8 Colo. Code Regs. § 1402-1-2.509

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 1, January 10, 2025

Section 8 CCR 1402-1-2.509 - REQUIRED STAFF QUALIFICATIONS

A. Program Director

1. Each school-age child care center must have an on-site director. The director is responsible for operating the center in accordance with licensing rules, planning, and implementing the school-age child care center as well as the supervision of staff.

2. The program director must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age, and must have completed at least one (1) of the following qualifications:

a. A Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with a major area of study in one (1) of the following areas:

(1) Child Development

(2) Psychology

(3) Early Childhood Education

(4) Early Childhood Special Education

(5) Elementary Education

(6) Elementary Special Education

(7) Family and Human Development

(8) Family Studies

(9) Special Education

(10) Outdoor Education

(11) Recreation

(12) Human Services

b. An associate's degree or sixty (60) semester credit hours from an accredited college or university and three (3) months (455 hours) of experience in the care and supervision of four (4) or more children over the ages of four (4) years who are not related to the individual; or

c. Twenty-one (21) months (3,185 hours)) of, experience in the care and supervision of four (4) or more children over the ages of four (4) years who are not related to the individual and one of the following qualifications:

(1) Completion of six (6) semester hours, from a regionally accredited college or university; or

(2) Completion of forty (40) clock hours of training in course work applicable to school-age children within the first nine months in the director position. The 40 clock hours of training cannot include any of the required trainings as listed in rule section 2.508; or,

d. A current early childhood professional credential level II (2) or higher in version 3.0 as determined by the Department based on its Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0 Worksheet, found at https://www.coloradoshinespdis.com/s/about-the-ecpc?language=en_US.

B. Program Leaders

1. Each program leader must be at least eighteen (18) years of age, demonstrate ability to work with children, and must have completed at least one (1) of the following qualifications:

a. Must have at least three (3) months (455 hours) of verified experience in the care and supervision of four (4) or more children over the ages of four (4) who are not related to the individual; or.

b. A current early childhood professional credential level I one (1) or higher in version 3.0 as determined by the Department based on its Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0 Worksheet, found at https://www.coloradoshinespdis.com/s/about-the-ecpc?language=en_US.

C. Program Aides

1. Program aides must be at least sixteen (16) years of age.

2. Program aides must work directly under the supervision of the program director or program leaders and must never be left alone with children unless otherwise specified in the rule.

D. Substitute Staff

1. Equally qualified staff must be available to substitute for regularly assigned staff who are sick, on vacation, or otherwise unable to be on duty.

2. For short term unscheduled program director vacancies up to ten (10) business days per calendar year, a qualified program leader can substitute for the program director. The date and times of substitution must be available for review at all times.

E. Volunteers

1. If volunteers are used by the center, there must be a clearly established policy in regard to their function, orientation, and supervision.

2. Volunteers who are used to meet staff to child ratio must be equally qualified as a program director, program leader, or program aide.

3. Equally qualified volunteers must have complete staff records as required in rule section 2.531 and complete the training requirements required in rule section 2.508.

4. Volunteers who are not required to be equally qualified or successfully complete background checks must be given instruction as to the center's policies and procedures, and must have a written purpose developed by the center for volunteering.

5. Volunteers unless equally qualified must work directly under the supervision of the program director or a program leader and must never be left unsupervised with children.

F. Emergency Staffing Situations

1. In the case of an emergency situation, including but not limited to illness, death, accident, law enforcement action, road closure, hazardous weather, emergency bodily function, child elopement, or providing emergency attention or care to a child, the child care center may operate under the following guidelines:

a. The facility may temporarily use a staff member, who has successfully completed criminal background check requirements, to supervise children for no more than two (2) hours until a qualified staff member is secured. The dates and times must be recorded and made available for review at all times.

b. A school-age child care centers that operate on the property of a school district, district charter school, or institute charter school, may permit a staff member, who has successfully completed criminal background check requirements but is not a qualified caregiver, to supervise children for an amount of time that is reasonably necessary to address an emergency circumstance.

c. During any emergency situation, the facility must be in compliance with the staff-to-child ratio as stated in rule section 2.510.

G. Department-approved Child Care Health Consultant

1. Center staff must consult with a current Department-approved Colorado Child Care Health Consultant who must have knowledge and experience in maternal and child health and must meet one (1) of the following qualifications:

a. A licensed registered nurse;

b. A pediatric nurse practitioner;

c. A family nurse practitioner; or

d. A physician.

2. All Department-approved Child Care Health Consultants must meet one of the following qualifications and have documentation available for review:

a. New consultants Or Child care health consultants who do not have documentation of CCHC 101 completion must complete a Provisional CCHC Qualification in the Professional Development Information System (PDIS) before consulting. The Provisional CCHC Qualification is valid for six (6) months.

(1) Within six (6) months of completion of the Provisional CCHC Qualification all Department-approved Child Care Health Consultants must complete the Full CCHC Qualification in the Professional Development Information System (PDIS).

b. Department-approved Child Care Health consultants who have documentation of a completed CCHC 101 course, prior to January 1, 2023, must complete a Full CCHC Qualification in the Professional Development Information System (PDIS).

c. Child Care Health Consultants must maintain their CCHC qualification in the Professional Development Information System (PDIS) by updating and completing required training every two (2) years.

d. All Child Care Health Consultants must show evidence they have completed the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) immunization course annually.

3. The Child Care Health Consultant must consult with the facility and consultation must be specific to the needs of the center and include some of the following topics: training; delegation and supervision of medication administration and special health procedures; health care; hygiene; disease prevention; equipment safety; interaction between children and adult caregivers; and normal growth and development.

a. Consultation must occur as often as the Child Care Health Consultant who is delegating medications and/or medical procedures requires.

b. The date and content of each consultation must be recorded and maintained in the center's files.

H. At least one (1) staff member with current Department-approved medication administration training and delegation must be on duty at all times.

I. Employment of maintenance staff, including kitchen service, grounds, and housekeeping employees less than sixteen (16) years of age, must be in compliance with Colorado labor laws.

8 CCR 1402-1-2.509

46 CR 22, November 25, 2023, effective 12/15/2023

47 CR 15, August 10, 2024, effective 8/30/2024