Section 250.10. Additional requirements for night care.

 

(1)   Applicability. Family child care centers which operate during any period of time between 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. shall comply with the requirements of this section.

(2)   General requirements.

(a) When the same premises are used for the operation of both day care and night care, the number of children during any overlapping of the day care and night care periods may not exceed the maximum licensed capacity of the center.

(b) Minimum staff-child ratios and group sizes as specified in Table DCF 250.05 shall be maintained during night care.

(c) The parent or center shall provide each child in night care with an individually labeled sleeping garment and a toothbrush.

(3)   Program.

(a) Child care staff shall ascertain from a child's parent a child's typical family activities during the period the child is at the center for night care and strive to replicate those activities with the child.

(b) A center offering night care shall provide a self-contained room away from sleeping children where an awake child may engage in activities.

(c) An evening and morning schedule of program activities shall be planned for the hours that children in night care are awake.

(d) School-age children shall have an opportunity to read or do school work.

(4)   Preventive measures.

(a) A provider shall develop, submit to the department for approval and implement a plan to evacuate sleeping children in an emergency. Review of the plan shall be part of orientation under s. DCF 250.05 (2) .

(b) Centers operating during hours of darkness shall have emergency lighting, such as an operable flashlight, readily available to a provider.

(c) Providers shall be awake, available, within call and able to respond to the needs of the children whenever children are in care.

(5)   Feeding.

(a) Breakfast shall be served to all children in care for the night, unless the parent specifies otherwise.

(b) A nighttime snack shall be available to all children in care.

(c) A child present at the time the evening meal is served shall be served the evening meal.

(6)   Sleep.

(a) Children who attend the center for the evening hours but not the whole night shall have an opportunity to sleep, as needed.

(b) Sleep routines for individual children shall be based on information provided by the parents.

(c) A bed, crib or cot with sheets and blankets individual to each child shall be provided for children spending the night.

(d) The center shall maintain a supply of extra sleeping garments and bedding for emergencies and accidents.

(e) Children under 2 years of age in night care shall sleep in cribs.

History: CR 03-052 : cr. Register December 2004 No. 588 , eff. 3-1-05; corrections in (2) (b) and (4) (a) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7. , Stats., Register November 2008 No. 635 .