CCBCNY Blog for October 14, 2008

Section 47.11 of Article 47 is a new requirement that requires child care centers to submit a written safety plan. According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene the written safety plan is intended to serve as the standard operating policies and procedures for the safe operation of a child care service. Every child care center must submit a safety plan and have it approved by DOHMH before a permit will be issued.

The plan should explain how the requirements of Article 47 are to be implanted with respect to:

• Medical supervision and health of children
• Medication Administration
• Facility Operation
• Maintenance
• Fire Safety
• Specific Activity Safety
• Staff Training
• Parent/Child Orientation
• Proper Supervision
  

The DOHMH says that an initial plan must be reviewed and approved for all new permit applicants and the plan must be updated as necessary when permits are renewed. As you can see from the topics, the health and safety of the children is the main focus. While at first blush these requirements sound stringent, I’m sure that they will prove very helpful to you in the day to day operation of your business. Every business should have a written operating plan that describes their process for getting things done.

We probably all remember playing the game “telephone “ when we were children. The objective of the game was to demonstrate that we each hear and interpret things differently; so that invariably the original message is completely different at the other end of the line. Because information that is shared verbally might be misunderstood, written policies and instructions will ensure that each parent and staff receive the very same basic information or message in order to avoid confusion.

DOHMH has a specific format for writing your safety plan so you should ask your education consultant for the format before writing the plan.