N.M. Admin. Code § 8.9.4.36

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 23, December 10, 2024

Section 8.9.4.36 - HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR HOMES

A. HYGIENE:

(1) Children and staff members will wash their hands with soap and warm running water as needed. Water basins shall not be used as an alternative to running water. Staff and children will wash their hands whenever hands are contaminated with body fluids and always:

(a) after using a toilet, assisting a child with toilet use, or changing a diaper;

(b) before and after caring for a sick child;

(c) before any food service activity, including setting the table;

(d) before and after eating or feeding a child;

(e) after handling pets or animals or items used by animals such as water and food bowls; and

(f) after handling trash.

(2) A home will label with the child's name and store separately any item used for an individual child's personal hygiene.

(3) If a home promotes tooth brushing activities, the provider will store toothbrushes so that they do not drip on other toothbrushes and so that they are separate from one another, with bristles exposed to the air to dry, labeled and not in contact with any other surface.

B. FIRST AID REQUIREMENTS:

(1) A home will keep a first-aid kit and a first-aid manual together in the home in a location inaccessible to children and easily accessible to adults. The first aid kit will contain, at a minimum: band aids, gauze pads, adhesive tape, scissors, soap, non-porous gloves, and a thermometer.

(2) A home will treat blood spills cautiously and promptly disinfect the area. Staff members will wear non-porous, single-use gloves when handling a blood spill, bloody diarrhea, bloody nose, or any other blood. A home will clean contaminated surfaces first with hot soapy water then with a disinfecting solution, which is effective against HIV and hepatitis B.

C. MEDICATION:

(1) A home will keep all medications in a locked and identified container inaccessible to children and will refrigerate medications when necessary. If the refrigerator is inaccessible to children, medications do not need to be in a locked container in the refrigerator.

(2) Homes will give medication only with written permission from parents or guardian, to be administered according to written directions from the prescribing physician. In the case of non-prescription medication, written instructions must be provided by the parent or guardian. For the purpose of this requirement (Paragraph (2) of Subsection C of 8.9.4.36 NMAC) only, non-prescription medications include sunscreen, insect repellent and diaper creams or other over the counter medications. With written authorization from the child's parent or guardian, sunscreen and insect repellant may be shared. Diaper cream shall not be shared.

(3) The licensee will be responsible for giving medication to children. The designated staff member will ensure non-prescription and prescription medications have a label with the child's name and the date the medication was brought to the home. A home will keep non-prescription and prescription medication in the original container with written instructions, including the name of medication, the dosage, and the hours and dates the child should receive the medicine.

(4) The licensee will keep and sign a written record of the dosage, date and time a child is given medication. This information will be provided to the parent or guardian who will initial/date acknowledgment of information received on the day the medication is given.

(5) When the medication is no longer needed, it shall be returned to the parents or guardians or destroyed. The home shall not administer expired medication.

D. ILLNESS AND NOTIFIABLE DISEASES:

(1) Children or staff members absent due to any notifiable disease will not return to the home without a signed statement from a physician.

(2) A home will separate and constantly observe a child who becomes sick at the home and promptly notify a parent or guardian of the child's illness.

(3) A home will send a child home when:

(a) the child's oral temperature is 101 degrees Fahrenheit or greater or armpit temperature is 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater and the child shows signs of illness or behavior changes; or

(b) the educator observes signs of contagious disease or severe illness.

N.M. Admin. Code § 8.9.4.36

Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXIII, Issue 20, October 25, 2022, eff. 11/1/2022