Health and safety requirements for certified centers

Policies for exclusion of sick children must include:

• When a child becomes sick, the certified center must immediately notify the sick child's parent or legal guardian and arrange for pick up. The child needs to be isolated in order to prevent the spread of illness.
• Isolating a sick child from other children in the program does not mean the child has to be in a separate space. It means the child should not be actively participating in activities with other children while waiting to be picked up.
• The definition of illness (sick) on the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) website states that an ill/sick child is one who is unable to participate in routine activities or needs more care than can be provided by the childcare/school staff. See Hennepin County infectious diseases in childcare and schools manual. For a list of contagious illnesses that need to be reported, see Minnesota Rules, part 4605.7040.

Policies for infectious disease outbreak control should minimally include a plan for notifying parents of an exposure. The notification:

• Can be done in many ways, including posting a notice on site in a conspicuous location, sending written notice home with parents, or emailing parents
• Should include the illness and date of potential exposure
• Can include additional information such as signs or symptoms to watch for and incubation periods
• Should not include any child-specific information.

By law, a number of infectious diseases must be reported to the Minnesota Department of Health. Learn more about what to report and the methods for reporting.

• Can be stored electronically, but must be able to be accessed.
• Can be recorded on any form.
• Can include exemptions, but must have a notarized signature.

Certified centers must have a policy for administering medication and maintain documentation of staff training on the medication administration policy. Medication includes prescription and nonprescription medication.

If the program chooses not to administer medication, the policy must state medication is not administered.

If the program chooses to administer medication, the policy for administering medication must include:

• Obtaining written permission
• Following instructions
• Storing medication
• Documenting administration.

The department has a form for recording parental permission and the administration of medication. It is recommended that a program uses the Child Care Center Medication Authorization form. Programs must document the administration of medication. Documentation must include:

• Child's first and last name
• Name of the medication or prescription number
• Date(s), time(s), and dosage(s)
• Name and signature of the person who administered the medicine.

It is recommended that the written permission and record of medication administration are kept in the child’s file for a minimum of three years.

Diapering products, sunscreen, and insect repellent must have written permission from the child's parent or legal guardian. Sunscreen and insect repellant must be stored out of reach of children. School age children can apply sunscreen under the supervision of staff who need to ensure the nonprescription medication is administered according to the manufacturer or health provider instructions.

Legal authority: Minn. Stat. 142C.11, Subd. 3

Policies for preventing and responding to allergies must require that by the first date a child attends a center, documentation of any known allergy is obtained from each child's parent or legal guardian. This can be included in enrollment forms or any required health care paperwork.

If a child has a known allergy (any allergy), the center must meet the following requirements. It is recommended that a center use the Allergy Form.

1. Maintain current information about the allergy in the child's record. The child specific information must include:

• Description of the allergy
• Triggers to allergens
• Techniques for avoiding exposure to allergens
• Symptoms if an allergic reaction were to occur (what to watch for)
• How to respond to an allergic reaction (including medications and dosages)
• Doctor’s contact information.

2. Ensure that each staff person who works directly with the child is trained in the allergy information. Documentation that staff were informed must be kept on site. It is required that staff are informed:

• At least annually (prior to the end of month in the subsequent year)
• When changes are made to the child’s allergy record.

3. Keep the child’s allergy information available:

• On site at all times
• When on field trips
• During transportation provided by the center
• Where food is prepared and served (for food allergies).

Legal authority: Minn. Stat. 142C.11, subd 4

Fire inspection. Prior to being granted certification, a center must provide documentation showing that a fire inspection was completed within the previous three years by the state fire marshal or local fire code inspector trained by the state fire marshal. A fire inspection may also be required if a program submits a change request to move the program location (new location – address, new space – same building, new construction – same building). 

Designated indoor and outdoor space. The certified center must maintain a floor plan of the building that shows where the primary indoor and outdoor spaces utilized by the center are located within/near the building.

Free of hazards. The certified center must ensure:

• The areas used by children must be kept clean and in good repair.
• The furniture or equipment is structurally sound and is appropriate to the age and the size of a child who uses the area.
• Hazardous items must be kept out of reach. Anything labeled "keep out of reach of children" should be inaccessible. Locked cabinets or closets are recommended, but not required.  Certified centers are required to have an emergency plan (see the Emergency Preparedness section below) which has a section on identification of hazards. When creating the policy for ensuring the center is free of hazards, ensure that it does not contradict the information in the written emergency plan.

Disposal of bodily fluids. If an exposure to bodily fluids occurs, the certified center must disinfect and dispose of any bodily fluids using gloves and in a securely sealed plastic bag.

​Legal authority: Minn. Stat. 142C.11, Subd. 5 

• The driver of the vehicle holds a valid driver's license, appropriate to the vehicle driven; and
• The center must comply with all seat belt and child passenger restraint system requirements under Minnesota Statutes, sections 169.685 and 169.686.

Certified centers must develop a risk reduction plan as specified in Minnesota Statutes, section 142C.11, subdivision 7 that identifies the general risks to children served by the certified center with a plan to minimize those risks. Certified centers may use the DCYF Risk Reduction Plan form to meet this requirement.

It is also required that staff are trained at orientation, at least once each calendar year and when changes are made to the Risk Reduction Plan. For more information on this requirement, see the Training requirements page.

Legal authority: Minn. Stat. 142C.11, Subd. 7 

Certified centers must have a policy on behavior guidance and ensure staff and volunteers use positive behavior guidance and do not subject children to: 

• Corporal punishment, including but not limited to rough handling, shoving, hair pulling, ear pulling, shaking, slapping, kicking, biting, pinching, hitting, and spanking; 
• Humiliation;
• Abusive language;
• The use of mechanical restraints, including tying;
• The use of physical restraints other than to physically hold a child when containment is necessary to protect a child or others from harm; 
• Prone restraints, as prohibited by section 245A.211; or 
• The withholding or forcing of food and other basic needs.

It is also required that staff are trained at orientation and at least once each calendar year on behavior guidance. For more information on this requirement, see the Training requirements page.

​Legal authority: Minn. Stat. 142C.11, Subd. 9 

Certified Centers must have a policy on supervision and ensure all staff supervise each child at all times. Staff may allow for variation based upon the ages and needs of the children and must intervene when necessary to ensure a child’s safety. In determining the appropriate level of supervision of a child, staff must consider:

• The age of a child;
• Individual differences and abilities; 
• Indoor and outdoor layout of the child care program; and
• Environmental circumstances, hazards, and risks.

It is also required that staff are trained at orientation and at least once each calendar year on supervision. For more information on this requirement, see the Training requirements page.

Legal authority: Minn. Stat. 142C.11, Subd. 10

Minnesota Department of Health has created an optional guidance document for professionals, providers, and others working with children in schools and child care settings, Minnesota Outdoor Air Quality Guidance for Schools and Child Care. The goal of the outdoor guidance is to lower the risk of negative impacts to children’s health due to poor air quality events.

Certified centers must have a policy for emergency preparedness and response using the Child Care Emergency Plan form (PDF). This form is required and must be specific to each individual certified center. 

It is also required that staff are trained at orientation and at least once each calendar year on the center-specific emergency plan. See Training requirements for certified child care centers for details on the required training and documentation of training.

Legal authority: Minn. Stat. 142C.13

Certified centers must conduct one evacuation and one shelter-in-place drill quarterly and document the time and date of the drills. See the Certified Child Care Center Drill Log Form.

Legal authority: Minn. Stat. 142C.13