Rule 290-2-3-.11 - Health, Safety, and Discipline(1) Health. (a) Children, Parents, Staff, or any other persons being supervised by the Staff, shall not be allowed in the Home who knowingly have or present symptoms of a contagious communicable disease (such as fever, coughing, fatigue, muscle aches, diarrhea, etc.) or any virus or illness (such as COVID-19, etc.) identified during a public health emergency.(b) Parental Notification. Parents must be notified of incidents, illnesses, or injuries as follows: Notification | When |
Immediately notify Parent(s) and obtain specific instructions until child can be picked up or returned to group. | When professional medical attention is required, or When child experiences symptoms of moderate discomfort such as elevated temperature, vomiting or diarrhea, or When child is involved in an incident that puts their health and/or safety at risk (e.g., missing from program, left on vehicle, escaped from building/playground, etc.) |
Notify Parent(s) by the end of the day. | When professional medical attention is not required, or When child experiences symptoms of less than moderate discomfort, or When child experiences an adverse reaction to prescribed medication which does not constitute moderate discomfort. |
(c) The Home shall obtain emergency medical services when required by a child's condition.(d) Except for first aid and as authorized under Georgia law, personnel shall not dispense prescription or nonprescription medications to a Child without specific written authorization from the Child's physician or Parent. All medications shall be stored as authorized under Georgia law or in accordance with the prescription or label instructions and kept in places that are inaccessible to children. Each dose of medication given to a Child shall be documented showing the Child's name, name of medication, date and time given, and the name of the person giving the medication.(e) The Home and any vehicle used by the Home for transportation of Children shall have a first aid kit which shall at least contain: scissors, tweezers, gauze pads, thermometer, adhesive tape, band-aids, insect-sting preparation, antiseptic cleaning solution, antibacterial ointment, bandages, disposable rubber gloves, protective eyewear, facemask, and cold pack. The first aid kit, together with a first aid instruction manual which must be kept with the kit at all times, shall be stored in a central location so that it is not accessible to Children but is easily accessible to the Provider and Staff. The Home must also maintain written directions for the use of universal precautions for handling blood and bodily fluids. The directions on the use of universal precautions must be kept with the first aid kit at all times.(f) Diapers shall be changed in the Child's own crib or on a nonporous surface which is cleaned with a disinfectant and dried with a single use disposable towel after each diaper change.(g) Soiled diapers and linens shall be disposed of in a closed container.(h) If used, toilet potty chairs shall after each use be emptied by disposal in a flush toilet, cleaned with a disinfectant, and stored in the bathroom. If a sink is used, it shall be disinfected after each use.(i) Personnel shall wash their hands with liquid soap and warm running water: immediately before and after each diaper change; immediately upon the first Child's arrival in the Home for care and upon re-entering the Home after outside play; before and after dispensing oral medications and applying topical medications, ointments, creams or lotions, handling and preparing food, eating, drinking, preparing bottles, feeding or assisting children with eating and drinking; after toileting or helping children with toileting, using tobacco products, handling garbage and organic waste, touching animals or pets, handling bodily fluids such as, but not limited to, mucus, saliva, vomit or blood and after contamination by any other means.(j) Children's hands shall be washed with liquid soap and warm running water: immediately upon arrival for the day and re-entering the child care area after outside play; before and after eating meals and snacks, handling or touching food, and playing in water; after toileting and diapering, playing in sand, touching animals or pets, contact with bodily fluids such as, but not limited to, mucus, saliva, vomit or blood, and after contamination by any other means.(k) Washcloth handwashing is permitted for infants when the infant is too heavy to hold for handwashing or cannot stand safely to wash hands at a sink and for children with special needs who are not capable of washing their own hands. An individual washcloth shall be used only once for each child before laundering.(l) Smoking is prohibited on the premises of a Home during the hours of operation and no smoking signs must be posted. Smoking is also prohibited in any vehicle used to transport children during the hours that the Home is in operation.(m) Children shall be kept clean, dry and comfortable.(n) Pets in the Home shall be vaccinated in accordance with the requirements of the local county Boards of Health. Unconfined pets shall not be permitted in child care areas when any Child is present except for supervised learning experiences.(o) Pets and all other animals shall be controlled to assure that proper sanitation of the premises is maintained and animals are not a hazard to the children, personnel or other visitors. No animal, such as but not limited to, pit bull dogs, ferrets, and poisonous snakes, which may have a vicious propensity, shall be permitted on the Family Child Care Learning Home premises at any time there are children on the premises. Horses or other farm animals shall not be quartered on any property over which the Provider exercises any control that is located within five hundred (500) feet of the building in which the Family Child Care Learning Home is located.(2) Safety. (a) A Home shall have a written plan for handling emergencies, including but not limited to fire, severe weather, loss of electrical power or water, and death, serious injury or loss of a child, a threatening event, or natural disaster which may occur at the Home. The Home will have in place procedures for evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place, lock-down, communication and reunification with families, continuity of operations, accommodation of infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children with chronic medical conditions. No Home personnel shall impede in any way the delivery of emergency care or services to a child by licensed or certified emergency health care professionals.(b) An operable telephone shall be readily available in the Home with the following telephone numbers posted in a conspicuous place next to the telephone: a physician or hospital, an ambulance or rescue squad service, the local fire department, the local police department, the county health department and the regional poison control center. In those areas of the state serviced by the 911 emergency number, 911 may be posted in lieu of the phone numbers required for ambulance, fire and police.(c) Documentation of drills required by these rules shall be maintained in the Home. The Home shall conduct drills for fire, tornado and other emergency situations. The fire drills will be conducted monthly and tornado and other emergency situation drills will be conducted every six months. The Home shall maintain documentation of the dates and times of these drills for two years.(d) Children shall not have access to hanging cords or other hazardous objects.(e) Clear glass doors shall be marked to avoid accidental impact.(f) Poisons, medicines, cleaning agents, razors, aerosol cans and other potential hazardous materials shall be stored out of reach of children or in locked cabinets.(g) Firearms shall be stored so they are not accessible to children.(h) At least one UL Approved smoke detector shall be on each floor of the Home and such detectors shall be maintained in working order. At least one 2-A:10-B:C fire extinguisher shall be kept in the child care area to be located no more than thirty feet from the kitchen. The extinguisher shall be maintained in working order and shall be inaccessible to the children.(i) Flammable liquids, such as gasoline or kerosene, shall not be stored inside the Home.(j) If children are transported in a vehicle by the Provider or a Home's employee, the driver shall have a current driver's license.(k) When transported in a vehicle by the Provider or a Home's employee, children shall be restrained by either individual seat belts or appropriate child restraints in accordance with current state and federal laws and regulations.(l) No child shall be left unattended in a motor vehicle.(m) If children are transported, written authorization for the Child to receive emergency medical treatment when the Parent is not available, as required by these rules, shall be maintained in the vehicle.(n) If a Provider does not carry liability insurance coverage sufficient to protect its clients, the Provider shall post that fact in a conspicuous place in the program. Such notice shall be in at least 1/2 inch letters. A Provider that fails to post may be subject to a civil fine of $1,000.00.(3) Discipline. Disciplinary actions used to correct a Child's behavior, guidance techniques and any activities in which the Children participate or observe at the Home shall not be detrimental to the physical or mental health of any child. (a) A Provider or a Home's Provisional Employees or Employees shall not: physically or sexually abuse a child, or engage in or permit others to engage in sexually overt conduct in the presence of any Child enrolled in the Home; inflict corporal/physical punishment upon a Child; shake, jerk, pinch or handle roughly a Child; verbally abuse or humiliate a Child which includes, but is not limited to, the use of threats, profanity, or belittling remarks about a Child or his family; isolate a Child in a dark room, closet, or unsupervised area; use mechanical or physical restraints or devices to discipline Children; use medication to discipline a Child or to control Children's behavior without written medical authorization issued by a licensed professional and given with the Parent's written consent; or discipline a Child by unreasonably restricting a Child from going to the bathroom; or by punishing toileting accidents; or by force feeding a Child; or by not feeding a Child regularly scheduled meals and/or snacks; or by forcing or withholding naps; or by allowing children to discipline or humiliate other Children; or by confining a Child for disciplinary purposes to a swing, high chair, infant carrier, walker or jump seat.Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 290-2-3-.11
O.C.G.A. § 20-1A-1et seq.
Original Rule entitled "Registration" adopted. F. Feb. 21, 1983; eff. Mar. 23, 1983, as specified by the Agency.Repealed: New Rule entitled "Health, Safety and Discipline" adopted F. Feb. 4, 1994; eff. Mar. 1, 1994, as specified by the Agency.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Jan. 12, 2009; eff. Feb. 1, 2009.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Dec. 2, 2009; eff. Dec. 22, 2009.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Aug. 5, 2010; eff. Aug. 25, 2010.Amended: F. Aug. 16, 2013; eff. Sept. 5, 2013.Amended: F. Feb. 24, 2014; eff. Mar. 16, 2014.Amended: F. Dec. 4, 2015; eff. Dec. 24, 2015.Amended: F. Sept. 26, 2016; eff. Oct. 16, 2016.Amended: F. May 26, 2017; eff. June 15, 2017.Amended: F. Aug. 31, 2020; eff. Sept. 20, 2020.Amended: F. Aug. 25, 2023; eff. Sept. 14, 2023.