5.5 Monitoring and Enforcement of Licensing and Health and Safety Requirements

e. Building and physical premises safety, including identification of and protection from hazards, bodies of water, and vehicular traffic [x] [x] [ ] f. Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma and child maltreatment [x] [x] [ ] g. Emergency preparedness and response planning and procedures [x] [x] [ ] h. Handling and storage of hazardous materials and disposal of biocontaminants [x] [x] [ ] i. Appropriate Precautions in transporting children, if applicable [x] [x] [ ] j. Pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR (age- appropriate) [x] [x] [ ] k. Child abuse and neglect recognition and reporting [x] [x] [ ] l. Child development including major domains of cognitive, social, emotional, physical development and approaches to learning. [x] [x] [ ] 5.5.1 Inspections for licensed CCDF providers Licensing inspectors must perform at least one annual, unannounced inspection of each licensed CCDF provider for compliance with all child care licensing standards, including an inspection for compliance with health and safety and fire standards. Lead Agencies must conduct at least one pre-licensure inspection for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards of each child care provider and facility in the State/Territory. a. Licensed CCDF center-based providers i. Does your pre-licensure inspection for licensed center-based providers assess compliance with health standards, safety standards, and fire standards? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: ii. Identify the frequency of annual unannounced inspections for licensed center- based providers addressing compliance with health, safety, and fire standards: [x] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [ ] Other. If other, describe: iii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring licensed center-based providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. If no, describe: The OEC was issued a non-compliance for not having requirements, therefore is not able to inspect for, for licensed center and group home providers that address prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma and monitor for emergency preparedness volunteer training and practice drills for licensed centers and group child care homes by OCC on September 19, 2023. The OEC has pending regulatory changes in which these requirements are addressed. There have been significant delays in getting this rule change passed. iv. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for licensed center-based providers. OEC Licensing Division b. Licensed CCDF family child care providers i. Does your pre-licensure inspection for licensed family child care homes assess compliance with health standards, safety standards, and fire standards? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: ii. Identify the frequency of annual unannounced inspections for licensed family child care homes addressing compliance with health, safety, and fire standards: [x] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [ ] Other. If other, describe: iii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring licensed family child care providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. If no, describe: On September 19, 2023, the OEC was found out of compliance with having requirements for, and therefore cannot inspect for, emergency preparedness volunteer training and practice drills for licensed family child care homes. The OEC intends to proposed regulatory changes where this requirement will be addressed. . Once the standard is in effect, licensing will ensure that this is reviewed at each annual unannounced inspection. Licensed Family Child Care Homes are monitored in the same manner as center-based programs. iv. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for licensed family child care providers. OEC Licensing Division c. Licensed in-home CCDF child care providers i. Does your Lead Agency license CCDF in-home child care (care in the child’s own home) providers? [x] No. [ ] Yes. If yes, does your pre-licensure inspection for licensed in-home providers assess compliance with health, safety, and fire standards? [ ] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: ii. Identify the frequency of annual unannounced inspections for licensed in-home child care providers for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards completed: [ ] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [x] Other. If other, describe: OEC does not license in-home child care iii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring licensed in-home child care providers? [x] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. OEC does not license in-home child care [ ] No. iv. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for licensed in-home providers. OEC does not license in-home child care 5.5.2 Inspections for license-exempt providers Licensing inspectors must perform at least one annual monitoring visit of each license-exempt CCDF provider for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards. Inspections for relative providers will be addressed in subsection 5.8. Describe the policies and practices for the annual monitoring of: a. License-exempt CCDF center-based child care providers i. Identify the frequency of inspections for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards for license-exempt center-based providers: [x] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [ ] Other. If other, describe: ii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring license-exempt center-based providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. iii. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for license-exempt center-based CCDF providers. OEC Licensing Division b. License-exempt CCDF family child care providers i. Identify the frequency of the inspections of license-exempt family child care providers to determine compliance with health, safety, and fire standards: [ ] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [x] Other. If other, describe: In Connecticut only license-exempt relative care is allowed. No monitoring of the relative home is conducted. ii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring license-exempt family child care providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. iii. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for license-exempt family child care providers. In Connecticut only license-exempt relative care is allowed. No monitoring of the relative home is conducted. 5.5.3 Inspections for CCDF license-exempt in-home child care providers Lead Agencies may develop alternate monitoring requirements for care provided in the child’s home that are appropriate to the setting. This flexibility cannot be used to bypass the monitoring requirement altogether. a. Describe the requirements for the annual monitoring of CCDF license-exempt in-home child care (care in the child’s own home) providers, including if monitoring is announced or unannounced, occurs more frequently than once per year, and if differential monitoring procedures are used. The only licensed-exempt in-home care allowed in CT is relative care. No annual monitoring is conducted. b. List the entity(ies) in your State/Territory responsible for conducting inspections of license-exempt CCDF in-home child care (care in the child’s own home) providers: The only licensed-exempt in-home care allowed in CT is relative care. No inspections are conducted. 5.5.4 Posting monitoring and inspection reports Lead Agencies must post monitoring and inspection reports on their consumer education website for each licensed and CCDF child care provider, except in cases where the provider is related to all the children in their care. These reports must include the results of required annual monitoring visits and visits due to major substantiated complaints about a provider’s failure to comply with health and safety requirements and child care policies. A full report covers everything in the monitoring visit, including areas of compliance and non-compliance. If the Lead Agency does not produce any reports that include areas of compliance, the website must include information about all areas covered by a monitoring visit. The reports must be in plain language or provide a plain language summary Lead Agency and be timely to ensure that the results of the reports are available and easily understood by parents when they are deciding on a child care provider. Lead Agencies must post at least 3 years of monitoring and inspection reports. a. Does the Lead Agency post: i. [x] Pre-licensing inspection reports for licensed programs. ii. [x] Full monitoring and inspection reports that include areas of compliance and non-compliance for all non-relative providers eligible to provide CCDF services. iii. [ ] Monitoring and inspection reports that include areas of non-compliance only, with information about all areas covered by a monitoring visit posted separately on the website (e.g., a blank checklist used by monitors) for all non-relative providers eligible to provide CCDF services. If checked, provide a direct URL/website link to the website where a blank checklist is posted: iv. [ ] Other. Describe: b. Check if the monitoring and inspection reports and any related plain language summaries include: i. [x] Date of inspection. ii. [x] Health and safety violations, including those violations that resulted in fatalities or serious injuries occurring at the provider. Describe how these health and safety violations are prominently displayed: When View Inspection and Complaint History link is selected, a separate column titled Violations is displayed with a direct link to the regulation number and plain language summary of the regulation. iii. [x] Corrective action plans taken by the Lead Agency and/or child care provider. Describe: For each visit date, a link to Documents is provided which displays the Inspection report and corrective action plan if applicable. iv. [x] A minimum of 3 years of results, where available. v. If any of the components above are not selected, please explain: N/A c. Lead Agencies must post monitoring and inspection reports and/or any related summaries in a timely manner. i. Provide the direct URL/website link to where the reports are posted: https://www.211childcare.org/ ii. Identify the Lead Agency’s established timeline for posting monitoring reports and describe how it is timely: For routine inspections, the inspection report is posted within 1 to 2 weeks of the visit date. Corrective action plans are posted once submitted and accepted, generally within 8 weeks of the visit. For complaint inspections, the inspection reports and corrective action plans are posted within 1 to 2 weeks of completion of the investigation. As of November 27, 2023, CT is posting pre-licensure/initial inspection reports for licensed center/group home and licensed family child care. d. Does the Lead Agency certify that the monitoring and inspection reports or the summaries are in plain language that is understandable to parents and other consumers? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: e. Does the Lead Agency certify that there is a process for correcting inaccuracies in the monitoring and inspection reports? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: f. Does the Lead Agency maintain monitoring and inspection reports on the consumer education website? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: 5.5.5 Qualifications and training of licensing inspectors Lead Agencies must ensure that individuals who are hired as licensing inspectors (or qualified monitors designated by the Lead Agency) are qualified to inspect child care providers and facilities and have received health and safety training appropriate to the provider setting and age of the children served. Describe how the Lead Agency ensures that licensing inspectors (or qualified monitors designated by the Lead Agency) are qualified and have received training on health and safety requirements that are appropriate to the age of the children in care and the type of provider setting. Individuals must meet the experience and training of the position posting and then once hired as licensing inspectors they undergo a thorough training in accordance with an established training plan which includes reading and reviewing with supervisors materials, including the Licensing Division's policy and procedure manual that covers topics such as general expectations of conduct during inspections, initial licensing, conducting complaints, reviewing selected portions of the National Association for Regulatory Administration Licensing Curriculum, a line-by-line review of the licensing regulations for each licensed type and memos of direction, on-line trainings and videos, and shadowing seasoned inspectors in the field. All OEC employees complete a mandatory diversity training within 6 months of hire. All licensing inspectors have been trained in all the health and safety topic areas based on Connecticut's Licensing Regulations. The inspectors also view the online Health and Safety Orientation program which is being offered to providers. 5.5.6 Ratio of licensing inspectors Lead Agencies must ensure the ratio of licensing inspectors to child care providers and facilities in the State/Territory are maintained at a level sufficient to enable the Lead Agency to conduct effective inspections of child care providers and facilities on a timely basis in accordance with federal, State, and local laws. Provide the ratio of licensing inspectors to child care providers (i.e., number of inspectors per number of child care providers) and facilities in the State/Territory and include how the ratio is sufficient to conduct effective inspections on a timely basis. The average current ratio of staff to licensed programs is currently approximately 1:115 (includes license-exempt programs). There is no specific policy regarding licensing inspector ratios. Current statute requires at least annual inspection of each licensed program and this requirement is always met with current staffing