| 12 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
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| 13 | 14 | | AN ACT TO PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY IN CHILD CARE SETTINGS BY ALLOWING AN 2 |
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| 14 | 15 | | INCREASE IN MAXIMUM GROUP SIZES FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS AND 3 |
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| 15 | 16 | | ALIGNING THE LICENSING RULE REGARDING NAP TIME SUPERVISION FOR 4 |
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| 16 | 17 | | ONE-YEAR OLDS WITH THE RULE FOR TWO-YEAR OLDS. 5 |
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| 17 | 18 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6 |
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| 18 | 19 | | SECTION 1. G.S. 110-91(7)a. reads as rewritten: 7 |
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| 19 | 20 | | "a. The Commission shall adopt rules for child care centers regarding 8 |
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| 20 | 21 | | staff-child ratios, group sizes and multi-age groupings other than for 9 |
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| 21 | 22 | | infants and toddlers, provided that these rules shall be no less stringent 10 |
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| 22 | 23 | | than those currently required for staff-child ratios as enacted in Section 11 |
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| 23 | 24 | | 156(e) of Chapter 757 of the 1985 Session Laws. 12 |
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| 24 | 25 | | 1. Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, the minimum 13 |
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| 25 | 26 | | staff-child ratios and group sizes for infants and toddlers in 14 |
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| 26 | 27 | | child care centers shall be no less stringent than as follows: 15 |
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| 27 | 28 | | Age Ratio Staff/Children Group Size 16 |
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| 28 | 29 | | 0 to 12 months 1/5 1015 17 |
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| 29 | 30 | | 12 to 24 months 1/6 1218 18 |
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| 30 | 31 | | 2 to 3 years 1/10 20. 19 |
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| 31 | 32 | | No child care center shall care for more than 25 children in one 20 |
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| 32 | 33 | | group. Child care centers providing care for 26 or more 21 |
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| 33 | 34 | | children shall provide for two or more groups according to the 22 |
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| 34 | 35 | | ages of children and shall provide separate supervisory 23 |
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| 35 | 36 | | personnel and separate identifiable space for each group. 24 |
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| 36 | 37 | | 1a. If a child care center is operating under voluntary enhanced 25 |
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| 37 | 38 | | requirements, the maximum group size for toddlers aged two 26 |
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| 38 | 39 | | to three years may be increased from 18 to 20 children when 27 |
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| 39 | 40 | | the child care center maintains a 1/9 staff-child ratio. 28 |
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| 40 | 41 | | 1b. If a child care center is operating under the highest voluntary 29 |
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| 41 | 42 | | enhanced requirements, the child care center may use the 30 |
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| 42 | 43 | | following maximum group sizes for infants and toddlers when 31 |
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| 43 | 44 | | the child care center maintains staff-child ratios as provided 32 |
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| 44 | 45 | | herein: 33 |
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| 45 | 46 | | Age Ratio Staff/Children Group Size 34 |
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| 46 | 47 | | 0 to 12 months 1/4 12 35 |
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| 49 | 54 | | 2 to 3 years 1/8 20. 1 |
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| 50 | 55 | | 1c. For groups of children one year of age or older, the staff/child 2 |
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| 51 | 56 | | ratio during nap time shall comply with the requirements of 3 |
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| 52 | 57 | | rules adopted by the Commission if (i) at least one person 4 |
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| 53 | 58 | | remains in the room, (ii) all children are visible to that person, 5 |
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| 54 | 59 | | and (iii) the total number of required staff are on the premises 6 |
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| 55 | 60 | | and within calling distance of the rooms occupied by children. 7 |
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| 56 | 61 | | …." 8 |
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| 57 | 62 | | SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law. 9 |
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