(A)What are transitional pandemic
requirements for a licensed child care center?
Transitional pandemic requirements are
licensing requirements that are followed as Ohio transitions out of pandemic
child care for the COVID-19 pandemic and back to child care licensing
requirements.
(B)When does a licensed child care center
follow these requirements?
Licensed child care centers shall follow
these requirements when the governor of Ohio declares a state of emergency for
the COVID-19 pandemic and or directs ODJFS to issue transition requirements.
(C)What are the licensing requirements for
a transitional child care?
The child care center shall follow all of
the licensing requirements of this chapter, with the following exceptions and
additions:
(1)The center shall follow all guidelines
set by the governor of Ohio or the director of the Ohio department of health.
(2)The center shall ensure that the
following staff child ratios and maximum group size limitations are maintained
at all times:
(a)One child care staff member per four
infants with no more than six children in the room.
(b)One child care staff member per six
toddlers with no more than six children in the room.
(c)One child care staff member per nine
preschool children with no more than nine children in the room.
(d)One child care staff member per nine
school-age children with no more than nine children in the room.
(3)The center shall follow all handwashing
procedures pursuant to rule 5101:2-12-13 of the Administrative Code with the
following additions:
(a)All administrators, child care staff
members and employees shall wash their hands upon entering a classroom and
prior to leaving for the day.
(b)All children shall wash their hands
prior to leaving for the day.
(4)The center shall ensure that all
administrators, employees, child care staff members and children take their temperature
prior to or as soon as they arrive each day.
(a)The center shall immediately send home
any child or administrator, child care staff member or employee who has a
temperature of one hundred degrees or higher.
(b)The individual shall not return to the
center until he or she has been fever-free without the use of fever-reducing
medication for at least twenty-four hours.
(c) If the individual has had known
contact with someone confirmed or probable to have COVID-19, prior to returning
to the center he or she must complete isolation or quarantine procedures for
COVID-19 in coordination with the local health department.
(d)The requirements of this paragraph also
apply to anyone whose temperature is taken after arrival.
(5)The center may use non-permanent sinks
to meet the handwashing requirements of this chapter.
(6)If an administrator, employee, or child
care staff member employed by the center or a child enrolled in the center
tests positive for COVID-19, the program shall:
(a)Notify ODJFS by the next business day
in the Ohio child licensing and quality system as a serious incident pursuant
to rule 5101:2-12-16 of the Administrative Code.
(b)Notify the local health department by
the next business day.
(c)Ensure that the person completes
isolation or quarantine procedures for COVID-19 in coordination with the local
health department prior to being permitted to return to the program.
(7)If the center needs to divide a room
into smaller spaces to serve multiple groups of children, dividers may be used
if they meet the following requirements:
(a)The dividers are at least six feet in
height.
(b)The dividers are made from a nonporous
material or other material that can be sanitized.
(c)The dividers meet any requirements set
by the department of commerce, local building department, state fire marshal or
local fire safety inspector.
(D)How long is the transitional pandemic
rule effective?
The transitional pandemic rule is valid
until the governor of Ohio rescinds the state of emergency and or directs ODJFS
to return to full child care licensing requirements.
Effective: 5/29/2020
Certification: CERTIFIED ELECTRONICALLY
Date: 05/29/2020
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 5104.015, 5104.016
Rule Amplifies: 5104.015, 5104.032, 5104.05