;

(Q) Procedures and standards for setting initial license application fees;

(R) Procedures for receiving, recording, and responding to complaints about centers;

(S) Procedures for enforcing section 5104.04 of the Revised Code;

(T) Minimum qualifications for employment as an administrator or child-care staff member;

(U) Requirements for the training of administrators and child-care staff members, including training in first aid, in prevention, recognition, and management of communicable diseases, and in child abuse recognition and prevention;

(V) Standards providing for the needs of children who have disabilities or who require treatment for health conditions while the child is receiving child care or publicly funded child care in the center;

(W) A procedure for reporting of injuries of children that occur at the center;

(X) Standards for licensing child day-care centers for children with short-term illnesses and other temporary medical conditions;

(Y) Minimum requirements for instructional time for child day-care centers rated through the step up to quality program established pursuant to section 5104.29 of the Revised Code;

(Z) Any other procedures and standards necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter regarding child day-care centers.

Last updated January 25, 2023 at 11:34 AM

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