allowing access to QRIS blog

How do you invite someone to become a member of the QRIS blog? William Karp and W.Gail Custode, in addition to other CCLE staff, would be valuable assets to our discussion.

Non-translated Education Credentials

How does the licensing ordinance and the ERS view diplomas and degrees that a preschool employee has earned from a foreign country that has not been translated and weighted to determine what it equates to in the US? Can a preschool employee be a lead teacher with a non-translated degree?

Alternative Sanitizers

One of the staff members is allergic to bleach and is unable to use it has a sanitizer. The school currently only has her use the soapy water solution, while the other staff members in the room are responsible for anything that requires the bleach solution. Are there alternative sanitizers that are approved by licensing AND the ERS (Environmental Rating Scales)? If so, what are they?

Raised edge on changing tabls

Do all the surrounding edges have to be 6inches high on the changing table?

If a teacher cleans & sanitizes the tables after each meal, do they need to do the same before each meal as well?

Diapering Procedure

Please be aware that although the Environment Rating Scales don't require the use of gloves while diapering, Broward County Licensing DOES require the use of gloves.

Legos in Block Area

Can legos be located in the block area? I understand that they fall under the fine motor subscale item and that is where they would be counted. Many students create cars, boats, and planes with the duplos/legos to use with the large block structures that they create.

Sand & Mulch on Playground

I have read the requirements in the All About Book and Playground Guide. Some centers would like to know how the requirements work for the amount of sand and/or mulch on the playground when there is a combination of both being used? (i.e., 12 inches of sand under so many inches of mulch/wood chips)

Soap used in soap water solution

Is there a specific soap that needs to be used in the soap water solution?

Soap and Water

Do centers need to change the soap/water spray bottle daily as they do the bleach/water solution?

Step Can

Do centers need to have the step can for routine garbage use (lunch, classroom garbage) or is it just for the bathroom?

Handwashing and Diapering Posters

Has anyone looked at the NAEYC posters on handwashing and diapering to see if they are accurate for our county?

Portable Sink Options

A school would like to purchase a portable sink for a classroom that currently does not have a sink. Does it matter what type? I have seen them with the turn handles, but she found a cheaper model from Becker's School Supply, item#4261K. It states it has a hand pump for the water. Is this acceptable?

Mat storage

Mats are stored between a furniture shelf and the wall leaving no space. When they are out during rest time, this leaves a space behind the piece of furniture. Would this be considered a safety hazard?

Computer as free choice

If there is a computer in the classroom and the teacher uses a rotation schedule, does this meet the requirement of free choice activity as long as it is used on a daily basis? (#27, 5.2)

Displays

A teacher uses a tri-fold board as a teaching board during circle time then displays it on a bulletin board (3 1/2 feet above the ground) for the remainder of the day due to lack of space. Would this be acceptable or count against him/her?

Electrical Outlets

Q: Regarding "special safety outlets" that some centers have- do these also need to have outlet covers? The All About book only mentions them briefly (p. 136).

pre-assessment

Is there a standard time established for the assessors that dictates how long a pre-assessment should last? Or the minimum amount of time it should be? what should we do if we find a possible mistake on the report, such as information being recorded and scored in the wrong area?

Nicole's Question

If a pad is used on the changing table, does the person changing the diapers have to clean and sanitize under the pad and the changing table surface as well?

Teresa's Question

When a classroom uses the same sink for diapering and hand washing, should the sink be sanitized after every diaper change or after all diapers have been changed?

Confusion about assessors arriving for pre-asssessments

When we (the assessors) have called or arrived at facilities / homes, they are sometimes confused about why we are there, or planning a time to observe. They say their coach was just there. They seemed to be confused about the role of QRS assessors in the pre-assessment system.

Please have the mentors/coaches explain, as we do, that we assesors from QRS are there as "eyes and ears", to give the mentors/coaches observation summaries on half of their classrooms.

If coaches get to programs before we do, they might end up working with classrooms that we will eventually also observe. (We don't know which classrooms we are doing until the day of the observation.) This seems redundant at best, and confusing at worst. Perhaps the coaches could let us know which classrooms they are already working with. Or wait until Anita has sent them the reports before helping in the classrooms. Does this make any sense with the ELC protocol?

answer

Broward County licensing requires the use of gloves for diaper changing. It is not required in the ITERS-R.

Questions

Are teachers required to use gloves when changing diapers?