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The following article is from the Buffalo Evening News NiagaraCAP brings home hope ________________________________________________________________________________
NIAGARA COUNTY WORKSOURCEONE
Click here to access the Niagara County WorkSourceOne website and obtain information on services provided by many agencies throughout Niagara County. The participating agencies can assist individuals looking for community resources. “All partners included in the website are equal opportunity employers/programs and will provide support services upon request to individuals with disabilities.”
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Helpful Hints for Healthy Eating
The Mealtime Memo for Child Care newsletter is a monthly newsletter highlighting nutrition related topics and activities. The newsletters are created by the National Food Service Management Institute and contain games, menus, and other useful information for parents and child care providers. Click here to view issues of the newsletters in both English and Spanish. Click here for issues in English and Spanish.
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Community Child Care Clearinghouse of Niagara Newsletters
Winter 2012
Fall 2011
Spring 2011
Winter 2011
Summer 2010
Common Regulation Violations of Fire Safety and Building Codes
The Fire and Safety Representatives from the Buffalo Regional Office have created a summary of common fire, safety and building code regulation violations for each modality of care. The violations listed are followed by the correct section of the fire or building code and are intended to be a reference tool. These documents can assist a program in remaining in compliance with the OCFS regulations. Please reference the document below related to your modality of care.
Code_Compliance_for SACC and DCC
Code_Compliance_for FDC_and GFDC
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Guidelines For Protective Surfacing under Playground Equipment used at Family Based Child Care Programs
Background
Regulation has included the requirement to install playground equipment according to the manufacturer’s instructions since 2001. Family-based day care regulations contain the following citations concerning outdoor play equipment: 417.5 (n) and (o) & 416.5(n) and (o).
(n) Materials and play equipment used by the children must be sturdy and free from rough edges and sharp corners.
(o) Outdoor equipment such as swings, slides and climbing apparatus must be installed and used in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications and instructions, be in good repair, and be placed in a safe location. Such equipment and apparatus may be used only by the children for whom it is developmentally appropriate.
Manufacturer’s specifications and instructions for swing sets, slides, climbing apparatus and other such equipment always include directions for protective surfacing. Protective surfacing is needed because a fall onto a hard surface can result in serious injury to a child. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) one of the most important things we can do to reduce the likelihood of a serious head injury is to install shock absorbing protective surfacing under and around play equipment. A provider may ask why grass and dirt are not considered protective surfacing. The answer is that wear and environmental factors compress the dirt and grass and reduce their shock absorbing effectiveness.
Compliance
The Division of Child Care Services (DCCS) will accept as compliance any one of the following three options:
1. A provider may follow the instructions for protective ground cover that came with his/her playground equipment.
2. A provider may follow instructions for installation of protective ground cover written by another manufacturer that sells similar equipment to that owned by the provider.
3. A provider may follow the instructions for protective ground cover listed in the booklet called Outdoor Home Playground Safety Handbook, produced by the CPSC. This handbook can be found at www.cpsc.gov.
The Division of Child Care Services researched the cost of compliance following the CPSC requirement for protective surfacing. A typical swing set measures eight feet in length, 6 feet in width and is 6 feet high. One suggestion for complying with this regulation, that is reasonable in cost, would be the use of mulch as a protective surface covering. Mulch would need to be distributed under the swing set, extended out six feet in all directions, and be 6 inches in depth. The cost of mulch can vary depending on the type and color selected. Typical brown mulch may be the least expensive. Our research showed that many area towns and cities will provide mulch free of charge to residents; a minimal charge is assessed for nonresidents. In both cases, pickup and delivery is the user’s responsibility. Commercial landscaping suppliers charge approximately $31.00 a cubic yard for mulch that is picked up and hauled by the buyer, and $45.00 a cubic yard for mulch delivered to the home. Using the calculations above, a typical swing set would require 7 cubic yards of mulch to meet the CPSC recommendation. If a provider is willing and able to pick up this mulch themselves, the cost would be about $215.00 total. If it was delivered to the home the cost would be about $315.00. Labor to install was not assessed. It is also important to note that purchasing bags of mulch from landscaping or hardware suppliers raises the price of mulch considerably.
In an effort to balance the need for providers to come quickly into compliance with this safety regulation and the expense and labor required to install the needed protective surfacing, the DCCS will accept the following plans in support of providers who are working toward compliance:
1. Providers who are using playground equipment that has been installed without a protective surface will be advised that they must come into compliance with regulation.
2. Providers may be given up to three months to come into compliance.
3. During the period of time needed to come into compliance, providers will not allow children to use the equipment. This can be accomplished through direct supervision. Ropes, ties, and other barriers are prohibited; their installation and use could cause a safety concern. If children are observed using the equipment before protective surfacing is installed, a violation will be cited.
4.
Click Here for a copy of a Home Playground Safety Checklist from the New York State Consumer Protection Board based on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requirements. Make sure all guidelines are followed before you allow children to play on the equipment.
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Niagara Community Action Program, Inc., Spring 2010, Newsletter
Niagara Community Action Program, Inc, Newsletter
Free On-Line Training
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services has made available two free trainings. The first training is for Mandated Reporter of Child Abuse and Maltreatment and the second training is Shaken Baby Syndrome. Providers can access both trainings by clicking here
Important Recalls
As you may already know there has been a massive recall on drop-side cribs. If you have a drop-side crib, please contact the manufacturer to see if your crib is included in the recall. If your crib is part of the recall make sure you stop using the crib immediately as there have been serious injuries and deaths resulting from the defect. You can request a free repair kit from the manufacturer of the crib. Please visit www.cpsc.gov for more information on the crib recall and to obtain more information on Roman and Roll-up Blinds and Dorel Infant Care Seat/Carriers recalls.
Procedures for Reporting Child Abuse and Maltreatment
There has been a change to the Social Services Law (SSL) concerning who must report child abuse and maltreatment allegations. The change was made by Chapter 193 of the Laws of 2007, amending section 413 of the SSL. This act became law on July 3, 2007 and became effective on October 1, 2007.
This law changes the procedures for reporting abuse and maltreatment as set forth in the New York State Codes, Rules and Regulations, specifically section 418-1.10(c) of the day care center regulations and section 414.10(c) of the school age child care regulations. Under the changes to the mandated reporting law, when a report of alleged abuse or maltreatment of a child or children in a day care center or school age child care program is being made by a mandated reporter who is a staff member of the day care center or school age child care program, the report must be made by a staff member who has direct knowledge of the allegation(s) of suspected abuse or maltreatment. The mandated reporting law no longer permits a mandated reporter to fulfill his or her mandated reporting responsibility by advising the director of the center or program, or the director’s designee, of the alleged abuse or maltreatment and having the director or designee make the call to the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Under the new law, a mandated reporter with direct knowledge of the alleged abuse or maltreatment must personally make the call to the SCR. (Note: The SCR has access to interpreters to assist non-English speaking reporters.)
This means that the provisions of the regulations cited above that require that mandated reporters advise the director of the program or the director’s designee of any allegations of abuse or neglect so that the director or designee may call the SCR are no longer operative. Under current law, reports to the SCR must be made by a staff member who has direct knowledge of the alleged abuse or maltreatment. The mandated reporter is then required to notify the director or designee that a report has been made. The director or designee is then responsible for all subsequent internal administration necessitated by the report, including completion of the form LDSS 2221A.
No longer does notification to the director or his or her designee absolve the original mandated reporter of his or her responsibility to personally make a report to the SCR. In addition, when making a report to the SCR, the mandated reporter must include the names, job titles and contact information of every staff person who is believed to have direct knowledge of the allegations contained in the report.
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Guidelines for Mixing Bleach Solutions
The current bleach sanitizing solution guidelines for sanitizing food contact surfaces, including counter tops, dining tables and high chair trays has been updated. Attached are the new guidelines. HIGHLIGHTED_Bleach_Sanitizing_Guidelines_(rev_Sep_2009)[1](1).pdf
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QualitystarsNY
New York State is working on a quality rating and improvement system for all early childhood settings that are regulated by a state or other governmental agency. Draft standards have been developed for center-based and family-based settings. These standards can be reviewed by accessing the following website: www.earlychildhood.org/qsny. Providers will be able to provide feedback regarding the quality rating and improvement system by completing a survey located on this website. Regardless of program setting, QualitystarsNY has five rating levels and four categories of standards. QualitystarsNY was developed to create a system that will recognize, encourage, and reward improving the quality of all settings in the state where children are learning every day. Providers are encouraged to review the information on the website to see what rating your program would receive. The quality rating and improvement system is scheduled to be field tested soon.
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Swine Flu Alert Update
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