health-and-safety-emergency-preparedness-and-response-planning

Reason(s) for non-compliance: • The Lead Agency standard for emergency preparedness and response planning does not include volunteer training or practice drills for licensed centers, as required by 98.41(a)(1)(vii). (Plan Question 5.3.7vi) • The Lead Agency does not require pre-service or orientation training on emergency preparedness and response planning for licensed centers, licensed family child care homes, license-exempt centers, license-exempt family child care homes, or license- exempt in-home providers, as required by 98.44(b)(1)(i). (Plan Question 5.4.1g) • The Lead Agency does not require an annual unannounced inspection for licensed centers for compliance with standards for emergency preparedness and response planning or with related pre-service or orientation training requirements. Additionally, the Lead Agency does not require an annual unannounced inspection for licensed family child care providers, or an annual inspection for license-exempt centers or license- exempt family child care providers for compliance with pre-service or orientation training requirements related to emergency preparedness and response planning, as required by 98.42(b)(2)(i)(B) and 98.42(b)(2)(ii). (Plan Questions 5.5.1aii, 5.5.1bii, 5.5.2ai, and 5.5.2bi) Overall Target Completion Date: 09/30/2025 Action Step Number Action Step Description Target Completion Date 1 NH DHHS Child Care Licensing Unit completes rules-based inspections. Emergency preparedness and response training is listed in NH Administrative Rule He-C 6914 as a preservice/orientation requirement. 12/31/2024 2 NH Administrative Rule He-C 4002 will be revised to clarify that volunteers used as a staff person to meet child to staff ratios are required to complete emergency preparedness training and participate 09/30/2025 in drills. Once added to the rule, programs will be monitored for the requirement. 3 Due to edits in 2022 rule revision, the cross reference in the Emergency Operations Plan training requirements to the Emergency Operations Plan components inadvertently omitted communication and reunification with families. However, per He-C 4002.16(h), accommodations for infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children with chronic medical conditions is a required component of the response actions developed in the EOP in accordance with He-C 4002.16(g)(3), and the training requirement in He-C 4002.33(b)(14) specifies that training include the components in He-C 4002.16(g)(3). Therefore, NH respectfully disagrees that accommodations for infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children with chronic medical conditions is not covered as a required component of training in emergency preparedness. He-C 4002.16(g)(2) requires that EOPs include procedures for communications and reunification with families, and He-C 4002.16(j) requires that staff review EOPs within 30 days of hire. He-C 4002 is currently under revision and will specifically include communication and reunification with families as part of the training. Once added to the rule, programs will be monitored for the requirement. 09/30/2025 4 NH DHHS will identify edits to the individual requirements for emergency preparedness and response training to NH Administrative Rule He-C 6914. 12/31/2024 5 NH DHHS will review rule changes with the Department’s Administrative Rules Unit. Hold public hearing. Attend the Joint Legislative Committee for Administrative Rules meeting. 04/30/2025