Highlights of Small Group and School Age Child Care

Please note: In these draft regulations, EEC is proposing to create a new program type, Small Group and School Age Child Care, which combines features of home-based and center-based child care to serve ten or fewer children in a non-residential setting.

7.02Definitions

  • Fixed Age Groups: Groups of children within the same age range, such as infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarten, and school age.
  • Mixed Age Groups: Groups of children within two consecutive age groups, such as Infant/Toddler, Toddler/Preschool, Preschool/School Age or Kindergarten/School Age.
  • Multi-Age Grouping: Ten or fewer children from birth through thirteen years (or sixteen years, if such children have special needs) assigned to a single group.
  • Small Group and School Age Child Care: Serving ten or fewer children younger than fourteen years of age on a regular basis in a non-residential setting.

7.03Licensure

  • Initial (provisional) license will be valid for six months and may be renewed for an additional six month period. A regular license will be valid for 2 years from date of issuance. [7.03(6)(b)]
  • Documents required for licensure include those required for family child care license, plus: lead paint inspection report, plan for diapering and toileting, enrollment procedures, plan for the use of volunteers, and evidence of administrative designee. [7.03(6)(a)]

7.04Administration

  • Administrative requirements include many, but not all, of the obligations of Large Group and School Age Child Care programs. [7.04(1-17)]
  • Program Administrators may meet family child care or group and school age child care qualifications, depending on the number of children served. [7.04(17)(n)9]

7.05Interactions Among Adults and Children

  • Sets standards for nurturing, responsible, positive and supportive interactions between and among staff and children.

7.06Curriculum and Progress Reports

  • Requires 60 minutes of physical activity daily. [7.06(1)(b)5]
  • Requires written progress reports and conferences with parents every three months for infants and children with special needs; every six months for toddlers and preschoolers and once per year for school age children. [7.06(3)(a)]
  • Requires that progress reports be based on observation and documentation of the child’s progress in a range of activities over time. [7.06(3)(b)]
  • Establishes parameters for a well-balanced curriculum. [7.06(1)(ab)]

7.07Physical Facility Requirements

  • Parallel the requirements for Large Group Child Care programs. [7.07(1-14) and (16)]
  • Require 35 square feet of indoor activity space per child and access to 75 square feet of outdoor space per child. [7.07(16)(c)]
  • If serving children younger than school age, must have safe fall zones under swings, slides and climbing structures in playground areas. [7.07(16)(e)]

7.08Family Involvement

  • Requires a partnership with parents in the early education and care of their children. [7.08(1)]
  • Requires a parent handbook of program-specific information, information on SIDS risk reduction, mandated reporting laws, and information regarding access to program compliance histories. [7.08(6)]

7.09Educator Qualifications and Development

  • All educators must register with EEC annually. [7.09(4)]
  • All educators must attend an orientation to early education and care approved by EEC. [7.09(9)]
  • No educator may care for children more than 12 hours in any 24 hour period. [7.09(7)]
  • Qualifications of staff parallel those for family child care providers. Alternative qualifications will be considered. [7.09(1 – 15), (17&18)]
  • Qualifications of staff parallel those of large group and school age providers if serving fixed age groups. [7.09(5)]
  • All educators must complete ten hours of professional development activities per year. [7.09(17)(c)]

7.10Ratios, Group Sizes and Supervision

  • Same educator: child ratios as family child care if using multi-age grouping. [7.10(4)(d)]
  • Same educator: child ratios as large group and school age if serving fixed age groups or mixed age groups. [7.10(5) & (6)]
  • Supervision requirements parallel large group and school age care. [7.10(8, 10, 11)]

7.11Health and Safety

  • Health and safety requirements parallel family child care requirements, [7.11(1-17)] with the following exceptions:
  • All required educators must be awake during the provision of overnight care; [7.11(18)(a)2]
  • No educator accused of abuse or neglect may work directly with children during the pendency of the 51B investigation; [7.11(18)(b)]
  • Escape routes must be posted; [7.11(18)(c)]
  • A written plan for diapering is required; 7.11(18)(d)]
  • Each educator must be certified infirst aid within six months of employment. 7.11(18)(e)]
  • Requires all educators to be trained in the “five rights” of medication administration(right child, right medication, right dose, right time, and right method). [7.11(1)(b)]
  • Prohibits smoking, drinking, or the use of any substance that may impair alertness and judgment on the premises. [7.11(5)(c)]
  • Requires children to carry their own names and the name, address and telephone number of the caregiver when off the premises. [7.11(6)(f)]

7.12Nutrition and Food Service

  • Regulations parallel large group and school age child care. 7.12(1-15)]
  • All educators must be trained in nutrition and food choking hazards. [7.12(2)]
  • Children in care less than three hours must receive a snack; children in care more than four hours must receive meals and snacks. [7.12(10)(b)2]
  • One person must be designated responsible for the food program. [7.12(15)(a)]
  • Educators must be present assisting children during meal and snack times. [7.12(11)(b)]

7.13Transportation

  • Regulations regarding transportation are identical in all types of care.
  • There must be a written plan for the transportation of children. [7.13(2)]
  • Any person and vehicle used for regular transportation of children from child care to school must comply with MGL c.90 § 7D (Minimum Standards for Construction and Equipment of School Buses). [7.13(3)(b)]
  • Any vehicle used to transport children must have liability insurance. [7.13(4)]
  • A seat belt cutter, first aid kit and emergency telephone must be available on each vehicle during transport. [7.13(5)(jk)]

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1/14/08 Highlights of Small Group and School Age Child Care