Or. Admin. Code § 414-320-0200 - [Effective 7/1/2025] Policies

(1) A certified ONB program must have written policies identified in 414-320-0200(2)(a)-(y) and provide them to:

(a) Staff and volunteers at the time of hire and when policies change; and

(b) Parents at the time of a child's enrollment and when policies change.

(2) A certified ONB program must provide the following written information to parents, staff, and volunteers:

(a) Name, business address, physical location, and business telephone number of the person(s) who has immediate responsibility for the daily operation of the certified ONB program;

(b) A program description including the licensed capacity, ages and number of children in care, hours, days and months of operation, closure dates and observed holidays, and staff-to-child ratios;

(c) Arrival and departure procedures, including sign in and out requirements and individuals authorized for pick-up;

(d) Parent responsibilities for providing current required information and what parents are expected to provide;

(e) Health policies and procedures to include diaper changing and handwashing methods, immunization tracking, medication administration, use of insect repellent and sunscreen, care of bed linen, care of children who are ill and exclusion criteria, and response to injuries (also see OAR 414-320-1020), Injuries);

(f) Safety measures including injury prevention, use of pesticides and other potentially toxic substances, animals, water activities, and prohibited substances;

(g) A plan to ensure that any visitor or other adult not enrolled or conditionally enrolled in the CBR does not have unsupervised access to children;

(h) Emergency preparedness plan (also see OAR 414-320-0210, Emergency Preparedness and Response);

(i) ONB program curriculum philosophy on how children learn and develop in nature and how this philosophy is implemented;

(j) Daily schedules that include planned activities, rest time, physical activity, and screen time;

(k) Certified ONB program-sponsored religious and cultural activities, if any, including how holidays will be recognized;

(l) Meals, snacks, and food service practices including food storage and handling, children's dietary needs and allergies, and food brought from the child's home;

(m) Transportation and field trips including driver and vehicle requirements and supervision;

(n) Behavior and guidance policies;

(o) How staff must proceed if a child is displaying inappropriate behaviors that could endanger themselves or the safety of others;

(p) Communication methods and notifications, including how parent grievances, questions, or concerns are handled by the certified ONB program;

(q) Prevention of and duty to report suspected child abuse and neglect;

(r) How to view inspection reports, access the Department of Early Learning and Care website and ONB program certification rules, and contact DELC and child abuse and neglect hotline;

(s) A statement advising parents that they can access information about child care programs on the child care safety portal;

(t) How the certified ONB program will ensure that children in care stay within the licensed premises;

(u) The certified ONB program's benefit risk assessment policies and applicable procedures, per OAR 414-320-0215;

(v) What clothing and additional equipment families must provide to ensure that children are appropriately attired for various weather conditions;

(w) Policies and procedures for certified ONB program operations in weather conditions that may pose a health or safety risk for children and staff;

(x) Toileting policies and applicable procedures for staff and children; and

(y) How the certified ONB program will determine whether to cancel or alter the scheduled daily ONB program based on weather conditions and how staff will communicate any scheduling changes to families.

(3) A certified ONB program must have written personnel policies for staff and volunteers that include at a minimum:

(a) Position descriptions, job duties assigned, and supervision of each position; and

(b) Initial and ongoing training requirements.

(4) If a certified ONB program uses volunteers, the program must provide a copy of volunteer policies to any volunteers that includes procedures for ensuring training if the volunteer counts in the staff-to-child ratio, compliance with certification rules and ONB program procedures, and an understanding of emergency preparedness plans.

(5) A certified ONB program must have and follow risk management policies and procedures to address potential hazards and risks of the ONB program. These must include, but are not limited to, policies or procedures related to the following:

(a) Encountering non-ONB program pets and wildlife pursuant to OAR 414-320-1400, Domestic Animals and Pets, and 414-320-1350, Encountering Wildlife Supervision and Safety;

(b) Interacting with strangers, preventing unsupervised access to any child in care, pursuant to OAR 414-320-0500, Supervision of Children;

(c) The shared use of public space or any outdoor space not under the exclusive control of the certified ONB program;

(d) Weather requiring the use of an emergency shelter;

(e) Required clothing and keeping children dressed for the weather pursuant to OAR 414-320-0940, Weather Conditions and Outdoor Hazards;

(f) Using public facilities or buildings;

(g) Encountering poisonous species; and

(h) All other potentially hazardous situations and natural features.

(6) As required by state and federal civil rights laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a certified ONB program cannot discriminate against any child on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, marital status of parent, or because of a need for special care.

(a) Suspected violations will be reported to the overseeing agency, with whom DELC may share any information available to it.

(b) DELC may deny an initial or renewal application or revoke a regular or temporary certification if a certified ONB program is determined to have discriminated in violation of this requirement by any authority with jurisdiction to make the determination.

(7) A certified ONB program's decision whether to provide or continue care for a child known to have specific needs must be made after an individualized assessment is completed. The assessment must be based on information from parents, professionals who are knowledgeable about the child's care needs, and certified ONB program personnel. The assessment must be documented for each child and must include:

(a) Reasonable accommodations the certified ONB program made to support the individual child's participation in the program, or an explanation of why the certified ONB program could not make reasonable accommodations;

(b) Reasonable modifications the certified ONB program made to their policies and practices to fully integrate the child into the program or an explanation of why the certified ONB program could not make reasonable modifications; and

(c) If applicable, any direct threats to the health and safety of others posed by the child's presence at the facility.

Notes

Or. Admin. Code § 414-320-0200

DELC 2-2025, adopt filed 03/26/2025, effective 7/1/2025

Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 329A.260

Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 329A.280