(1) You must submit, through the licensing provider portal, a detailed written program description for LD approval. The description must outline:

(a) Your mission and goals;

(b) A description of the services you will provide to children and their families;

(c) Your written policies covering qualifications, duties, and ongoing training for developing and upgrading staff skills; and

(d) A description of your agency's policies and procedures.

(e) For staffed residential facilities in family homes, you must provide a written plan to the child's DCYF caseworker for the supervision of children in your care if you work outside of your staffed residential home.

(2) You must have a site inspection by your LD licensor or someone designated by LD who can verify that your premises have:

(a) Adequate storage for staff and client files;

(b) A landline working telephone;

(c) Adequate space for privacy when interviewing parents and children;

(d) Room or area used for administrative purposes;

(e) Adequate space for visitation;

(f) Appropriate furnishings for the children in your facility; and

(g) Your license clearly posted (if inspection is for a renewal license).

(3) All facilities described in this chapter, (except for staffed residential homes for five or fewer children), are required to meet the health requirements to receive a certificate of compliance from the DOH and the fire safety requirements from the WSP/FPB.

(4) You, your employees, and volunteers are required to submit, through the licensing provider portal, a negative tuberculosis (TB) test or an X-ray, unless you provide documentation of a negative TB test in the previous twelve months. If there is a positive TB test, then the individual must submit a physician's statement identifying that there is no active TB or risk of contagion to children in care.

(a) We may grant an exception to the TB test requirement, in consultation with a licensed health care provider.

(b) This exception would require a statement from a licensed health care provider (MD, DO, ND, PA or ARNP) indicating that a valid medical reason exists for not having a TB test.

(5) If you are being licensed to care for children under the age of two, you, your employees, and volunteers working in the facility caring for children under the age of two are required to provide, through the licensing provider portal, documentation verifying you have current pertussis and influenza vaccinations. The department may license you to serve children under the age of two even though you, your employees, or volunteers are unable to obtain an influenza vaccination for medical reasons. In this case, a licensed health care provider's statement is required noting that the influenza vaccination would result in severe medical consequences to the person and that there is no other form of the influenza vaccine that would not cause severe medical consequences. All other employees or volunteers must still be vaccinated. We recommend,but do not require, these immunizations for you, your employees, and volunteers when you serve children age two and older.

(6) You must submit, through the licensing provider portal, proof of current immunizations for any children living on the premises, not in out-of-home care. We may, in consultation with a licensed health care provider, grant exceptions to this requirement if you have a statement from a licensed health care provider, e.g., MD, DO, ND, PA or ARNP.