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Rule 7.5 Health and Safety Requirements

The following requirements describe the expectations and requirements for all CCPP providers and will be monitored by the Mississippi State Department of Health:

Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Including Immunizations)

Each child receiving CCDF subsidy and any caregiver providing subsidized childcare have current immunizations. Providers must maintain the following records for each child and each caregiver on site, and readily accessible for review by MDHS or MSDH.

Certificate of Immunization Compliance (MSDH Form 121, signed by the District Health Officer, a physician, nurse, or designee);

OR

Certificate of Medical Exemption (MSDH Form 122, must be approved and signed by the MSDH District Health Officer from the public health district or the State Epidemiologist). Acceptance of exemptions from immunization requirements is at the discretion of the child care provider.

Homeless children and children in foster care who receive CCPP assistance shall be granted a ten (10) day grace period from the date of admission into a CCPP-approved child care program to obtain the necessary immunization records. Payment for these children during the grace period shall not be considered an error or an improper payment.

Prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and the Use of Safe-Sleep Practices

A safe sleep environment for infants to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is required as follows:

1. An infant shall be placed on his/her back for sleeping unless written physician orders to the contrary are in the child's record. Sleeping infants shall be within the view of the staff and visually checked regularly when sleeping. Nothing shall obstruct the view of the staff or prevent the staff from clearly seeing infants or children.

2. Infants shall be dressed in clothing appropriate for sleeping that is designed to keep the infant warm without the possible hazard of head covering or entrapment. The room shall be kept at a draft-free seasonally appropriate temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit to seventy-eight (78) degrees Fahrenheit. If a child is already asleep and not dressed in clothing appropriate for sleeping, the caregiver does not need to awaken the infant to change his or her clothes.

3. Facilities shall use a firm mattress covered by a fitted sheet.

4. Items such as but not limited to pillows, blankets, sheepskins, bumpers, soft objects, stuffed toys, loose bedding, etc., shall not be in the crib.