Section 390-A. Standards and training for child day care  


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  • 1. All office of
      children and family services and  municipal  staff  employed  to  accept
      registrations,  issue  licenses or conduct inspections of child day care
      homes, programs or  facilities,  subject  to  the  amounts  appropriated
      therefor,  shall receive training in at least the following: regulations
      promulgated by the office of children and family  services  pursuant  to
      section  three  hundred ninety of this title; child abuse prevention and
      identification;  safety  and  security  procedures  in  child  day  care
      settings;  the  principles  of  childhood  development,  and  the  laws,
      regulations and procedures governing the  protection  of  children  from
      abuse or maltreatment.
        2.  No  license  or  registration shall be issued to a family day care
      home, group family day care home, school age child care program or child
      day care center and no such registration or  license  shall  be  renewed
      until  it  can  be demonstrated by the employer or licensing agency that
      there is a procedure  developed  and  implemented,  in  accordance  with
      section three hundred ninety-b of this title and pursuant to regulations
      of the office of children and family services, to:
        (a) review and evaluate the backgrounds of and information supplied by
      any  person  applying  to be a child day care center or school-age child
      care program employee or volunteer or group family day care assistant, a
      provider of family day care or group family day care, or a director of a
      child day care center, head start day care center  or  school-age  child
      care  program.  Such  procedures shall include but not be limited to the
      following  requirements:  that  the  applicant  set  forth  his  or  her
      employment  history,  provide personal and employment references; submit
      such information as is required for screening with the statewide central
      register  of  child  abuse  and  maltreatment  in  accordance  with  the
      provisions of section four hundred twenty-four-a of this article; sign a
      sworn statement indicating whether, to the best of his or her knowledge,
      he  or she has ever been convicted of a crime in this state or any other
      jurisdiction; and provide his or her fingerprints for submission to  the
      division  of criminal justice services in accordance with the provisions
      of section three hundred ninety-b of this title;
        (b)  establish   relevant   minimal   experiential   and   educational
      qualifications  for employees and directors of child day care centers or
      head start day care center programs;
        (c) assure adequate  and  appropriate  supervision  of  employees  and
      volunteers  of group family day care homes, family day care homes, child
      day care centers and school-age child care programs; and
        (d) demonstrate, in the case of child day care centers,  group  family
      day care homes, family day care homes and school-age child care programs
      the  existence  of specific procedures which will assure the safety of a
      child who is reported to the state central register of child  abuse  and
      maltreatment  as  well  as  other  children provided care by such homes,
      centers or programs, immediately upon notification  that  a  report  has
      been  made  with respect to a child named in such report while the child
      was in attendance at such homes, centers or programs.
        (e) establish necessary rules to provide for uniform  visitor  control
      procedures, including visitor identification.
        3.  (a)  The  office  of children and family services shall promulgate
      regulations  requiring  operators,  program  directors,  employees   and
      assistants  of  family  day  care  homes,  group  family day care homes,
      school-age child care programs and child day  care  centers  to  receive
      thirty  hours  of  training  every  two  years;  provided, however, that
      fifteen hours of such training must be received  within  the  first  six
      months  of  the  initial  licensure,  registration  or  employment. Such
      training requirements shall also apply to any volunteer in such day care
    
      homes, programs or  centers  who  has  the  potential  for  regular  and
      substantial contact with children. The thirty hours of training required
      during  the first biennial cycle after initial licensure or registration
      shall  include  training  received while an application for licensure or
      registration pursuant to section three hundred ninety of this  title  is
      pending.  The  office  of  children and family services may provide this
      training through purchase of services.
        (b) The training required in paragraph (a) of this  subdivision  shall
      address the following topics:
        (i) principles of childhood development, focusing on the developmental
      stages of the age groups for which the program provides care;
        (ii) nutrition and health needs of infants and children;
        (iii) child day care program development;
        (iv) safety and security procedures;
        (v) business record maintenance and management;
        (vi) child abuse and maltreatment identification and prevention;
        (vii) statutes and regulations pertaining to child day care;
        (viii)   statutes  and  regulations  pertaining  to  child  abuse  and
      maltreatment; and
        (ix) education and information on the  identification,  diagnosis  and
      prevention of shaken baby syndrome.
        (c)  For  the  thirty  hours  of  biennial training required after the
      initial period of licensure  or  registration,  each  provider  who  can
      demonstrate  basic  competency shall determine in which of the specified
      topics he or she needs further study, based on the provider's experience
      and the needs of the children in the provider's care.
        (d) Family day care home and group  family  day  care  home  operators
      shall  obtain training pertaining to protection of the health and safety
      of children, as required by regulation,  prior  to  the  issuance  of  a
      license or registration by the office of children and family services.
        (e)  Upon  request  by the office of children and family services, the
      child  day  care  applicant  or  provider  shall  submit   documentation
      demonstrating compliance with the training requirements of this section.
        4.  No  license  or  registration shall be issued to a family day care
      home or group family day care home and no  such  registration  shall  be
      renewed  if  barriers, as defined in paragraph (d) of subdivision one of
      section three hundred ninety-d of this title, are not present around any
      swimming pool or body of water, as defined in paragraphs (b) and (c)  of
      subdivision one of section three hundred ninety-d of this title, located
      on  its  grounds,  pursuant  to  section  three hundred ninety-d of this
      title.