Physical Requirements of the Family Day Care Home

PURPOSE: This rule sets forth the requirements for the physical plant and indoor and outdoor space. (1) General Requirements. (A) The premises shall be safe and suitable for the care of children. (B) The premises shall conform to the fire and safety requirements of the State Fire Marshal or his/her designee. (C) It shall be the responsibility of the child care provider to determine any applicable local zoning regulations. (D) Water supply and sewage disposal systems shall conform to state or local requirements, or both. (E) Children shall have no access to areas not approved for child care. (F) Stairways in approved child care space shall be welllighted and free of obstructions. Stairways in approved child care space having more than three (3) steps shall have a handrail the children can reach. (G) Porches, decks, stairwells or other areas in approved child care space having a drop-off of more than twenty-four inches (24”) from which children might fall and be injured shall have an approved railing or approved barrier. The railing or barrier shall be constructed to prevent the child from crawling or falling through, or becoming entrapped. AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (H) Approved safety gates at stairways and doors shall be provided and used as needed. (I) Heaters, floor furnaces, radiators, hot water heaters or other equipment which poses a threat to children shall meet the requirements of 19 CSR 30-61.086 Fire Safety. (J) All flammable liquids, matches, cleaning supplies, poisonous materials, medicines, alcoholic beverages, hazardous personal care items or other hazardous items shall be inaccessible to children. (K) Ammunition, guns, hunting knives, bows and arrows or other weapons shall be stored in a locked cabinet or locked closet. (L) No person shall smoke or otherwise use tobacco products in any area of the child care facility during the period of time when children cared for under the license are present. (2) Indoor Space. (A) General Requirements. 1. Any floor of a home used for child care shall be approved by the State Fire Marshal or his/her designee. 2. Open windows and doors shall be screened securely. Barriers to prevent children from falling against windows or falling from windows shall be provided when windows are less than twenty-four inches (24”) from the floor and not constructed of safety glass or other nonbreakable material. 3. Clear glass doors shall be marked plainly at varying heights to avoid impact. 4. Artificial or natural lighting shall supply at least ten (10) footcandles of light throughout each room used for child care. 5. The home shall be dry, temperature controlled, wellventilated and free of drafts. Children shall not be overheated or chilled. The temperature of the rooms shall be no less than sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit (68°F) and no more than eightyfive degrees Fahrenheit (85°F) when measured two feet (2’) from the floor. 6. Walls, ceilings and floors shall be finished with material which can be cleaned easily and shall be free of splinters, cracks and chipping paint. Floor covering shall be in good condition. Lead-free paint shall be used for all painted surfaces. 7. Concrete floors in areas counted as child care space shall be covered with carpet, tile, linoleum or other floor covering. 8. Floor surfaces under indoor equipment over twentyfour inches (24”) in height from which children might fall and be injured shall be protected with pads or mats which will effectively cushion the fall of a child. Carpeting alone is not an acceptable resilient surface under indoor equipment. 9. The home shall be clean at all times and free of dirt, insects, spiders, rodents or other pests. 10. A telephone in working order shall be available for incoming and outgoing calls. If a telephone answering machine is used, it must be turned on so incoming messages can be heard and parents’ calls can be returned promptly. 11. Telephone numbers for the police, fire department, ambulance and other emergency telephone numbers shall be posted near the telephone. (B) Floor Space Calculations and Utilization. 1. At least thirty-five (35) square feet of usable floor space shall be provided for each child coming into the home for day care. 2. Floor space shall be measured wall-to-wall from the inside walls of areas used for children’s activities. 3. Floor space shall not include food preparation areas, bathrooms, hallways used exclusively as passageways, closets, office space or floor space occupied by furniture or shelving not used by the children or for their activities. 4. Space occupied by permanently placed cots, cribs, beds or playpens used for napping cannot be counted as usable floor space. Cots shall not be set up early or left in place to interfere with children’s play activities. 5. Storage space for play materials shall be provided. Some of the space shall be accessible to the children. (C) Bathrooms. 1. General requirements. A. A flush toilet and an adjacent handwashing facility with running water shall be provided. B. Toilet and handwashing facilities shall be in working order and convenient for the children’s use. C. An individual cloth towel for each child or paper towels, soap and toilet paper shall be provided and easily accessible so the children can reach them without assistance. If individual towels are used, they shall be laundered daily. D. Children shall be monitored while in the bathroom. E. Bathrooms shall be clean and odor free. 2. Infants and toddlers. At least one (1) potty chair, junior commode or toilet with an adaptor seat shall be provided. Potty chairs shall be located in the bathroom and shall be emptied, cleaned and disinfected after each use. (D) Kitchens. 1. A kitchen shall be required for meal preparation unless meals are catered from a source approved by the local or state sanitarian, or both. 2. Kitchens used for meal preparation shall be equipped with a stove, sink, hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and storage space for food, dishes and cooking utensils. 3. If meals are catered, a sink, hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and storage space for food, dishes and cooking utensils shall be provided. 4. Kitchens shall not be used for children’s play activities unless the activities are part of the learning program and the children are supervised by adults. 5. Kitchens shall not be used for napping. (3) Outdoor Space. (A) General Requirements. 1. An outdoor play area shall be available on or adjoining the day care property. The play area shall be located so it is convenient and the children can gain access to it without hazard. It shall be fenced when necessary for the protection of children from traffic, water or other hazards. For family day care homes initially licensed after the effective date of these rules, or for the installation of new fences in existing facilities, the fence shall be at least forty-two inches (42”) high. Fences shall be constructed to prevent children from crawling or falling through or becoming entrapped. 2. A minimum of seventy-five (75) square feet per child of outdoor play area shall be provided. 3. An adult shall be outside at all times to provide supervision for children under three (3) years of age. 4. An adult shall be outside with the children at all times if the play area is not fenced and adjoining the building exit, or unless the children are of school age and definite limits have been established as their boundaries. These children shall receive frequent and routine supervision. 5. The play area shall be safe for children’s activities, wellmaintained, free of hazards such as poisonous plants, broken glass, rocks or other debris and shall have good drainage. 6. The fall-zone area under and around outdoor equipment where children might fall and be injured shall be covered with impact-absorbing materials which effectively cushions the fall of a child. This material may include sand, pea gravel, tanbark, shredded tires, wood chips, rubber matting or other approved resilient material. Grass may be an approved resilient material, but if grass becomes worn or sparse, the area must be covered with another approved resilient material. 7. The provider shall be responsible for the type, depth and fall-zone area of resilient material necessary for the protection of children. 8. Areas under and around outdoor equipment shall have continuous maintenance to ensure that the material remains in place and retains its cushioning properties. The resilient material shall be supplemented immediately or replaced as needed. 9. Concrete, asphalt, carpet or bare soil is not an acceptable surface under outdoor equipment from which children might fall and be injured. (B) Swimming and Wading Pools. 1. Swimming and wading pools used by children shall be constructed, maintained and used in a manner which safeguards the lives and health of children. 2. Swimming and wading pools shall have a water filtration system. The water in swimming and wading pools shall be treated, cleaned and maintained in accordance with health practices and rules as determined by the local or state health authority, or both. 3. Swimming and wading pools shall be fenced to prevent access by children. For family day care homes initially licensed after the effective date of these rules, the fence shall be at least forty-two inches (42”) high and shall have a locked gate. Above-the-ground pools may use a forty-two inch (42”) fence around the top of the pool with barricades of the steps to the pool deck. 4. Children using swimming or wading pools shall be instructed in water safety and supervised by an adult at all times. 5. An adult with a current lifeguard training certificate, including infant/child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, shall be on duty when a swimming or wading pool containing a depth of forty-eight inches (48”) or more of water is being used. 6. An adult who has completed a course in basic water safety, which includes infant/child CPR, shall be on duty when a swimming or wading pool containing less than forty-eight inches (48”) of water is being used. (4) Animals. (A) Animals which may pose a threat to the health or safety of children shall not be permitted on the premises or shall be penned securely in an area which is inaccessible to the children. (B) If an animal bites a child, the parent(s) shall be notified immediately. The provider shall contact a veterinarian to determine a course of action in the diagnosis of possible rabies in the animal. If possible, the provider shall restrain the animal for observation by a veterinarian. (C) Animal pens shall be kept clean. (D) Areas used by children shall be free of animal excrement. (E) Litter boxes shall not be located in areas used by children or in food preparation areas. (F) Food and water dishes used by animals shall not be accessible to the children. AUTHORITY: sections 210.221 and 210.223, RSMo Supp. 2015.* This rule previously filed as 13 CSR 40-61.070 and 13 CSR 30-61.085. Original rule filed March 29, 1991, effective Oct. 31, 1991. Changed to 19 CSR 40-61.085, effective Dec. 9, 1993. Changed to 19 CSR 3061.085 July 30, 1998. Amended: Filed Feb. 18, 1999, effective Sept. 30, 1999. Emergency amendment filed Nov. 10, 2015, effective Nov. 20, 2015, expired May 17, 2016. Amended: Filed Nov. 10, 2015, effective April 30, 2016. Moved to 5 CSR 25-400.085, effective Aug. 30, 2021. *Original authority 210.221.1(3), RSMo 1949, amended 1955, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2015 and 210.223, RSMo 2015.