Sec.19a-79-1a. Definitions

(1) "Administration of medication" means the direct application of a medication by inhalation, ingestion or any other means to the body of a person;

(2) "Advanced practice registered nurse" means an individual licensed pursuant to subsection (b) of section 20-94a of the Connecticut General Statutes;

(3) "Alteration" means remodeling or revision that does not change the physical plant of the licensed space;

(4) "Alternate staff" means a substitute;

(5) "Ambient air" means the surrounding air;

(6) "Attendance" means the names and number of children and staff present at the facility on a daily basis;

(7) "Authorized prescriber" means a physician, dentist, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant;

(8) "Business day" means the normal and customary workday schedule;

(9) "Certified playground safety inspector" means an individual certified by the National Playground Safety Institute, a program of the National Recreation and Park Association;

(10) "Child day care center" means a program of supplementary care for more than twelve (12) related or unrelated children outside their own homes on a regular basis;

(11) "Child or children with special health care needs" means a child or children who have or are at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions and who also require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally;

(12) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Public Health or the commissioner's designated representative;

(13) "Conspicuous place" means an area that is easy to notice;

(14) "Contracted services" means services provided that are subject to a written agreement;

(15) "Construction" means the act or process of building;

(16) "Days" means calendar days unless otherwise noted;

(17) "Dental hygienist" means an individual licensed to practice dental hygiene in this or another state;

(18) "Dentist" means an individual licensed to practice dentistry in this or another state;

(19) "Department" means the Connecticut Department of Public Health or any duly authorized representative thereof;

(20) "Developmentally appropriate practice" means a framework for working with young children to apply current knowledge about how children develop based upon age and the individual needs of each child;

(21) "Director" means the program administrator or person responsible for the day to day administrative operation of the program, who may be the head teacher;

(22) "Disability" means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;

(23) "Early childhood education consultant" means an individual who is a credentialed early childhood specialist with an Associate, Bachelors, Masters, or Doctoral degree in early childhood education, child development or human development or a four (4) year degree in a related field with at least twelve (12) credits in child development or early childhood education from an accredited college or university, who has two (2) or more years experience administering a licensed child day care center that meets standards comparable to those in Connecticut;

(24) "Emergency medical technician" means an individual certified in accordance with section 19a-179 of the Connecticut General Statutes or licensed in another state;

(25) "Employment" means working at a child day care center or group day care home and includes volunteers and alternate staff, who work more than twelve (12) times per year;

(26) "Endorsement" means the specific services for which a program has applied, have been approved by the department and are listed on the face of the license;

(27) "Enrollment" means the number of children registered and who have been admitted to the child day care center or group day care home for any given period of time;

(28) "Expansion" means an increase in the physical size or licensed capacity of the child day care center or group day care home;

(29) "Facility" means the building in which the child day care center or group day care home is housed;

(30) "First aid course" means a specified program of emergency treatment that has been approved by the department as listed in section 19a-79-4a(e) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies;

(31) "Group day care home" means a program of supplementary care for not less than seven (7) nor more than twelve (12) related or unrelated children on a regular basis, or that meets the definition of a family day care home as provided in section 19a-77 of the general statutes except that it operates in a facility other than a private family home;

(32) "Group size" means the maximum number of children allowed to be cared for together at a given time in a specific area;

(33) "Head teacher" means the person responsible for the day to day educational portion of the child day care center or group day care home who shall be on site for sixty (60) percent of the hours the center is in operation on a weekly basis, who may also be the director;

(34) "Health consultant" means a physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or registered nurse holding a current and valid license in this or another state;

(35) "Ill child" means one who is excluded from a child care program or school due to discomfort, injury or other symptoms of short term contagious illness;

(36) "Investigational drug" means any medication with an approved investigation new drug application on file with the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), that is being scientifically tested and clinically evaluated to determine its efficacy, safety and side effects and that has not yet received FDA approval;

(37) "Job description" means a written outline developed for each position in the facility, containing the qualifications, duties, responsibilities and accountability required of all employees in that position;

(38) "Legal representative" means a person authorized by the operator to represent and act on behalf of the operator, including but not limited to, the signing of licensure applications and renewals;

(39) "License" means the form of permission issued by the department that authorizes the operation of a child day care center or group day care home;

(40) "Licensed capacity" means the maximum number of children allowed under the license to be in the licensed premises at any one time;

(41) "Licensed premises" means the space identified in the license application in which child day care services are provided;

(42) "Local director of health" means the person appointed as the director of health for a city, town or borough pursuant to section 19a-200 of Connecticut General Statutes or for a health district pursuant to section 19a-242 of the Connecticut General Statutes;

(43) "Meal" means the food served and eaten in one sitting containing the four (4) food groups;

(44) "Medication" means any legend or nonlegend drug as defined in section 20-571, including controlled substances, as defined in section 21a-240 of the Connecticut General Statutes;

(45) "Night care" means the care provided for one (1) or more hours between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 5:00 A.M.;

(46) "Medication error" means failure to administer medication to a child, or failure to administer medication within one (1) hour of the time designated by the prescribing practitioner, or failure to administer the specific medication prescribed for a child, or failure to administer the medication by the correct route or failure to administer the medication according to generally accepted medical practices or failure to administer the correct dosage of medication;

(47) "Operator" means a person, group of persons, association, organization, corporation, institution or agency, public or private, who has the legal responsibility for the overall operation of the child day care center or group day care home and to whom the license is issued;

(48) "Paramedic" means an individual licensed in accordance with section 20-206ll of the Connecticut General Statutes or in another state;

(49) "Parent(s)" means the person(s) responsible for the child and may include the legally designated guardian(s) of such child;

(50) "Physician" means a doctor of medicine or osteopathy licensed to practice medicine in this or another state;

(51) "Physician assistant" means an individual who is licensed in accordance with section 20-12b of the Connecticut General Statutes and regulations adopted thereunder;

(52) "Primary health care provider" means the person who is responsible for the health care of the child outside the center;

(53) "Professional development" means attendance at classes, seminars, workshops, conferences or forums, and participation in distance learning activities that improve one's knowledge, skills and abilities;

(54) "Program" means the group of services and activities provided in the child day care center or group day care home;

(55) "Program space" means the defined area within a child day care center or group day care home in which a safe nurturing environment planned in accordance with the age, group size and child staff ratio promotes physical, social, emotional and cognitive development;

(56) "Program staff" means those persons, sixteen (16) years of age or older, responsible for the direct care of children;

(57) "Quarterly" means approximately once every three months;

(58) "Registered dietitian" means a person certified as a dietitian-nutritionist in this or another state;

(59) "Registered nurse" means a person with a license to practice as a registered nurse in Connecticut in accordance with chapter 378 of the Connecticut General Statutes;

(60) "Renovation" means remodeling or revision that changes the physical plant of the licensed space;

(61) "School age" means at least five (5) years of age by January 1 of the current school year, and less than thirteen (13) years of age or less than nineteen (19) years of age with special needs requiring the child to receive supplementary care, and attending school;

(62) "Semi-annual" means two times per calendar year, approximately six (6) months apart;

(63) "Services" means those specific activities that contribute to the health, education and welfare of the children;

(64) "Snack" means a light meal containing two (2) food groups;

(65) "Social service consultant" means a person who holds a baccalaureate degree in social work with at least one (1) year of social work experience under social work supervision, or a baccalaureate degree in a field that the commissioner deems related to social work with at least two (2) years of social work experience under social work supervision;

(66) "Staff" means personnel including volunteers, sixteen (16) years of age or older, who provide a service to a child day care center or a group day care home;

(67) "Staff child ratio" means the maximum number of children per program staff person;

(68) "Supervision" means the direction and on-site observation of the functions and activities of staff or children;

(69) "Supplementary care" means out-of-home care where an individual or organization takes responsibility for the child's activities; and,

(70) "Vector" means an organism that carries pathogens from one individual or object to another such as flies, mosquitoes, ticks and rodents.

(Effective July 27, 1993; Amended August 8, 1995; Amended November 3, 1997; Amended April 29, 2002; Amended November 6, 2008)