Section 19a-79-1a - Child Care Centers and Group Child Care Homes DefinitionsAs used in sections 19a-79-1a to 19a-79-13, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies:
(1) "Administration of medication" means the direct application of a medication by inhalation, ingestion or any other means to the body of a person;(2) "Advanced practice registered nurse" means an individual licensed pursuant to section 20-94a of the Connecticut General Statutes;(3) "Alteration" means remodeling or revision that does not change the physical plant of the licensed space;(4) "Alternate staff" means a substitute;(5) "Ambient air" means the surrounding air;(6) "Attendance" means the names and number of children and staff present at the facility on a daily basis;(7) "Authorized prescriber" means a physician, a dentist, an advanced practice registered nurse or a physician assistant;(8) "Business day" means the normal and customary workday schedule;(9) "Certified playground safety inspector" means an individual certified by the National Playground Safety Institute, a program of the National Recreation and Park Association;(10) "Child care center" means a program of supplementary care for more than twelve related or unrelated children outside their own homes on a regular basis;(11) "Child or children with special health care needs" means a child or children who have or are at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions and who also require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally;(12) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Early Childhood or the commissioner's designated representative;(13) "Conspicuous place" means an area that is easy to notice;(14) "Construction" means the act or process of building;(15) "Days" means calendar days unless otherwise noted;(16) "Dental hygienist" means an individual licensed to practice dental hygiene in this or another state;(17) "Dentist" means an individual licensed to practice dentistry in this or another state;(18) "Developmentally appropriate practice" means a framework for working with young children to apply current knowledge about how children develop based upon age and the individual needs of each child;(19) "Director" means the program administrator or person responsible for the day-to-day administrative operation of the program, who may be the head teacher;(20) "Disability" means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity;(21) "Disinfection" means the process in which most microorganisms (except for bacterial spores) on inanimate surfaces are destroyed using products that are (A) registered as disinfectants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and (B) used in accordance with the manufacturer's directions for use listed on the product label;(22)"Education consultant" means an individual who has been approved by the Office based on the submission of an application and meeting the requirements of subsection (i) of section 19a-79-4a of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies and is available to the operator and staff for advice and support regarding the educational content and practice of the program;(23) "Emergency medical technician" means an individual certified pursuant to chapter 384d of the Connecticut General Statutes or licensed in another state;(24) "Employment" means working at a child care center or group child care home and includes staff, program staff, volunteers and alternate staff;(25) "Endorsement" means the specific services for which a program has applied, have been approved by the Office and are listed on the face of the license;(26) "Enrollment" means the number of children registered and who have been admitted to the child care center or group child care home for any given period of time;(27) "Expansion" means an increase in the physical size or licensed capacity of the child care center or group child care home;(28) "Facility" means the building in which the child care center or group child care home is housed;(29) "Field trip" means a program activity for enrolled children that (A) is conducted at a postal address other than that of the facility or (B) is conducted at the same postal address as the facility but such activity is conducted in space not inspected and approved by the Office.(30) "Foster child" shall have the same meaning as provided in section 19a-79 of the Connecticut General Statutes;(31) "Group child care home" means a program of supplementary care for not less than seven nor more than twelve related or unrelated children on a regular basis that operates in either a commercial or residential facility, or that meets the definition of a family child care home as provided in section 19a-77 of the Connecticut General Statutes except that it operates in a facility other than a private family home;(32) "Group size" means the maximum number of children allowed to be cared for together at a given time in a specific area;(33) "Hazard" means a potential source of harm that can jeopardize the health, safety, or well-being of a child in care;(34) "Head teacher" means the person responsible for the day to day educational portion of the child care center or group child care home that meets the requirements of sections 19a-79-8a and 19a-79-11(c) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies who shall be on site for sixty percent of the hours the center is in operation on a weekly basis, who may also be the director;(35) "Health consultant" means a physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or registered nurse holding a current and valid license in this state;(36) "Ill child" means one who is excluded from a child care program or school due to discomfort, injury or other symptoms of short term contagious illness;(37) "Illness" means fever, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, headache, persistent coughing, persistent crying or any other condition deemed an illness by the commissioner;(38) "Investigational drug" means any medication with an approved investigation new drug application on file with the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that is being scientifically tested and clinically evaluated to determine its efficacy, safety and side effects and that has not yet received FDA approval;(39) "Job description" means a written outline developed for each position in the facility, containing the qualifications, duties, responsibilities and accountability required of all staff and program staff in that position;(40) "Legal representative" means a person authorized by the operator to represent and act on behalf of the operator, including but not limited to, the signing of licensure applications and renewals;(41) "License" means the form of permission issued by the Office that authorizes the operation of a child care center or group child care home;(42) "Licensed capacity" means the maximum number of children allowed under the license to be in the licensed premises at any one time;(43) "Licensed premises" means the space identified in the license application in which child care services are provided;(44) "Local director of health" means the person appointed as the director of health for a city, town or borough pursuant to section 19a-200 of Connecticut General Statutes or for a health district pursuant to section 19a-242 of the Connecticut General Statutes;(45) "Meal" means the food served and eaten in one sitting containing three food components for breakfast, five food components for lunch, and five food components for supper as provided in 7 CFR 226.20;(46) "Medication" means any legend drug or nonlegend drug, as those terms are defined in section 20-571 of the Connecticut General Statutes, including any controlled substance, as defined in section 21a-240 of the Connecticut General Statutes;(47) "Medication error" means the (A) failure to administer medication to a child; (B) failure to administer medication within one hour of the time designated by the authorized prescriber; (C) failure to administer the specific medication prescribed for a child; (D) failure to administer the medication by the correct route; (E) failure to administer the medication according to generally accepted medical practices; or (F) failure to administer the correct dosage of medication;(48) "Night care" means the supplemental care provided for one or more hours between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 5:00 A.M.;(49) "Office" means the Office of Early Childhood;(50) "Operator" means a person, group of persons, association, organization, corporation, institution or agency, public or private, who has the legal responsibility for the overall operation of the child care center or group child care home and to whom the license is issued;(51) "Paramedic" means an individual licensed in accordance with section 20-206// of the Connecticut General Statutes or in another state;(52) "Parent(s)" means the person(s) responsible for the child and may include the legally designated guardian(s) of such child;(53) "Pharmacist" means an individual licensed to practice pharmacy under the provisions of sections 20-590, 20-591, 20-592 or 20-593 of the Connecticut General Statutes;(54) "Physician" means an individual licensed to practice medicine in this or another state;(55) "Physician assistant" means an individual licensed in accordance with section 20-12b of the Connecticut General Statutes;(56) "Premeasured commercially prepared auto-injector" means an automatic pre-filled cartridge injector or similar automatic injectable equipment;(57) "Primary health care provider" means the person who is responsible for the health care of the child outside the center;(58) "Professional development" means attendance at classes, seminars, workshops, conferences or forums, coaching, and participation in distance learning activities that improve one's knowledge, skills and abilities;(59) "Program" means the group of services and activities provided in the child care center or group child care home;(60) "Program space" means the defined area within a child care center or group child care home in which a safe nurturing environment planned in accordance with the age, group size and child staff ratio promotes physical, social, emotional and cognitive development;(61) "Program staff" means those persons, sixteen years of age or older, responsible for the direct care of children, including alternate staff and volunteers;(62) "Quarterly" means approximately once every three months;(63) "Registered dietitian" means a person certified as a dietitian-nutritionist in this or another state;(64) "Registered nurse" means a person with a license to practice as a registered nurse in Connecticut in accordance with chapter 378 of the Connecticut General Statutes;(65) "Renovation" means remodeling or revision that changes the physical plant of the licensed premises;(66) "sanitize" means to reduce the numbers of disease-causing microorganisms on inanimate surfaces using products that are (A) registered as sanitizers by the EPA and (B) used in accordance with the manufacturer's directions for use listed on the product label to achieve sanitation of surfaces;(67) "school age" means at least five years of age by September 1 of the current school year, and less than thirteen years of age or less than twenty-two years of age with special needs requiring the child to receive supplementary care for completion of a high school diploma with a current individualized education plan or a plan under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and attending school;(68) "self-administer medication" means that the child (A) is able to identify and select the appropriate medication by size, color, amount, or other label information, (B) knows the frequency and time of day for which the medication is ordered, and (C) is able to administer the medication appropriately;(69) "semi-annual" means two times per calendar year, approximately six months apart;(70) "services" means those specific activities that contribute to the health, education and welfare of the children;(71) "significant medication error" means a medication error, which is potentially serious or has serious consequences for a child, including but not limited to, the administration of medication (A) by the wrong route; (B) to a child with a known allergy to the medication; (C) given in a lethal or toxic dosage; or (D) causing serious medical problems resulting from the error;(72) "snack" means a light meal containing two food components as provided in 7 CFR 226.20;(73) "social service consultant" means a person who holds a baccalaureate degree in social work with at least one year of social work experience under social work supervision, or a baccalaureate degree in a field that the commissioner deems related to social work with at least two years of social work experience under social work supervision;(74) "staff" means personnel employed by the child care center or group child care home, sixteen years of age or older, who provide a service to the program that does not involve the direct care of children or having unsupervised access to children(75) "staff child ratio" means the maximum number of children per program staff person;(76) "supervision" means the direction and on-site observation of the functions and activities of staff or children;(77) "supplementary care" means out-of-home care where an individual or organization takes responsibility for the child's activities;(78) "Vector" means an organism that carries pathogens from one individual or object to another such as flies, mosquitoes, ticks and rodents; and(79) "Visitor" is a person who is not employed by a program but provides a service to a program or child. A visitor neither provides direct care to children, nor has unsupervised access to children.Conn. Agencies Regs. § 19a-79-1a
Effective July 27, 1993; Amended August 8, 1995; Amended November 3, 1997; Amended April 29, 2002; Amended November 6, 2008; amended 10/16/2024