DEL Proposes New Rules: Safe Sleep, Environment and More!

DEL Rules Update | February 2017

DEL Files Proposed Rules In January 2017, DEL circulated working drafts of safe sleep and environmental hazard rules to licensed child care providers who would be affected by the rules.  We received valuable feedback and made revisions to the draft rules.  Thank you to all who commented on the drafts! Proposed rules have been filed with the Code Reviser and DEL is accepting comment on the proposals through March 23, 2017.  The proposed rule subjects are: Safe Sleep: Updating rule to current health and safety standards that child care centers and family home child care providers must follow to protect sleeping infants and toddlers who are in their care.  Read the proposal.  Lead and Other Environmental Hazards: To comply with Governor Inslee's directive to reduce children's exposure to lead and other environmental hazards, DEL proposes environmental safety requirements for child care centers and family home child care providers, including testing drinking water to detect hazardous levels of lead and copper, evaluating facilities for paint and soil hazards, and ensuring outdoor gardens are safe for children who play in them.  Read the proposal and small business economic impact statement. Child Care Subsidy Wait List:  Forecasts for Washington State's Working Connections and Seasonal Child Care subsidy programs indicate that consumer needs will likely exceed available funding in the next two years.  Wait lists will be created if that happens and the proposed rules clarify how DEL will administer the lists, including prioritization, when benefits start for a consumer who is taken off the list, withdrawal from and reinstatement to the list, and provider payment terms.  Read the proposal. A 10:00 AM hearing is scheduled on March 23, 2017 to receive public comment on the proposals.  Hearing location: Cascade Conference Room 130 1110 Jefferson Street [DEL State Office], Olympia, Washington March 23 is the last day that comments will be accepted.  Attend the hearing or submit comments in writing by one of the following methods: Online: DEL Rules Comment webpage. Click “Add Comment” to give your input, or “View Comments” to read what others have said. Email the DEL Rules Coordinator Mail comments to Rules Coordinator, DEL, P O Box 40970, Olympia, WA  98504-0970. Only input received at the hearing or written comments received on or before March 23 as noted above will become part of the official record.  DEL will respond to all comments submitted and provide a combined response to all who comment on a particular proposal.  The combined responses will also be posted on the DEL website and provided to anyone upon request.

Licensed Child Care Providers: Lead Exposure Survey

Attention Child Care Providers:
Para español, véase más adelante

Recent detection of lead in drinking water systems has raised public awareness of the effect that lead can have on young children’s development. Governor Inslee has directed State agencies to assess lead exposure risks to the public and to develop a plan for addressing any identified concerns.

As an initial step, the Department of Early Learning (DEL) would like to get an idea of how many early learning programs may be at risk for lead exposure. 

Common sources of lead exposure include: 

• paint used on buildings built prior to 1978; 
• lead piping in water systems built prior to 1986 and 
• pesticides used on orchards prior to 1950. 

Currently DEL does not collect data on the age of family child care homes or center buildings.

 A “yes” answer to any of the questions below does not necessarily mean that lead is present in your facility. The survey closes on August 11. 

Survey: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KJM2QCZ

Luego de la reciente detección de plomo en los sistemas de agua potable, la población demostró su preocupación por las consecuencias que el plomo puede tener en el desarrollo de los niños. 

El gobernador Inslee ordenó a las agencias estatales que evalúen los peligros que la exposición al plomo podría presentar para la población y que desarrollen un plan para abordar cualquier problema detectado. 

En primer lugar, al Department of Early Learning (DEL, Departamento de Aprendizaje Temprano) le gustaría saber cuántos programas de aprendizaje temprano podrían estar en peligro de exposición al plomo. Las fuentes de exposición al plomo más comunes incluyen: 

• la pintura utilizada en edificios construidos antes de 1978, 
• tuberías de plomo utilizadas en los sistemas de agua construidos antes de 1986 y 
• los pesticidas utilizados en huertas antes de 1950. 

Actualmente, el DEL no recopila datos sobre la antigüedad de los edificios de los hogares o centros de cuidados para niños. Responder “Sí” a cualquiera de las preguntas que se mencionan a continuación no implica necesariamente la presencia de plomo en sus instalaciones. La encuesta se cierre el 11 de agosto. 

Encuesta: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KTL7FYR