FACILITY PERSONS
§ 3270.31. Age and training.
(a) A volunteer shall be 16 years of age or older and shall be directly supervised at all times by a staff person.
(b) A staff person shall be 18 years of age or older.
(c) An individual 16 years of age or older who is enrolled in an approved training curriculum may be used as a staff person, if the following guidelines are met:
(1) The curriculum is conducted by an institution approved by the Department of Education and accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council on Postsecondary Education and acceptable to the Department of Education.
(2) The curriculum includes acceptable training topics referenced in subsection (e)(2).
(3) The curriculum includes a minimum total of 600 clock hours, distributed as follows:
(i) A minimum of 400 clock hours of classroom training.
(ii) A minimum of 200 clock hours of supervised training in a child care facility.
(4) A representative of the training institution certifies in writing that the individual has completed the required classroom training and is currently enrolled in the curriculum.
(5) The written certification required in paragraph (4) shall be retained in the staff file at the facility.
(d) Child care professional credentials are equivalent to the staff qualifications:
(1) A Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or a Certified Childcare Professional (CCP) credential is equivalent to 9 credit hours from an accredited college or university in early childhood education or child development and 1 year of experience with children.
(2) A Pennsylvania school-age professional credential is equivalent to 9 credit hours from an accredited college or university in elementary education or child development and 1 year of experience with children.
(e) A staff person shall obtain an annual minimum of 12 clock hours of child care training.
(1) Acceptable training is conducted in one or more of the following settings:
(i) By a secondary or postsecondary institution approved by the Department of Education and accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council of Postsecondary Accreditation and acceptable to the Department of Education.
(ii) By an entity that is licensed or certified professionally competent in the training topic.
(iii) In conferences or workshops.
(iv) With audio-visual materials recognized by child care professionals.
(2) Acceptable training topics include the following:
(i) Child or staff health.
(ii) Child development, early childhood education and special education.
(iii) Supervision, discipline and guidance of children.
(iv) Nutrition for children.
(v) Child care program development.
(vi) Child care staff person or volunteer professional development.
(3) Other training topics may be submitted for the Department’s review and approval.
(4) Depending on the provisions of the appropriate regulation, training may be required for certain staff persons. The following constitutes competence in training areas:
(i) Pediatric first-aid training and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Competence is the completion of training by a professional in the field of first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). All staff persons shall renew their certification in pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR on or before the expiration of the most current certification.
(ii) Firesafety training. Staff persons shall participate, at least annually, in firesafety training conducted by a fire protection professional. Staff persons and volunteers shall receive training in maintenance of smoke detectors, the duties of facility persons during a fire drill and during a fire and the use of the facility’s fire extinguishers, not including discharge of the fire suppressant agent.
(iii) Lifeguard training. Competence is the completion of lifeguard training, including first-aid training and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for child and infant.
(iv) Water safety instruction. Competence is the completion of basic instruction in water safety from a certified lifeguard.
(f) Staff persons shall complete professional development in the following topics within 90 days of hire:
(1) Prevention and control of infectious diseases (including immunization) and the establishment of a grace period that allows homeless children and children in foster care to receive services under this subchapter while their families (including foster families) are taking necessary action to comply with immunization and other health and safety requirements.
(2) Prevention of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and use of safe sleep practices.
(3) Administration of medication, consistent with standards for parental consent.
(4) Prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions.
(5) Building and physical premises safety, including identification of and protection from hazards that can cause bodily injury such as electrical hazards, bodies of water and vehicular traffic.
(6) Prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma.
(7) Emergency preparedness and response planning for emergencies resulting from a natural disaster or a man-caused event (such as violence at a child care facility) within the meaning of those terms under section 602(a)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.A. § 5195a(a)(1)).
(8) Handling and storage of hazardous materials and appropriate disposal of biocontaminants.
(9) Precautions when transporting children.
(10) Pediatric first aid and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
(g) Completion of professional development shall be documented by the signature and title of a representative of the professional development entity and include the date professional development was completed. Documentation shall be retained in the facility person’s file or maintained in an electronic system as designated by the Department. Documentation of the completion of the professional development under subsection (f) taken from September 30, 2016, forward satisfies this requirement.
(h) All staff persons shall complete the professional development under subsection (f).
(i) Professional development under subsection (f) may count towards the annual clock hours in subsection (e) on a one-time basis.
(j) Staff persons shall obtain available ongoing professional development relating to the health and safety topics as specified in subsection (f) prior to obtaining professional development in other topics as permitted in subsection (e)(2).
Authority The provisions of this § 3270.31 amended under Articles IX and X of the Human Services Code (62 P.S. § § 901—922 and 1001—1088).
Source The provisions of this § 3270.31 amended May 23, 2008, effective September 22, 2008, 38 Pa.B. 2437; corrected September 19, 2008, effective May 24, 2008, 38 Pa.B. 5168; amended December 18, 2020, effective December 19, 2020, except that current staff in child care facilities have 180 days from the effective date of the final-form rulemaking to meet the requirements in subsection (f), 50 Pa.B. 7133. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (338566) to (338568).
Cross References This section cited in 55 Pa. Code § 3270.11 (relating to application for and issuance of a certificate of compliance); 55 Pa. Code § 3270.36 (relating to assistant group supervisor qualifications and responsibilities); 55 Pa. Code § 3270.37 (relating to aide qualifications and responsibilities); 55 Pa. Code § 3270.115 (relating to water activity); and 55 Pa. Code § 3270.241 (relating to requirements specific to school-age programs).
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