This is a resend of our previous message, now available with translations in Spanish, Chinese, Somali, and Arabic at the end of the message.
SUBJECT: Best Practices for Maintaining a Safe and Secure Child Care Environment
The California Department of Social Services takes the health and safety of its licensees and the families and children they serve seriously. As such, the Department wants to remind child care licensees how to recognize a Community Care Licensing, Child Care Program (CCP), visit, and provide best practices for maintaining a safe and secure child care environment.
Recognizing a Licensing Visit
The CCP is required by law to conduct routine, unannounced inspection visits of licensed child care facilities. When a Licensing Program Analyst (LPA) arrives at your child care facility, they will introduce themselves and provide identification. The LPAs must carry their California state badge or business cards on their person:
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Licensees are encouraged to get acquainted with their LPAs by reaching out to the Regional Office (RO) to get into contact with them.
Best Practices for Maintaining a Safe and Secure Child Care Environment
If a licensee experiences an incident that threatens the physical or emotional health and safety of any child in care, the licensee should:
- Call 911 or local law enforcement, if there is an immediate health, safety or security incident.
- When safe but as soon as practical, file an Unusual Incident/Injury Report form LIC 624 (for child care centers) or LIC 624B (for family child care homes) to document the incident.
Additionally, licensees should consider evaluating and, if necessary, modifying, their policies and protocols related to:
- Identifying staff members authorized to respond to requests from a government officer of authority (e.g., CCP staff, including Licensing Program Analysts, Law Enforcement, Immigration Officers, etc.);
- Contingency plans including but not limited to, emergency phone numbers, authorized adults to pick and drop off, substitute providers, staffing needs, and emergency evacuation procedures;
- Storing and protecting records and personal information about parents, children, and staff;
- Communicating urgent information to staff and parents;
- Clearly communicating to staff and families about authorized visitors and how staff, parents, and guardians are able to access the facility;
- Establishing expectations for visitors, including guidance and responses to requests for access to facility grounds;
- Maintaining and updating records for emergency contacts and individuals authorized to pick up and drop off children.
- Providers may deny entry to unauthorized individuals whose presence or behavior poses a risk to children.
For licensees who are members of a union, including family child care home licensees who are members of the Child Care Providers United (CCPU), the union may have additional resources available to support you.
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