Sec.19a-79-11. School age children endorsement

(a) The operator of a child day care center or group day care home caring for children of school age shall comply with section 19a-79-1a to section 19a-79-9a, inclusive, section 19a-79-11 and 19a-79-13 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.

(b) A program providing care for school age children shall have a separate school age children endorsement by the department.

(c) The program shall provide adequate opportunities for creative, recreational and restful activities as appropriate to meet the needs of the individual school age child.

(1) These activities shall not be an extension or duplication of the child's school day.

(2) Children shall have opportunities to choose among activities, including, but not necessarily limited to:

(A) free time,

(B) creative activities,

(C) opportunities for homework assignments,

(D) nutritional snacks,

(E) physical activities,

(F) quiet activities,

(G) small group activities,

(H) special events which may include field trips, and

(I) self-concept activities.

(d) There shall be at least one (1) qualified program staff person for each ten (10) children or fraction thereof.

(e) The group size shall not exceed twenty (20) children.

(f) When a program serves school age children only, the designated head teacher shall be on site for sixty percent (60%) of the time the child day care center or group day care home is in operation on a weekly basis, and shall submit written verification of the following qualifications and experiences:

(1) the age of twenty (20) years or older;

(2) the personal qualities needed to supervise others;

(3) a high school diploma or equivalency certificate;

(4) at least five hundred and forty (540) hours of documented supervised experience over at least a nine (9) month span of time including working with children in a program with comparable standards to the standards in this or another state, which program must serve children of the same ages and developmental stages who are served at the child day care center; and

(5) one of the following:

(A) twelve (12) credits in early childhood education or child development, elementary education, recreation, group social work or a related field from an accredited institution of higher education with program approval from the Board of Governors of Higher Education; or

(B) approval by the department as a head teacher prior to January 1, 1994; or

(6) a four (4) year college degree in elementary education, recreation, group social work or a related field from an accredited institution of higher education with program approval from the Board of Governors of Higher Education, with at least two hundred and seventy (270) hours of documented supervised experience working with unrelated children of the same ages to be served in this child day care center or group day care home. This supervised experience could be student teaching or a practicum assignment.

(g) The education consultant used in the program shall have training and experience in child development, recreation, leisure activities, group social work or elementary education.

(h) When a program for school age children is located in a public or private school facility currently used as a school, the local health, building and zoning regulations pertaining to school facilities shall apply. Under these circumstances, written verification of building and zoning approval is not required. A fire marshal certificate of approval and written local health approval are required for the facility as defined in section 19a-79-2a(b)(2)(D) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.

(Effective July 27, 1993; Amended November 6, 2008)