Virginia Law

A. Prior to approval as a subsidy vendor, the perspective vendor shall complete Virginia Preservice Training for Child Care Staff sponsored by the Department of Education, which shall include the following topics and training modules:

1. Building and physical premises safety;

2. Emergency preparedness and response planning;

3. Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and safe sleep practices;

4. Administration of medication, consistent with standards of parental consent;

5. Prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma (AHT);

6. Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions;

7. Recognizing child abuse and neglect and reporting responsibilities;

8. Preventing the spread of disease, including immunization requirements;

9. Handling and storage of hazardous materials and appropriate disposal of diapers and other items contaminated by body fluids;

10. Transportation;

11. Foundations of child development;

12. Inclusion: Exploring the meaning and the mindset;

13. Oral health; and

14. Introduction to the Child Care Subsidy Program.

B. Within the first 90 days of employment or service all caregivers shall complete Virginia Preservice Training for Child Care Staff sponsored by the Department of Education, which shall include training on the following topics and training modules:

1. Building and physical premises safety;

2. Emergency preparedness and response planning;

3. Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and safe sleep practices;

4. Administration of medication, consistent with standards of parental consent;

5. Prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma (AHT);

6. Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions;

7. Recognizing child abuse and neglect and reporting responsibilities;

8. Preventing the spread of disease, including immunization requirements;

9. Handling and storage of hazardous materials and appropriate disposal of diapers and other items contaminated by body fluids;

10. Transportation;

11. Foundations of child development;

12. Inclusion: Exploring the meaning and the mindset;

13. Oral health; and

14. Introduction to the Child Care Subsidy Program.

C. Orientation training for caregivers shall be completed on the following specific topics prior to the caregiver working alone with children and within seven days of the date of employment or the date of subsidy vendor approval:

1. Playground safety procedures;

2. Responsibilities for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect;

3. Confidentiality;

4. Supervision of children, including arrival and dismissal procedures;

5. Procedures for action in the case of lost or missing children, ill or injured children, medical and general emergencies;

6. Medication administration procedures, if applicable;

7. Emergency preparedness plan as required in 8VAC20-790-420 B;

8. Procedures for response to natural and man-made disasters;

9. Prevention of shaken baby syndrome or abusive head trauma including coping with crying babies and fussy or distraught children;

10. Prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices;

11. Caregivers who work with children who have food allergies shall receive training in preventing exposure to foods to which the child is allergic, preventing cross contamination and recognizing and responding to any allergic reactions; and

12. Transportation.

D. All caregivers shall have within 90 days of employment or 90 days from subsidy vendor approval:

1. Current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) appropriate to the ages of children in care. The training shall include an in-person competency demonstration; and

2. Current certification in first aid appropriate to the ages of children in care. However, a caregiver who is a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse with a current license from the Board of Nursing shall not be required to obtain first aid certification.

During the 90-day period, there must always be at least one caregiver with current cardiopulmonary and first aid training present during operating hours of the family day home.

E. CPR and first aid training may count toward the annual training hours required in subsection H of this section if documentation for training as required in subdivision 5 of 8VAC20-790-200 is maintained.

F. Caregivers who work directly with children shall, in addition to preservice and orientation training required in subsections A through D of this section, annually attend at least 16 hours of training, to include the department's health and safety update course. This training shall be related to child safety, child development, health and safety in the family day home environment, and any required department sponsored training.

G. To safely perform medication administration practices, whenever a vendor agrees to administer prescribed medications, the (i) administration shall be performed by a caregiver who has satisfactorily completed a training program for this purpose developed by the Board of Nursing and taught by a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine, or pharmacist or (ii) administration shall be performed by a caregiver who is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia to administer medications.

The vendor may determine by policy what medications, if any, will be administered at its family day home, including prescription medications or over-the-counter or nonprescription medications.

H. Caregivers required to have the training required in subsection I of this section shall be retrained at three-year intervals.