2012 Minnesota Statutes

245A.50 FAMILY CHILD CARE TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.

Subdivision 1.Initial training.

(a) License holders, caregivers, and substitutes must comply with the training requirements in this section.

(b) Helpers who assist with care on a regular basis must complete six hours of training within one year after the date of initial employment.

Subd. 2.Child growth and development training.

(a) For purposes of family and group family child care, the license holder and each adult caregiver who provides care in the licensed setting for more than 30 days in any 12-month period shall complete and document at least two hours of child growth and development training within the first year of licensure. For purposes of this subdivision, "child growth and development training" means training in understanding how children acquire language and develop physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), individuals are exempt from this requirement if they:

(1) have taken a three-credit course on early childhood development within the past five years;

(2) have received a baccalaureate or master's degree in early childhood education or school-age child care within the past five years;

(3) are licensed in Minnesota as a prekindergarten teacher, an early childhood educator, a kindergarten to grade 6 teacher with a prekindergarten specialty, an early childhood special education teacher, or an elementary teacher with a kindergarten endorsement; or

(4) have received a baccalaureate degree with a Montessori certificate within the past five years.

Subd. 3.First aid.

(a) When children are present in a family child care home governed by Minnesota Rules, parts 9502.0315 to 9502.0445, at least one staff person must be present in the home who has been trained in first aid. The first aid training must have been provided by an individual approved to provide first aid instruction. First aid training may be less than eight hours and persons qualified to provide first aid training include individuals approved as first aid instructors.

(b) A family child care provider is exempt from the first aid training requirements under this subdivision related to any substitute caregiver who provides less than 30 hours of care during any 12-month period.

(c) Video training reviewed and approved by the county licensing agency satisfies the training requirement of this subdivision.

Subd. 4.Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

(a) When children are present in a family child care home governed by Minnesota Rules, parts 9502.0315 to 9502.0445, at least one staff person must be present in the home who has been trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and in the treatment of obstructed airways. The CPR training must have been provided by an individual approved to provide CPR instruction, must be repeated at least once every three years, and must be documented in the staff person's records.

(b) A family child care provider is exempt from the CPR training requirement in this subdivision related to any substitute caregiver who provides less than 30 hours of care during any 12-month period.

(c) Video training reviewed and approved by the county licensing agency satisfies the training requirement of this subdivision.

Subd. 5.Sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome training.

(a) License holders must document that before staff persons, caregivers, and helpers assist in the care of infants, they are instructed on the standards in section 245A.1435 and receive training on reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. In addition, license holders must document that before staff persons, caregivers, and helpers assist in the care of infants and children under school age, they receive training on reducing the risk of shaken baby syndrome. The training in this subdivision may be provided as initial training under subdivision 1 or ongoing annual training under subdivision 7.

(b) Sudden infant death syndrome reduction training required under this subdivision must be at least one-half hour in length and must be completed at least once every five years. At a minimum, the training must address the risk factors related to sudden infant death syndrome, means of reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in child care, and license holder communication with parents regarding reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

(c) Shaken baby syndrome training required under this subdivision must be at least one-half hour in length and must be completed at least once every five years. At a minimum, the training must address the risk factors related to shaken baby syndrome, means of reducing the risk of shaken baby syndrome in child care, and license holder communication with parents regarding reducing the risk of shaken baby syndrome.

(d) Training for family and group family child care providers must be approved by the county licensing agency.

(e) The commissioner shall make available for viewing by all licensed child care providers a video presentation on the dangers associated with shaking infants and young children. The video presentation shall be part of the initial and ongoing annual training of licensed child care providers, caregivers, and helpers caring for children under school age. The commissioner shall provide to child care providers and interested individuals, at cost, copies of a video approved by the commissioner of health under section 144.574 on the dangers associated with shaking infants and young children.

Subd. 6.Child passenger restraint systems; training requirement.

(a) A license holder must comply with all seat belt and child passenger restraint system requirements under section 169.685.

(b) Family and group family child care programs licensed by the Department of Human Services that serve a child or children under nine years of age must document training that fulfills the requirements in this subdivision.

(1) Before a license holder, staff person, caregiver, or helper transports a child or children under age nine in a motor vehicle, the person placing the child or children in a passenger restraint must satisfactorily complete training on the proper use and installation of child restraint systems in motor vehicles. Training completed under this subdivision may be used to meet initial training under subdivision 1 or ongoing training under subdivision 7.

(2) Training required under this subdivision must be at least one hour in length, completed at initial training, and repeated at least once every five years. At a minimum, the training must address the proper use of child restraint systems based on the child's size, weight, and age, and the proper installation of a car seat or booster seat in the motor vehicle used by the license holder to transport the child or children.

(3) Training under this subdivision must be provided by individuals who are certified and approved by the Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety. License holders may obtain a list of certified and approved trainers through the Department of Public Safety Web site or by contacting the agency.

(c) Child care providers that only transport school-age children as defined in section 245A.02, subdivision 19, paragraph (f), in child care buses as defined in section 169.448, subdivision 1, paragraph (e), are exempt from this subdivision.

Subd. 7.Training requirements for family and group family child care.

For purposes of family and group family child care, the license holder and each primary caregiver must complete eight hours of training each year. For purposes of this subdivision, a primary caregiver is an adult caregiver who provides services in the licensed setting for more than 30 days in any 12-month period. Ongoing training subjects must be selected from the following areas:

(1) "child growth and development training" has the meaning given in subdivision 2, paragraph (a);

(2) "learning environment and curriculum" includes training in establishing an environment and providing activities that provide learning experiences to meet each child's needs, capabilities, and interests;

(3) "assessment and planning for individual needs" includes training in observing and assessing what children know and can do in order to provide curriculum and instruction that addresses their developmental and learning needs, including children with special needs and bilingual children or children for whom English is not their primary language;

(4) "interactions with children" includes training in establishing supportive relationships with children, guiding them as individuals and as part of a group;

(5) "families and communities" includes training in working collaboratively with families and agencies or organizations to meet children's needs and to encourage the community's involvement;

(6) "health, safety, and nutrition" includes training in establishing and maintaining an environment that ensures children's health, safety, and nourishment, including child abuse, maltreatment, prevention, and reporting; home and fire safety; child injury prevention; communicable disease prevention and control; first aid; and CPR; and

(7) "program planning and evaluation" includes training in establishing, implementing, evaluating, and enhancing program operations.

Subd. 8.Other required training requirements.

(a) The training required of family and group family child care providers and staff must include training in the cultural dynamics of early childhood development and child care. The cultural dynamics and disabilities training and skills development of child care providers must be designed to achieve outcomes for providers of child care that include, but are not limited to:

(1) an understanding and support of the importance of culture and differences in ability in children's identity development;

(2) understanding the importance of awareness of cultural differences and similarities in working with children and their families;

(3) understanding and support of the needs of families and children with differences in ability;

(4) developing skills to help children develop unbiased attitudes about cultural differences and differences in ability;

(5) developing skills in culturally appropriate caregiving; and

(6) developing skills in appropriate caregiving for children of different abilities.

The commissioner shall approve the curriculum for cultural dynamics and disability training.

(b) The provider must meet the training requirement in section 245A.14, subdivision 11, paragraph (a), clause (4), to be eligible to allow a child cared for at the family child care or group family child care home to use the swimming pool located at the home.

History:

2007 c 112 s 22; 2009 c 26 s 4; 2009 c 142 art 2 s 21; 2010 c 329 art 1 s 11