Abstract
Objective
To analyze how engagement with a staffed family child network is associated with compliance on health and safety regulations among family day care (FDC) homes.
Methods
Publically available data on health and safety inspection violations on FDC homes were merged with engagement data from a staffed family child network. Descriptive analysis, logistic regression, and latent class analysis were used.
Results
Network FDC homes, compared to non-network FDC homes, were less likely to have health and safety violations in the areas of Child/Family/Staff Documentation (43.1% vs. 53.6%, p = 0.001) and Indoor Safety (36.0% vs. 42.6%, p = .041). Controlling for area median income and for decades since obtaining license, network FDC homes had fewer violations, fewer violation categories, and less variety of violation categories. Additionally, FDC homes which were not engaged with the staffed family child network but were in the city or town in which the network offered services, performed better compared to FDC homes in cities or towns without network resources.
Conclusions for Practice
The better compliance among network FDC homes and among FDC homes in cities and towns where the network offers services, suggests that the network is having positive effects on health and safety quality in FDC homes. A staffed child care network may be a means to improve child care quality and may be a means of improving educational and health outcomes for children.
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Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the state of Connecticut for sharing their warehouse of data. This research was funded by the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc. The findings and conclusions presented in this report are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Institute. The authors would like to acknowledge the State of Connecticut and All Our Kin, Inc for sharing their data.
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Appendix: Violation Categorization
Appendix: Violation Categorization
Category | Violation description |
|---|---|
Child health | 50-Good nutrition: meals/snacks/water available |
53-Diaper changing: frequent/sanitary/hand washing | |
58a-Universal precautions/sanitary practices | |
58-Fever/diarrhea/vomiting/rash | |
Child protection | 56-Discipline/behavior management |
57b-Report abuse/neglect to DCF/police | |
57-Child protection: abuse/neglect | |
Child/family/staff documentation | 43-Child health record |
44-Immunizations | |
45b-Transportation permission | |
45c-Swimming permission | |
46-Incident log | |
08-Medical statement | |
11-Medical statement/TB test | |
42-Enrollment form | |
45a-Authorized release | |
47-Confidentiality of records | |
Development/play | 55-Supervision-at all times, indoors/outdoors |
02-Infant/toddler restriction | |
01-Capacity | |
48- Meeting the child's needs | |
50a-Flexible and balanced schedule | |
51a-Cultural differences/special needs/dev. appr. activities | |
51-Individual plan of care | |
52-Infant care: individual attention/held for bottle feedings | |
49-Sufficient play equipment | |
Emergency preparedness | 26-Fire drills-quarterly |
28-Fire extinguisher-5 lb ABC/installed | |
45-Emergency permission form | |
27-Smoke detectors | |
37-Working telephone/emergency numbers posted | |
15-Emergency caregiver | |
25-Evacuation plan | |
39-First aid supplies | |
Indoor Health | 59-Separate bed/location of bed/appropriate sleepwear |
29-Auxiliary heating system | |
33-Ventilation/light/temperature | |
50c-Personal articles: blanket/towel/toilet articles | |
13-Household environment | |
50b-Proper rest/crib safety | |
16-Clean/sanitary environment | |
34-Washing/toileting/sewage/garbage facilities | |
35-Water supply: public/approved | |
41-Smoking restrictions/parents notified | |
Indoor safety | 19-Safe storage of flammables |
20-Safe door fasteners | |
21-Electrical safety | |
22-Safe exits | |
23-Basement supervision | |
24-Stairways: protected/handrails | |
30-Weapons | |
31-Safe space-sufficient | |
36-Water temperature | |
40-Pets | |
17-Freedom of hazards | |
18-Absence of poisons | |
Medications | 61a-KI pills |
60-Provider trained/written approval | |
61-Policies/permissions/storage/outline/curriculum | |
Outdoor safety | 32-Body of water |
38-Safe transportation-registered/insured/restraints | |
Parent interaction | 54b-Immedicate access |
54-Parent information and access | |
54g-Informs of non-immunized child/contagious illness | |
54h-Access to latest inspection forms | |
Program documentation | 04-License posted |
05-Access to DPH phone number | |
Qualifications of provider | 62-CO/NCAP compliance violation(s) |
01b-Nontransferability | |
59b-Access | |
12-Background check | |
09-First aid certificate | |
07-Awareness of/understanding of regulations | |
10-Personal qualities/good judgment | |
14-Substitute/assistant | |
55a-Personal schedule-alert/competent attention | |
55d-Substitute care | |
55b-Full attention-distractions/employment/socialization | |
Other | 03-Variance |
06-Notification of change |
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Rosenthal, M.S., Franco-Labarga, A.E., Jeon, S. et al. Health and Safety in a Family Child Care Network: An Analysis of Violation Data of Routine, Full Unannounced Inspections. Matern Child Health J 24, 1019–1027 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-020-02939-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-020-02939-x