(a) The Commissioner of Early Childhood shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to carry out the purposes of sections 19a-77 to 19a-80, inclusive, and 19a-82 to 19a-87, inclusive, and to assure that child care centers and group child care homes meet the health, educational and social needs of children utilizing such child care centers and group child care homes. Such regulations shall (1) specify that before being permitted to attend any child care center or group child care home, each child shall be protected as age-appropriate by adequate immunization against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, hemophilus influenzae type B and any other vaccine required by the schedule of active immunization adopted pursuant to section 19a-7f, including appropriate exemptions for children for whom such immunization is medically contraindicated and for children whose parents or guardian objects to such immunization on religious grounds, and that any objection by parents or a guardian to immunization of a child on religious grounds shall be accompanied by a statement from such parents or guardian that such immunization would be contrary to the religious beliefs of such child or the parents or guardian of such child, which statement shall be acknowledged, in accordance with the provisions of sections 1-32, 1-34 and 1-35, by (A) a judge of a court of record or a family support magistrate, (B) a clerk or deputy clerk of a court having a seal, (C) a town clerk, (D) a notary public, (E) a justice of the peace, or (F) an attorney admitted to the bar of this state, (2) specify conditions under which child care center directors and teachers and group child care home providers may administer tests to monitor glucose levels in a child with diagnosed diabetes mellitus, and administer medicinal preparations, including controlled drugs specified in the regulations by the commissioner, to a child receiving child care services at such child care center or group child care home pursuant to the written order of a physician licensed to practice medicine or a dentist licensed to practice dental medicine in this or another state, or an advanced practice registered nurse licensed to prescribe in accordance with section 20-94a, or a physician assistant licensed to prescribe in accordance with section 20-12d, and the written authorization of a parent or guardian of such child, (3) specify that an operator of a child care center or group child care home, licensed before January 1, 1986, or an operator who receives a license after January 1, 1986, for a facility licensed prior to January 1, 1986, shall provide a minimum of thirty square feet per child of total indoor usable space, free of furniture except that needed for the children's purposes, exclusive of toilet rooms, bathrooms, coatrooms, kitchens, halls, isolation room or other rooms used for purposes other than the activities of the children, (4) specify that a child care center or group child care home licensed after January 1, 1986, shall provide thirty-five square feet per child of total indoor usable space, (5) establish appropriate child care center staffing requirements for employees certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the National Safety Council, American Safety and Health Institute or Medic First Aid International, Inc., (6) specify that on and after January 1, 2003, a child care center or group child care home (A) shall not deny services to a child on the basis of a child's known or suspected allergy or because a child has a prescription for an automatic prefilled cartridge injector or similar automatic injectable equipment used to treat an allergic reaction, or for injectable equipment used to administer glucagon, (B) shall, not later than three weeks after such child's enrollment in such a center or home, have staff trained in the use of such equipment on-site during all hours when such a child is on-site, (C) shall require such child's parent or guardian to provide the injector or injectable equipment and a copy of the prescription for such medication and injector or injectable equipment upon enrollment of such child, and (D) shall require a parent or guardian enrolling such a child to replace such medication and equipment prior to its expiration date, (7) specify that on and after January 1, 2005, a child care center or group child care home (A) shall not deny services to a child on the basis of a child's diagnosis of asthma or because a child has a prescription for an inhalant medication to treat asthma, and (B) shall, not later than three weeks after such child's enrollment in such a center or home, have staff trained in the administration of such medication on-site during all hours when such a child is on-site, and (8) establish physical plant requirements for licensed child care centers and licensed group child care homes that exclusively serve school-age children. When establishing such requirements, the Office of Early Childhood shall give consideration to child care centers and group child care homes that are located in private or public school buildings. With respect to this subdivision only, the commissioner shall implement policies and procedures necessary to implement the physical plant requirements established pursuant to this subdivision while in the process of adopting such policies and procedures in regulation form. Until replaced by policies and procedures implemented pursuant to this subdivision, any physical plant requirement specified in the office's regulations that is generally applicable to child care centers and group child care homes shall continue to be applicable to such centers and homes that exclusively serve school-age children. The commissioner shall print notice of the intent to adopt regulations pursuant to this subdivision in the Connecticut Law Journal not later than twenty days after the date of implementation of such policies and procedures. Policies and procedures implemented pursuant to this subdivision shall be valid until the time final regulations are adopted.

(b) The commissioner may adopt regulations, pursuant to chapter 54, to establish civil penalties of not more than one hundred dollars per day for each day of violation and other disciplinary remedies that may be imposed, following a contested-case hearing, upon the holder of a license issued under section 19a-80 to operate a child care center or group child care home or upon the holder of a license issued under section 19a-87b to operate a family child care home.

(c) The commissioner shall exempt Montessori schools accredited by the American Montessori Society or the Association Montessori Internationale from any provision in regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section which sets requirements on group size or child to staff ratios or the provision of cots.

(d) Upon the declaration by the Governor of a civil preparedness emergency pursuant to section 28-9 or a public health emergency pursuant to section 19a-131a, the commissioner may waive the provisions of any regulation adopted pursuant to this section if the commissioner determines that such waiver would not endanger the life, safety or health of any child. The commissioner shall prescribe the duration of such waiver, provided such waiver shall not extend beyond the duration of the declared emergency. The commissioner shall establish the criteria by which a waiver request shall be made and the conditions for which a waiver will be granted or denied. The provisions of section 19a-84 shall not apply to a denial of a waiver request under this subsection.

(e) Any child care center or group child care home may provide child care services to homeless children and youths, as defined in 42 USC 11434a, as amended from time to time, for a period not to exceed ninety days without complying with any provision in regulations adopted pursuant to this section relating to immunization and physical examination requirements. Any child care center or group child care home that provides child care services to homeless children and youths at such center or home under this subsection shall maintain a record on file of all homeless children and youths who have attended such center or home for a period of two years after such homeless children or youths are no longer receiving child care services at such center or home.

(1967, P.A. 696, S. 5; P.A. 75-527, S. 4, 5; P.A. 76-38, S. 2, 3; P.A. 77-157, S. 3, 11; P.A. 78-303, S. 60, 136; P.A. 85-59, S. 1, 2; 85-495, S. 2, 7; 85-613, S. 41, 154; P.A. 88-182, S. 2, 3; P.A. 90-97; P.A. 91-327, S. 4, 8; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 94-38; 94-213, S. 2; May 25 Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-1, S. 129, 130; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; 95-360, S. 16, 22, 32; P.A. 97-14, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-4, S. 48, 58; P.A. 02-84, S. 1; P.A. 04-221, S. 24, 32; P.A. 07-252, S. 83; P.A. 10-90, S. 1; P.A. 14-39, S. 49; P.A. 15-174, S. 2; 15-227, S. 7; P.A. 18-172, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 75-527 required consultation with office of child day care; P.A. 76-38 changed placement of phrase re consultation with office of child day care; P.A. 77-157 included regulations re group day care homes; P.A. 78-303 replaced public health council with commissioner of health services; Sec. 19-43d transferred to Sec. 19a-79 in 1983; P.A. 85-59 made the existing section Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) re exemptions for certain Montessori schools; P.A. 85-495 removed a reference to the office of child day care as consulting authority re regulatory power; P.A. 85-613 made technical changes; P.A. 88-182 amended Subsec. (a) to delete provisions requiring consultation with the child day care council; P.A. 90-97 added language in Subsec. (a) on the administration of medication; P.A. 91-327 directed the department to establish regulations to require immunization according to the schedule established by the department before attending a child day care center or group day care home; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-38 added Subsec. (a)(3) and (4) re minimum square footage requirements; P.A. 94-213 amended Subsec. (a) to add reference to prescriptions by advanced practice registered nurses and physicians assistants; May 25 Sp. Sess. 94-1 amended Subsec. (a) to add the word “total” before indoor usable space; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 95-360 substituted Sec. 19a-82 for Sec. 19a-81 in Subsec. (a) and inserted new Subsec. (b) re adoption of regulations on civil penalties and disciplinary remedies, relettering the former Subsec., effective July 13, 1995; P.A. 97-14 added provision re diabetes monitoring in Subsec. (a)(2); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-4 amended Subsec. (a) by making technical changes and adding Subdiv. (5) re staffing requirements for employees certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation; P.A. 02-84 added Subsec. (a)(6) providing for regulations prohibiting a child day care center or group day care home from denying services to a child based on the child's known or suspected allergy or because the child has a prescription for certain automatic injectable medication equipment, requiring the training of staff in the use of such equipment, and requiring the child's parent or guardian to provide the equipment and a copy of the prescription and to replace the medication or equipment prior to its expiration date; P.A. 04-221 amended Subsec. (a)(5) by allowing certification by the National Safety Council, American Safety and Health Institute and Medic First Aid International, Inc., effective June 8, 2004, and amended Subsec. (a)(6) by adding provision re use of injectable equipment to administer glucagon in Subpara. (A) and making technical changes in Subpara. (B), and added Subsec. (a)(7) re services for children with asthma; P.A. 07-252 added Subsec. (d) establishing process for certain child day care centers and group day care homes to obtain a variance to physical plant requirements adopted as regulations pursuant to Subsec. (a), effective July 12, 2007; P.A. 10-90 added Subsec. (a)(8) re commissioner's responsibility to adopt regulations that establish physical plant requirements for certain child day care centers and group day care homes and deleted former Subsec. (d) re authorization provided to certain child day care centers and group day care homes to seek a variance from physical plant requirements, effective May 26, 2010; P.A. 14-39 replaced references to Commissioner and Department of Public Health with references to Commissioner and Office of Early Childhood, effective July 1, 2014; P.A. 15-174 amended Subsec. (a)(1) to add provision re objection on religious grounds to be accompanied by acknowledged statement that immunization would be contrary to religious beliefs, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 15-227 replaced “child day care center” with “child care center”, “group day care home” with “group child care home” and “family day care home” with “family child care home” and added Subsec. (d) re waiver of regulations during civil preparedness or public health emergency, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 18-172 made a technical change in Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (e) re provision of child care services to homeless children and youths for period not to exceed 90 days without complying with immunization and physical examination requirements, effective July 1, 2018.