Section 19a-79-6a - Health and safety(a)Food service(1) Preparation and transportation of food(s) not prepared on the licensed premises shall satisfy all applicable requirements of the Department of Public Health's Model Food Code, set forth in sections 19a-36h-1 to 19a-36h-7, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.(2) A nutritionally adequate meal and snack shall be provided by the child care center or group child care home, or the parent(s) according to the following schedule: (A) Children who stay on the licensed premises less than five hours shall have a nutritious snack.(B) Children who stay on the licensed premises five hours or more but less than eight hours shall have one meal and one nutritious snack.(C) Children who stay on the licensed premises eight hours or more shall have one meal plus two nutritious snacks, or two meals plus one nutritious snack.(D) Meals and snacks provided by the child care center or group child care home shall meet the nutrition standards in 7 CFR 226.20, as amended from time to time.(3) There shall be proper refrigeration of no more than forty-one degrees Fahrenheit for perishable foods in all child care centers and group child care homes and on field trips.(4) When a child care center or group child care home provides either meals or snacks, menus shall be prepared at least one week in advance, dated and copies posted in a conspicuous place. Changes shall be documented by the end of the program day. A copy of what was served shall be kept on file for three months.(5) All areas used for the preparation and serving of meals in child care centers shall meet the requirements as set forth in the Department of Public Health's Model Food Code, set forth in sections 19a-36h-1 to 19a-36h-7, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. Child care centers that prepare food shall maintain at the child care center and make available to the Office upon request a copy of a current and full food service inspection report issued by the local director of health verifying compliance with this subsection.(6) The kitchen in child care centers or group child care homes that is used for the preparation and serving of food to children shall be clean, well-lighted and ventilated, protected by window screening and provided with hot and cold running water, adequate and safe storage for food and supplies and refrigeration.(7) Separate hand washing facilities shall be located convenient to the room where food is prepared in child care centers and group child care homes.(8) All multi-use eating and drinking utensils shall be thoroughly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use in child care centers and group child care homes.(9) The kitchen in child care centers or group child care homes shall not be used as a playroom, but may be used for a specific program activity room under supervision. Except for programs that serve exclusively school age children, the kitchen shall be separated by a door or a gate from the rooms used by the children in the child care center or group child care home to prevent them from entering the kitchen except under supervision.(10) Children in child care centers or group child care homes shall not be left unsupervised during meal preparation.(11) Children and staff shall wash their hands with soap and water before eating or handling food.(b)Procedures in case of illness(1) Program staff shall be knowledgeable about signs and symptoms of childhood illness and shall be responsible for the initial observation of each child upon arrival and continued observation throughout the day for such signs and symptoms.(2) Any child showing suspicious signs or symptoms of short-term contagious illness shall be placed in a designated isolation area with continual visual supervision by program staff. The parent(s) or other authorized adult shall be called immediately to remove the child from the child care center or group child care home.(c)First aid supplies for facility.The facility shall maintain at least one portable, readily accessible first aid kit wherever children are in care, including field trips. A first aid kit shall be located outside and readily accessible wherever and whenever children are outside. A first aid kit shall be located indoors and readily accessible wherever and whenever children are indoors. Each first aid kit shall be a closed container for storing first aid supplies, accessible to staff at all times but out of the reach of children. The first aid kit shall contain at least the following items:
(1) Assorted sizes of non medicated adhesive strips;(2) Sterile, individually wrapped, three or four inch gauze squares;(3) A two inch gauze roller bandage;(4) One roll of adhesive tape (hypoallergenic);(7) Two instant cold packs;(8) A non-glass thermometer to measure a child's temperature;(9) Disposable, nonporous gloves; and(10) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation mouth barrier.(d)First aid supplies for field trips shall also include:(1) Water, if water is not readily accessible at the field trip location;(2) Reliable communication device;(3) Liquid soap, if liquid soap is not readily accessible at the field trip location;(4) Emergency contact numbers for each child;(5) Medications, as needed, if the child care center or group child care home administers medications and any items needed to administer medications; and(6) Plastic bags, for storage.(e)Immunization requirements(1) A child seeking admission to or attending a child care center or group child care home shall be protected as age-appropriate by adequate immunization against any disease for which vaccination is recommended in the current schedule for active immunization adopted by the Commissioner of Public Health pursuant to section 19a-7f of the Connecticut General Statutes.(2) The operator shall admit no child to a child care center or group child care home unless such child's parent(s) furnishes documentation of age-appropriate immunization, immunization-in-progress or exemption from immunization as specified in subdivision (3) of this subsection. No child shall be permitted to continue to attend a child care center or group child care home for more than thirty days unless such child continues to meet said requirements of subdivision (3) of this subsection.(3) For each enrolled child, the operator shall obtain from the child's parent(s) and keep on file at the child care center or group child care home one or more of the following types of documentation for each of the diseases for which vaccination is recommended in the current schedule for active immunization adopted by the Commissioner of Public Health pursuant to section 19a-7f of the Connecticut General Statutes: (A) A certificate in accord with section 19a-79 of the Connecticut General Statutes signed by a physician, physician assistant or an advanced practice registered nurse indicating that the child is current or in process with immunizations according to the schedule adopted by the Commissioner of Public Health pursuant to section 19a-7f and section 19a-7q of the Connecticut General Statutes and that names the appointment date for the child's next immunization within thirty days of the minimum interval time period set by said schedule;(B) A statement signed and dated by a physician, physician assistant or an advanced practice registered nurse indicating that the child has laboratory confirmed proof of immunity to natural infection, or, in the case of varicella, a statement signed and dated by a physician, physician assistant or an advanced practice registered nurse indicating that the child has already had chickenpox based on family or medical history;(C) A certificate pursuant to sections 19a-7q and 19a-79 of the Connecticut General Statutes signed by a physician, physician assistant or an advanced practice registered nurse indicating that the child has a medical contraindication to immunization; or(D) A written statement presented prior to April 28, 2021 and made in accordance with the provisions of section 19a-79 of the Connecticut General Statutes that immunization is contrary to the religious beliefs and practices of the child or the parent of such child, and a written declaration stating that immunizations required under section 19a-7f of the Connecticut General Statutes have been given and that any additional necessary immunizations of such child are in process, made in accordance with the provisions of section 19a-79(b) of the Connecticut General Statutes.(4) For each child to whom subparagraph (A) of subdivision (3) of this subsection applies, continued enrollment in child care for more than thirty days after the named immunization appointment shall be contingent on the operator receiving written documentation from a physician, physician assistant or an advanced practice registered nurse stating either: that the named appointment was kept and the child received the scheduled immunizations, or that the child was unable to receive the scheduled immunizations for medical reasons and a new appointment date is named.(5) A child that has been determined by the child care center or group child care home to meet the definition of homeless children or youths in 42 USC 11434a, as amended from time to time, may be allowed to attend the child care center or group child care home for up to ninety days without meeting the immunization requirements of subsection (e) of this section. A child that is a foster child may be allowed to attend the child care center or group child care home for up to forty-five days without meeting the immunization requirements of subsection (e) of this section. A record of such determinations under this subdivision shall be maintained on file at the child care center or group child care home for a period of two years after such child is no longer receiving child care services at such child care center or group child care home.Conn. Agencies Regs. § 19a-79-6a
Effective July 27, 1993; Amended August 29, 1996; Amended December 28, 1999; Amended November 6, 2008; amended 10/16/2024