Rule 5180:2-19-09 | Policies and procedures, recordkeeping, and administration.
(A) What policies are to be developed and maintained for a school child program?
The program will develop and maintain written program policies and procedures that are consistent with the policies and procedures of the school district board of education. Such written policies and procedures will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:
(1) Program curriculum as stated in rule 5180:2-19-04 of the Administrative Code.
(2) Ages of children served.
(3) Hours and days of operation.
(4) Admission and registration.
(5) Fees and payment, if applicable.
(6) Enrollment of children with disabilities, including consultation with special education staff to make any needed program modifications.
(7) Maintenance of staff/child ratios and supervision plans.
(8) Child guidance as stated in rule 5180:2-19-08 of the Administrative Code and exclusion of children for disciplinary reasons, if applicable.
(9) Staff/parent communication and parent involvement, including information for parents about the program and its services, discussing their children's needs and progress, and procedures for addressing parent complaints.
(10) Procedures for preparing, handling, serving, and washing food, utensils, and equipment for meals and snacks, including obligations for meals, if offered, as stated in rule 5180:2-19-06 of the Administrative Code.
(11) Provision of a meal and/or snack to children who come to the program without a meal and/or snack to ensure that all children are provided with a meal and/or snack.
(12) Handling and/or exclusion of ill children and reporting communicable diseases, which includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(a) Training staff members on signs and symptoms, handwashing, and disinfecting equipment and materials.
(b) Isolating and excluding an ill child.
(c) Caring for a mildly ill child.
(13) Recording and reporting of incidents.
(14) Release of children to authorized individuals and continuity of care.
(a) A school child program will provide a written plan for communication between the program and the kindergarten through grade twelve system and identify public and nonprofit entities with whom they may cooperate for programming.
(b) With mutual agreement of the parent(s) or guardian and the school child program, school children may be permitted to leave the school child program for specific activities.
(15) Recording and reporting of absences, no shows, and missing persons.
(16) Transportation arrangements to and from the program.
(17) Transportation for field trips and obtaining parent permission including provision for children who do not attend the field trip.
(18) Child data privacy provisions.
(19) Reporting child abuse or suspicions of child abuse or neglect as stated in section 2151.421 of the Revised Code. The school child program staff members will neither abuse nor neglect children and will protect children from abuse or neglect while in the program's care.
(20) Parent participation regarding program design and evaluation, including how input will be considered by administrators.
(21) Nondiscrimination in providing services to children and their families on the basis of race, religion, cultural heritage, political beliefs, disability, or marital status.
(B) What are the supervision requirements for a licensed school child program?
Supervision means all of the following:
(1) Being aware of the developmental and behavioral needs as well as parental preferences of the child(ren) in care.
(2) Maintaining situational awareness of the children in care for at all times. Maintaining situational awareness may include the use of analog or digital technology (including mirrors) to supplement direct observation of the children in care but may not be the sole means of observation.
(3) Being aware of the activity a child is engaged in and being near enough to protect children from harm, meet their basic needs and respond to emergency circumstances.
(4) Being near enough to observe, respond and anticipate reasonably foreseeable hazards and threats.
(5) Being able to summon another adult for assistance in an emergency.
(C) What is included in a written supervision plan for a licensed school child program?
Written supervision plans may include the following options:
(1) Children may run errands or use the restroom without direct adult supervision in the area designated for the program's use by the site plan if the children are within hearing of a staff member, a staff member knows the whereabouts of the children at all times, or a staff member checks on the children every five minutes.
(2) Children in kindergarten grade and higher in groups of two or more may be without direct adult supervision in the area designated for the program's use by the site plan if the children are within sight or hearing of a staff member in adjoining or adjacent space, a staff member knows the whereabouts of the children at all times, and a staff member checks on the children every five minutes until they return to the group.
(3) When a group of children are outdoors, a staff member will be able to summon another adult without leaving the group alone or unsupervised. A school child in fourth grade or older may leave the group to summon an adult.
(D) What are the medicine administration requirements for a school child program?
(1) Medicine will be administered in accordance with program policies and procedures and only with written permission of a parent. Only employees who are licensed health care professionals or who have completed drug administration training may administer medicine pursuant to section 3313.713 of the Revised Code.
(2) All prescription medicine will be current within the last twelve months, kept in its original container, and have a legible label containing the child's name and written instructions for use from a licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or dentist. Medicine will be stored in a designated locked storage place, except that drugs that necessitate refrigeration may be kept in a refrigerator not accessible to children. An inhaler or nonprescription medicine may be available to a school child with a special health condition with parental permission in accordance with the program's policy.
(3) Except in cases of emergency, parents will give the first dose of any newly prescribed medicine so that they may personally observe the child's reaction.
(E) What are the emergency preparedness and response plan (EPRP) standards for a licensed school child program?
(1) The EPRP is to include procedures that will be used to prepare for and respond to the following types of emergency or disaster situations:
(a) A written security plan that ensures access to the program is limited to parents and guardians of children in care and authorized persons.
(b) Medical or dental emergencies, including emergency transportation.
(c) Weather emergencies and natural disasters which include severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, flash flooding, major snowfall, blizzards, ice storms, or earthquakes.
(d) Emergency outdoor or indoor lockdown due to threats of violence which includes active shooter, bioterrorism, or terrorism.
(e) Emergency evacuation and relocation procedures due to hazardous materials and spills, gas leaks or bomb threats; or due to threats of violence which include active shooter, bioterrorism, or terrorism.
(f) Outbreaks, epidemics, or other infectious disease emergencies.
(g) Loss of power, water, or heat.
(h) Other threatening situations that may pose a health or safety hazard to children in the program.
(2) The EPRP is to include details for:
(a) Emergency numbers for medical, dental, and transport-related emergencies, in addition to 9-1-1.
(b) Shelter in place or evacuation, how the school child program will care for and account for the children until they can be reunited with the parent.
(c) Assisting children with special needs and/or health conditions.
(d) A designated safe site where staff and children can safely relocate and remain when evacuated.
(e) Reunification with parents.
(i) Emergency contact information for the parents and the school child program.
(ii) Procedures for notifying and communicating with parents regarding the location of the children if evacuated.
(iii) Procedures for communicating with parents during loss of communications, no phone or internet service available.
(f) The location of supplies and procedures for gathering necessary supplies for staff and children, if required to shelter in place.
(g) What to do if a disaster occurs during the transport of children or when on a field trip or routine trip.
(3) The school child program will complete the following to ensure training on the EPRP.
(a) Make the EPRP available to all school child program staff members and employees.
(b) Train school child program staff members or reassign staff duties as appropriate. Ensures that all school child program staff members have initial training and annual reviews of the EPRP.
(c) Update the EPRP on a yearly basis.
(d) Contact local emergency management officials, as needed.
(e) Children will have drill practice at least once per quarter during the school year and at least once during a summer program to demonstrate appropriate procedures and appropriate behavior in accordance with the program's EPRP during an emergency.
(4) If the school child program has adopted a plan in accordance with section 5502.262 of the Revised Code and filed it with the Ohio school safety center, that plan will meet the emergency preparedness and response requirements of this paragraph. The plan is considered a security record and will be exempt from public disclosure. The Ohio department of children and youth (DCY) will accept documentation from the administrator that the plan is on file with the Ohio school safety center.
(F) What are the policies and procedures and recordkeeping requirements for a school child program?
(1) Program policies and procedures will be given to all parents at the start of the school year or at the time of enrollment; to staff prior to working with the children, and to other persons upon request.
(2) Personnel policies and procedures will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:
(a) Staff members will be recruited and employed, without discrimination on the basis of age, color, national origin, race, sex or disability.
(b) The terms of employment will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following: job descriptions, staff qualifications, wages, benefits, probation, grievance procedures, performance evaluation, resignation, and termination.
(c) Procedures for checking references of potential employees.
(d) Mandatory orientation and professional development training.
(e) Use of volunteers.
(f) Staff data privacy provisions.
(3) Personnel policies will be available to staff and other persons upon request.
(4) Individual staff records will be maintained.
(5) Each school child program will submit reports to the Ohio department of education and workforce (DEW), DCY or the school district as requested.
Last updated July 1, 2026 at 8:45 AM
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