Sec.19a-87b-9. Requirements for the Physical Environment

(a) Cleanliness

The facility and equipment shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition and shall not pose a health hazard to children. The commissioner, upon inspection, may require the provider to correct any violation of this section that may put children at risk of injury.

(b) Freedom from Hazards

The facility and equipment shall be in good repair, and reasonably free from anything that may be potentially dangerous to children. The commissioner, upon inspection, may require the provider to correct any condition under this section that may put children at risk.

(c) Absence of Potentially Harmful Substances and Materials

All potentially harmful substances and materials, including but not limited to, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, toiletries, medication, alcoholic beverages and other toxins shall be inaccessible to children. Poisonous and unidentified plants shall be removed from the area, protected by barriers, or kept out of the reach of children. Bio contaminants, including but not limited to, blood, bodily fluids or excretions that may spread infectious disease, shall be disposed of in a safe manner and in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, when applicable.

(d) Fire Safety

The provider shall ensure that the family child care home provides a reasonable degree of safety from fire, which shall include, but not be limited to, the following requirements:

(1) Safe Storage of Flammable Materials

Materials such as, but not limited to, flammable or combustible liquids, cleaning solvents, paints, excess amounts of combustible solids and fabrics shall be properly stored and out of reach of children.

(2) Safe Door Fasteners

Fasteners for doors to cupboards, closets and rooms shall be designed so that it is impossible for a child to become locked in the enclosed area.

Every room used for child care or capable of access by children, when provided with a door latch or lock, shall be of a type that children can open from the inside and each lock shall be designed to permit opening of the locked door from the outside in an emergency. The opening device shall be readily accessible to the provider and staff.

(3) Electrical Safety

Electrical cords and appliances shall be secured and in good repair.

Electrical cords shall not hang within reach of children. Protective covers or approved safety outlets shall be provided for all electrical receptacles in all areas accessible to children.

(4) Safe Exits

There shall be two readily accessible, passable, remotely located and safe means of escape from each room used for child care in the family child care home. Every room used by children for sleeping, living, or dining purposes shall have at least two means of escape, at least one of which shall be a door or stairway providing a means of unobstructed travel to the outside of the building at street or ground level. The second means of escape may be a window that is accessible and openable from the inside without the use of tools and provides a clear opening. Such window shall have an area not less than 5.7 square feet and shall measure not less than twenty inches in width and twenty four inches in height. The bottom of the opening of the window shall be not more than forty-four inches above the floor or fixed landing, and any latching device shall be capable of being used from not more than fifty-four inches above the floor or fixed landing.

(A) The provider shall remain with the children at all times, when the children are being cared for in space below ground level, to assist with emergency exiting.

(B) Passageways leading to means of escape shall have adequate lighting and be kept free from barriers or obstructions.

(C) All means of escape shall be easily opened and kept free of obstructions at all times.

(D) Every stairway shall have a sturdy handrail with no areas in which a child may fall through, shall provide safe passageway and be maintained free of obstructions. There shall be a gate or other structure in place that may be hung, drawn or lowered at the entry of stairways accessible to children to prevent falls. If only school age children are present, gates or other structures at stairway entries are not required to be in place but shall be available at the family child care home.

(E) During an inspection, Office staff may require the provider to demonstrate the safety and feasibility of children and staff using intended escape routes.

(5) Emergency Plan

The provider shall have a written plan for the protection of children and child care staff in the event of emergencies, including, but not limited to, fire, medical, weather related, man-made disaster, natural disasters or acts of terrorism. The plan shall address the evacuation and removal of children to a safe location, sheltering in place if evacuation is not feasible, lock-down procedures, plans for continuation of operations, communication and reunification with parents, and accommodations for infants and toddlers, children with disabilities and children with chronic medical conditions, made in consultation with the child’s parent(s). The provider and all child care staff shall be periodically instructed and kept informed of their duties under the plan and shall practice at least quarterly an emergency evacuation drill which includes the demonstration of the provider, staff and children exiting the residence of the family child care home. A written log of the practiced drills shall be maintained at the family child care home for one year.

(6) Smoke Detectors

The provider shall have smoke detectors, in operating condition, placed in the home so as to protect children’s sleeping areas, play areas and the basement. There shall be at least one smoke detector on each level of the family child care home.

(7) Carbon Monoxide Detector

Family child care homes that utilize combustible fuel shall be equipped with at least one operable carbon monoxide (CO) detector on each occupied level of the home. CO detectors shall comply with Underwriters Laboratories standards for safety, and shall be operated in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

(8) Fire Extinguisher

(A) The provider shall have easily accessible to the area of child care a minimum of one ABC multi-purpose fire extinguisher in operating condition that contains at least five pounds of fire extinguishing agent and shall have knowledge of its use and the ability to manage its use.

(B) Each fire extinguisher shall be installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions, at a height not to exceed five feet above the floor. Extinguishers shall not be obstructed or obscured in order to allow for immediate access.

(9) Safe Heating Systems and Devices

(A) The provider shall show documentation that any auxiliary heater installed after original construction of the facility has been inspected and approved for proper and safe installation by an authorized licensed professional and, where applicable, the local building official. All devices shall be safely located, shall be properly cleaned and maintained with a barrier where necessary for the protection of children receiving family child care services.

(B) No heating system or device shall pose a hazard to children.

(e) Safe Storage of Guns, Ammunition and other Weapons

The provider shall protect children from guns, ammunition and weapons stored at the facility.

(1) All guns shall be stored unloaded.

(2) Ammunition shall be stored and locked in a separate location away from the guns and inaccessible to children.

(3) All guns and weapons shall be kept locked or stored in a locked storage area that is known to the provider.

(4) Locks shall be openable with a key, combination, or other similar unlocking mechanism that prevents unauthorized persons from obtaining access.

(f) Safe Space

(1) There shall be sufficient indoor and outdoor play space to ensure appropriate activities, safety and comfort for the children at the facility. When outdoor play space does not exist at the facility, the provider shall identify alternate outdoor play space and develop a written plan that ensures the safe transportation of children to and from the alternate outdoor play space. The outdoor play space shall be protected from traffic, bodies of water, gullies, and other hazards by barriers that bar access to such hazards and are safe for children.

(2) When there is a swimming pool or any other body of water at the facility or near enough to the facility to attract or be accessible to children at any time of the year, there shall be a sturdy fence or barrier, four feet high or higher, which totally and effectively bars access to the water by the children. All entries and exits through such fence or barrier shall have self-closing, self-latching devices or locks. When an outside wall of the facility that serves as one side of the fence or barrier to the body of water has a doorway, such doorway shall remain locked. Shallow wading pools that are not fenced shall be emptied after each use and shall not collect water. Decorative ponds, fish ponds, fountains or similar bodies of water that do not have a fence or barrier as required in this subdivision, shall be completely covered with a childproofing grate or other barrier to prevent access to children.

(3) No child in care shall be permitted in a hot tub, spa or sauna. Hot tubs, spas and saunas shall be locked and inaccessible to children.

(4) Locks shall be operable with a key, combination, or other similar unlocking mechanism that prevents unauthorized persons from obtaining access.

(g) Proper Ventilation, Light, Temperature, and Window Safety

The ventilation, light and temperature outside of the facility shall ensure the health and comfort of the children in care. When the temperature exceeds eighty degrees Fahrenheit, the provider shall provide the children with additional fluids and increase ventilation. The room temperature where children are present at the family child care home shall not be lower than sixty five degrees Fahrenheit when measured three feet from the floor. The provider shall implement measures that prevent children from falling from accessible windows above the ground floor.

(h) Adequate Washing, Toileting, Sewage and Garbage Facilities

The washing and toileting facilities shall be adequate to ensure the health, safety and comfort of the children in care. The water temperature at the tap shall be within the range of sixty degrees Fahrenheit to one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit. A mechanism for individual hand drying shall be accessible. Sewage and garbage disposal systems shall ensure a sanitary environment. Garbage and trash shall be disposed of properly and kept covered.

(i) Adequate and Safe Water

At least one water sample from a sink used for drinking, beverage and food preparation shall be tested for lead, and the results of such sample shall be submitted to the Office at the time of initial application. The water sample shall have been standing in plumbing pipes at least six hours and the test must be conducted not more than twelve months prior to the date of application. If the family child care home is not served by a public water system that is regulated by the Department of Public Health, the provider shall also show proof from analysis dated not more than twelve months prior to the date of initial application and as often as the Office deems necessary, that the water supply is potable, adequate and safe. The water analysis shall include, but not be limited to, tests for bacteria, physical parameters (color, odor, turbidity, pH), and sanitary chemicals (nitrogen series, chloride, surfactants, hardness, iron, manganese and sodium). Additional tests may be required as deemed necessary by the commissioner. The analysis of samples shall be conducted by an environmental laboratory registered by the Connecticut Department of Public Health pursuant to section 19a-29a of the Connecticut General Statutes.

(j) Pasteurization of Milk Supply

Milk or milk products provided by the provider for consumption by the children receiving family child care services shall be pasteurized.

(k) Working Telephone

The provider shall have a working telephone at the family child care home, with emergency numbers for fire, ambulance, police or 911, parents, emergency caregivers, and poison control posted in an area where family child care services are provided and that is readily accessible and known to the provider and staff.

(l) Safe Transportation

The provider shall utilize safe transportation for children when transportation is required for an emergency or a child care activity. This shall include, but not be limited to, the use of child auto safety restraints according to section 14-100a of the Connecticut General Statutes. The provider shall be responsible for compliance with all applicable motor vehicle laws when transporting children.

(m) First Aid Supplies

The provider shall have at least one portable, readily accessible first aid kit whenever children are in care, including during field trips. Each kit shall be a closed container for storing first aid supplies, accessible to the provider and substitute at all times but out of the reach of children. First aid kits shall be restocked after use. The first aid kit shall contain at least the following first aid supplies:

(1) Assorted sizes of non-medicated adhesive strips;

(2) Sterile, individually wrapped, three or four inch gauze squares;

(3) A two inch gauze roller bandage;

(4) One roll of hypoallergenic adhesive tape;

(5) Scissors;

(6) Tweezers;

(7) Two instant cold packs;

(8) A non-glass thermometer to measure a child’s temperature;

(9) Disposable, nonporous gloves; and

(10) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation mouth barrier.

(n) First Aid Supplies for Field Trips:

In addition to the requirements contained in subsection (m) of this section, the first aid kit shall also include the following first aid supplies:

(1) Water;

(2) Reliable communication device;

(3) Liquid soap;

(4) Emergency contact numbers for each child;

(5) Any medication and items needed for the administration of medication, if the family child care home engages in the administration of medication under section 19a-87b-17 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, and any items needed to monitor blood glucose levels under section 19a-87b-18 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies; and

(6) Plastic bags, for storage.

(o) Protection from Pets

The provider shall be responsible for protecting the health and safety of the children from household pets and other animals at the facility. Animal waste shall be kept inaccessible to children. The provider shall develop and implement a written plan to keep any animal kept at the facility inaccessible to the children if the animal is known to be dangerous or aggressive. A current rabies vaccination certificate shall be kept on file at the family child care home for each dog and cat over fourteen weeks of age. The provider shall be responsible for maintaining any animal kept at the facility in accordance with all applicable local and state laws and to have such documentation on file. The commissioner has the discretion to deny, suspend or revoke a license if he or she deems that the type, number or condition of the pets at the facility presents a health or safety hazard to children.

(p) Smoking

No provider, household member, staff member or other person shall smoke or use an electronic nicotine delivery system or vapor product as defined in section 21a-415 of the Connecticut General Statutes when a child enrolled in the family child care home is present while family child care services are being provided. The provider shall ensure that all cigarettes, cigars, pipes, ashes, butts, lighters and matches, and any electronic nicotine delivery systems or vapor products, as defined in section 21a-415 of the Connecticut General Statutes are kept out of the reach of children.

(Effective September 1, 1993; Transferred January 29, 1996; Amended March 19, 2021)