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OCFP Office of Child and Family Policy |
Department
of Children and Family Services |
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Index No: 99-02 |
Issuance Date:
April 2, 1999 |
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Origin of Request: Central Office of
Licensing |
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Distribution: Licensing Staff,
Administrative Staff, Office of Child and Family Policy (A,L,P) |
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Key Words:
89 Ill. Adm. Code 406, Licensing
Standards for Day Care Homes, Sleeping Arrangements in Day Care Homes, Sofas, Love Seats |
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Approved by: |
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Policy Citation: Section
406.22 Children Under 30 Months of Age
d) Proper standards of hygiene shall be
observed in the home.
11) Sheets shall be changed when soiled, and
all sheets shall be changed routinely two times per week.
12) All beds shall be wiped clean as often as
necessary.
f) The equipment must be appropriate to
the developmental needs of the child in care.
1) Safe, sturdy, well‑constructed
individual cribs, playpens, or port‑a‑cribs for infants shall be
equipped with good firm, fitting mattresses made of waterproof materials that
can be washed. Washable cots may be
used for children 15 months of age and over.
2) Sleeping equipment for children under
15 months must have protection to prevent falls.
4)
Bed linens used on the cots, cribs, or playpens
shall be safe, tightly fitting, and washable.
Section 406.23
Night Care
e) Bed, crib, or cot and individual linen
and bedding shall be provided for each child except as herein provided:
1) A double bed shall be the minimum size
for sleeping two non‑enuretic children of the same sex.
2) Rubber sheets or suitable substitutes
shall be supplied when necessary.
3) If a crib is used there shall be no
more than one‑and‑one‑half inches of space between the
mattress and bed frame when the mattress is pushed flush at one corner of the
crib.
j) When possible, children shall be left
for care and picked up either before or after their normal sleeping period so
that there is minimum disturbance of the child during sleep.
Question: Are
children permitted to sleep on sofas or love-seats in day care homes?
Discussion: Subsections
406.22(d)(e) and (f) give guidelines for assuring the safety and cleanliness of
appropriate sleeping arrangements for children who are being provided care
during the day. The three primary areas
of concern for sleeping arrangements are:
cleanliness, safety and age appropriateness.
Infants (under 15 months) should be placed in
appropriate sleeping equipment that will prevent falls. The equipment and bed linen shall be kept
clean. Sleeping arrangements for
children over the age of 15 months shall be clean, safe and allow for quite
time. Subsection 406.22(f)(4) indicates
that bed linens used on cots, cribs, or playpens shall be safe, tightly fitting
and washable.
89 Ill. Adm. Code 406, Licensing Standards for
Day Care Homes does not indicate that sofas or love-seats cannot be used but,
sofas and love-seats would have to meet to requirements cited above in order to
be used as sleeping equipment. A sofa or love-seat would not be appropriate for
an infant under 15 months of age that may fall from it while sleeping. All places where a child naps, should be
comfortable and shall allow for quiet time.
Subsection 406.23(e) requires that a bed, crib,
or cot and individual linen and bedding be provided for each child when
providing night care. Sofas and
love-seats would not be appropriate sleep equipment for children in night time
care.
Response: Children
in day care settings may be allowed to nap on sofas or love-seats provided they
meet the safety and cleaning requirements required by 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406,
Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes.
Children in night time care may not be allowed to sleep for a full
night on sofas or love-seats. Short
naps (equivalent to an afternoon nap) in night time care would be acceptable.