Virginia Law

The following words and terms when used in this part shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Accessible" means capable of being entered, reached, or used.

"Adult" means any individual 18 years of age or older.

"Age and stage appropriate" means the curriculum, environment, equipment, and adult-child interactions are suitable for the ages of the children within a group and the individual needs of any child.

"Assistant" means an individual who helps the provider in the care, protection, supervision, and guidance to children in the home.

"Attendance" means the actual presence of an enrolled child.

"Body fluids" means urine, feces, vomit, saliva, blood, nasal discharge, eye discharge, and injury or tissue discharge.

"Caregiver" means an individual who provides care, protection, supervision, and guidance to children in the home and includes the provider and assistant.

"Child" means any individual less than 18 years of age.

"Child experiencing homelessness" means a child who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes:

1. A child who is living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station, or similar settings;

2. A child who is sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as "doubled-up");

3. A child who is living in a motel, hotel, trailer park, or camping grounds due to lack of alternative adequate accommodations;

4. A child who is living in congregate, temporary, emergency, or transitional shelters;

5. A child who is abandoned in a hospital;

6. A child who is living in a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; and

7. A child who is a migratory child as defined in § 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, P.L. No. 89-10 (20 USC § 6399) who qualifies as homeless because he is living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii) of 42 U.S.C. § 11434a(2)(B).

"Child with special needs or disability" means (i) a child with a disability as defined in § 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 USC § 1401); (ii) a child who is eligible for early intervention services under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 USC § 1431 et seq.); (iii) a child who is less than 13 years of age and who is eligible for services under § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 USC § 794); and (iv) a child with a documented developmental disability, intellectual disability, emotional disturbance, sensory or motor impairment, or significant chronic illness who requires special health surveillance or specialized programs, interventions, technologies, or facilities.

"Cleaned" means treated in such a way as to remove dirt and debris by scrubbing and washing with soap and water or detergent solution and rinsing with water or the use of an abrasive cleaner on inanimate surfaces.

"Communicable disease" means a disease caused by a microorganism (bacterium, virus, fungus, or parasite) that can be transmitted from person to person via an infected body fluid or respiratory spray, with or without an intermediary agent (such as a louse or mosquito) or environmental object (such as a table surface). Some communicable diseases are reportable to the local health authority.

"Department" means the Virginia Department of Education.

"Department representative" means an employee or designee of the Virginia Department of Education, acting as the authorized agent of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

"Evacuation" means movement of occupants out of the building to a safe area near the building.

"Evening care" means care provided after 7 p.m. but not through the night.

"Family day home" means a child day program offered in the residence of the provider or the home of any of the children in care for one through 12 children less than 13 years of age, exclusive of the provider's own children and any children who reside in the home, when at least one child receives care for compensation.

"Inaccessible" means not capable of being entered, reached, or used.

"Infant" means a child from birth to 16 months of age.

"Lockdown" means a situation where children are isolated from a security threat, and access within and to the home is restricted.

"Overnight care" means care provided after 7 p.m. and through the night.

"Over-the-counter or nonprescription medication" means medication that can be purchased without a written prescription. This includes herbal remedies and vitamin and mineral supplements.

"Parent" means a parent by blood, marriage, or adoption and also means a legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis.

"Preschool" means a child from two years up to the age of eligibility to attend public school, age five years by September 30 of that same year.

"Provider" means a person, entity, or organization providing child care services.

"Residence" means the principal legal dwelling that is occupied for living purposes by the provider or a child in care and contains the facilities necessary for sleeping, eating, cooking, and family living.

"Sanitized" means treated in such a way as to remove bacteria and viruses from inanimate surfaces through first cleaning and secondly using a solution of one tablespoon of bleach mixed with one gallon of water and prepared fresh daily or using a sanitizing solution approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The surface of the item is sprayed or dipped into the sanitizing solution and then allowed to air dry for a minimum of two minutes or according to the sanitizing solution instructions.

"School age" means eligible to attend public school, age five years or older by September 30 of that same year.

"Serious injury" means a wound or other specific damage to the body, such as unconsciousness; broken bones; dislocation; a deep cut requiring stitches; poisoning; concussion; or a foreign object lodged in eye, nose, ear, or other body orifice.

"Shaken baby syndrome" or "abusive head trauma" means a traumatic injury that has been inflicted upon the brain of an infant or young child. The injury can occur during violent shaking causing the child's head to whip back and forth, the brain to move about, and blood vessels in the skull to stretch and tear.

"Shelter-in-place" means movement of occupants of the building to designated protected spaces within the building.

"Toddler" means a child from 16 months of age up to 24 months of age.

"Vendor" means a legally operating child care provider who is approved by the department to participate in the Child Care Subsidy Program. Multiple facilities or sites operated by the same person, entity, or organization are considered separate vendors.

"Vendor agreement" means the agreement between the department and a vendor that must be entered into and signed before child care payments paid to the vendor under the Child Care Subsidy Program can be authorized.

"Volunteer" means a person who works at the family day home and:

1. Is not paid for services provided in the family day home;

2. Is not counted in the caregiver-to-children ratios; and

3. Is in sight and sound supervision of a caregiver when working with a child.

Any unpaid person not meeting this definition shall be considered a "caregiver" and shall meet caregiver requirements.