N.H. Admin. Code § He-C 4002.33

Current through Register No. 44, October 31, 2024

Section He-C 4002.33 - Professional Development

(a) All center directors, agency administrators, site coordinators, or site directors, and all other child care staff who are responsible for the supervision of children, or who are necessary for the staff to child ratios, shall keep on file documentation of completion of a minimum of 6 hours of professional development, which shall be completed in accordance with the following:

(1) Within 90 days of the first date of employment;

(2) Within 2 weeks for programs operating 3 months of the year or less; or

(3) By providing documentation of previous completion.

(b) The 6 hours of professional development required in (a) above shall include:

(1) Child care licensing orientation;

(2) Prevention and control of infectious diseases, including immunizations;

(3) Prevention of SIDS and use of safe sleep practices;

(4) Medication administration;

(5) Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and other allergic reactions;

(6) Building and safety of physical premises, including identification of and protection from hazards that can cause bodily injury such as electrical hazards, bodies of water, and vehicular traffic;

(7) Prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma;

(8) Emergency preparedness and response planning;

(9) Handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate disposal of bio-contaminants;

(10) Appropriate precautions in transporting children for child care personnel who will provide transportation or accompany children during transportation;

(11) First aid and CPR;

(12) Prevention, recognition, and reporting of child abuse and neglect;

(13) Child development, including cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development; and

(14) Training on all required components in the emergency operations plan as specified in He-C 4002.16(g)(3) and (h).

(c) Prior to working with infants 12 months and younger, child care staff shall take training on prevention of SIDS and use of safe sleep practices.

(d) Child care staff who have not completed the training in (1) through (4) below shall work under the direct supervision and observation of a staff member who has completed the following trainings:

(1) Prevention and control of infectious diseases, including immunizations;

(2) Prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma;

(3) Handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate disposal of bio-contaminants; and

(4) First aid and CPR.

(e) Child care staff employed in programs which are not licensed to care for children younger than 18 months of age shall be exempt from the requirements of (b)(3) and (b)(7).

(f) The center director, agency administrator, site coordinator, site director, and all child care staff shall complete 18 hours of professional development within their first 12 months of hire, and annually thereafter, in accordance with the following:

(1) A minimum of 3 hours shall be in health and safety topics listed in (b)(2)-(13) above; and

(2) The remaining 15 hours shall be in any other areas listed in (k) below.

(g) The only exceptions to (f) above shall be:

(1) Assistant teachers, associate teachers, group leaders, assistant group leaders, family child care workers, and family child care assistants who work fewer than 25 hours per week year round, or more than 25 hours per week during school vacations, or both, for the same licensee shall:

a. Obtain 12 hours of professional development within their first 12 months of hire, and annually thereafter; and

b. Of the 12 hours, a minimum of three hours shall be in any of the health and safety areas listed in (b)(2)-(13) above, and the remaining hours shall be in any areas in (j) below;

(2) Child care staff attending high school or college full time shall obtain 3 hours of professional development in health and safety areas listed in (b)(2)-(13) above annually;

(3) Full time college attendance in (2) above shall mean enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester; and

(4) Substitutes, as defined in He-C 4002.01(bi).

(h) Professional development shall include trainings, workshops, technical assistance, self-study, or college courses.

(i) Self-study projects shall:

(1) Not exceed 6 of the required 18 hours of professional development; and

(2) Not be utilized to obtain the professional development in health and safety requirements in (b)(2)-(13) above.

(j) Self-study projects referenced in (i) above shall:

(1) Be based on current research in child development or early childhood;

(2) Demonstrate developmentally appropriate practice;

(3) Support the knowledge and skills needed to care for young children; and

(4) Be documented and include an evaluation component.

(k) In addition to (b) above, professional development, as specified in (h) through (j) above, shall be in any of the following areas:

(1) Health and safety;

(2) Caring for children with exceptionalities;

(3) Nutrition;

(4) Any child care related courses sponsored or funded by the department;

(5) Indoor and outdoor learning environments;

(6) Behavior guidance;

(7) Leadership, child care administration, or mentoring;

(8) Financial management;

(9) Working with families; or

(10) Legal issues in child care.

(l) The department shall accept the following toward meeting in-service professional development requirements:

(1) Credit courses offered by a regionally accredited college or university with one credit equal to 12 hours;

(2) Non-credit courses offered for continuing education units by a regionally accredited college or university;

(3) Conference sessions or workshops presented by an individual who meets one of the following criteria:

a. Is credentialed by the department's child development bureau, NH early childhood professional development system in accordance with RSA 170-E:50;

b. Has at least a bachelor's degree in the subject area which she or he is providing professional development;

c. Meets the minimum qualifications for the position of center director;

d. Holds a professional license or certification through a professional organization relevant to the subject area which he or she is providing professional development; or

e. Is employed or was previously employed in a position such as a trainer, instructor, or consultant by an organization specializing in one of the areas referenced in (k) above in which she or he is providing professional development;

(4) Technical assistance provided by an individual who meets one of the criteria in (3) a. through e. above, provided they have at least 5 years' experience as a center director if qualifying under c.

(5) Provision of training or technical assistance developed and presented by an employee of the program or an individual hired by the program shall be in accordance with the following:

a. The training is conducted when the trainees are not responsible for children;

b. With the exception of classroom observations, technical assistance is provided when the subject(s) of the technical assistance are not responsible for children; and

c. Information regarding credentials of the individual, their methods, content and objective, dates and times of trainings or technical assistance, and a list of participants is on file at the program and available for review by the department to assist the department in determining that:

1. The individual meets the requirements specified in (3)a. through e. or (4) above; and

2. The training or technical assistance is designed to increase the knowledge or skills of an individual in order to prepare him or her to more effectively work with children in a program; and

(6) Online training and correspondence courses, provided documentation of completion includes:

a. The title of the training;

b. The completion date;

c. The hours awarded; and

d. A description which indicates the training is designed to increase the knowledge or skills of an individual in order to prepare him or her to more effectively work with children in a program.

(m) Unless otherwise specified on the training certificate or course description for more or fewer hours, training hours for recertification in first aid shall count as 2 hours and training for recertification in CPR shall count as 3 hours towards annual professional development requirements.

N.H. Admin. Code § He-C 4002.33

#4871, eff 7-24-90; ss by #5203, eff 8-16-91; ss by #6558, INTERIM, eff 8-16-97, EXPIRED: 12-14-97

New. #6719, eff 3-25-98; ss by #7294, eff 5-26-00; ss by #9160, INTERIM, eff 5-26-08, EXPIRES: 11-22-08; ss by #9310, eff 11-23-08 (from He-C 4002.33)

Amended by Volume XXXVI Number 49, Filed December 8, 2016, Proposed by #12046, Effective 11/19/2016, Expires 5/18/2017.

Ss by #12174, EMERGENCY RULE, eff 5-17-17, EXPIRES: 11-13-17;

Amended by Volume XXXVII Number 50, Filed December 14, 2017, Proposed by #12415, Effective 11/6/2017, Expires 11/6/2027.

Amended by Volume XLII Number 19, Filed May 12, 2022, Proposed by #13373, Effective 4/22/2022, Expires 4/22/2032 (formerly He-C 4002.30)