Bill > HF4382

This bill modernizes and encodes rules for licensed child care centers and family child care programs, establishing new requirements for various aspects of child care operations. Key provisions include updated definitions for age categories (infant, toddler, preschooler, school-age), detailed qualifications for directors, teachers, assistant teachers, aides, volunteers, and substitutes, along with specific training requirements for staff orientation and ongoing professional development, covering topics like child development, health and safety, abusive head trauma, and CPR. The bill also sets clear staff-to-child ratios and maximum group sizes based on age categories, outlines staff distribution patterns within programs, and details policies for naps, rest, and behavior guidance, prohibiting corporal punishment and certain forms of restraint. It mandates specific requirements for furnishings, equipment, and materials, including safety standards and accessibility for children, and addresses the needs of children with special health care requirements or disabilities through individual child care program plans. The bill further establishes regulations for night care programs, drop-in child care programs, and sick care programs, including specific staffing and facility requirements. Health and safety are emphasized through provisions on cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, food and nutrition standards aligned with federal guidelines, safe water supplies, and pest control. It also outlines requirements for transportation, field trips, facility maintenance, emergency preparedness, and reporting of incidents, including maltreatment. For family child care, the bill details licensing processes, capacity limits, caregiver qualifications, and specific training requirements for various roles, along with rules for pets, firearms, and swimming pool safety. The bill aims to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for children by updating and consolidating existing regulations into new chapters (142H and 142I) and repealing outdated statutes and rules, with an effective date of July 1, 2027.

Education

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/94/2026/0/HF/4382/