The National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance (ECQA Center) is pleased to share an updated series of briefs about the health and safety training topics required in the 2016 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Program Final Rule for all child care providers that receive payment from the CCDF subsidy program.

Licensing and CCDF administrators may find these briefs helpful as they consider revisions to standards for both licensed and license-exempt providers. These briefs may also be useful in developing health and safety guidelines for child care providers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—especially the brief about the prevention and control of infectious disease—because all the briefs provide links to best practice guidelines and examples of regulatory language on the topics.

This series of CCDF health and safety requirements briefs, updated in July 2020, provides an overview of national guidelines and state requirements related to the following topics:

·       Brief #1: Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases

·       Brief #2: Administering Medications

·       Brief #3: Prevention of and Response to Emergencies Due to Food and Allergic Reactions

·       Brief #4: Reducing the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Using Safe Sleeping Practices

·       Brief #5: Building and Physical Premises Safety

·       Brief #6: Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning

·       Brief #7: Handling, Storing, and Disposing of Hazardous Materials and Biological Contaminants

·       Brief #8: Transportation of Children.

Each brief includes the following:

·       Links to relevant standards from Caring for Our Children Basics: Health and Safety Foundations for Early Care and Education, which represent the minimum health and safety standards that experts believe should be in place when children are cared for outside their homes

·       Links to relevant standards in Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, CFOC Online Standards Database, which represent best practices with respect to health and safety in early care and education settings and helps programs and providers implement Caring for Our Children Basics standards, understand the research and rationale behind the standards, and move to higher levels of quality in health and safety

·       Data from the 2017 Child Care Licensing Study about licensing requirements for child care centers, family child care homes, and group child care homes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia

·       Examples of regulatory requirements for licensed and license-exempt providers that represent a range of approaches taken by the 50 states, District of Columbia, and 5 territories

·       Additional resources and tools to support states, territories, and tribes in the development and revision of health and safety requirements for child care settings.

For additional information and support, please visit the ECQA Center website or email us at QualityAssuranceCenter@ecetta.info.

Office of Child Care

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Mary E. Switzer Building, Fourth Floor, MS 4425

330 C Street, S.W.

Washington, DC  20201

General office number: (202) 690-6782

Fax: (202) 690-5600

General email: occ@acf.hhs.gov

Website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ