Number of Children Enrolled
1. If a program places a limit on the number of children they will enroll in a classroom that is LOWER than their licensed capacity,
what number will be used for scoring?
The maximum number of children served is used for scoring items that concern adequate and ample materials, furnishings and space. The maximum number of children allowed would be the number used for scoring. For example, if a room has licensing capacity for 14 children, but the center has elected to cap the room at 8 children, 8 would be the number used for scoring.
Outdoor Safety
2. What are bollards? What are acceptable substitutes for bollards?
Bollards are sturdy, vertical posts that serve as a physical barrier to prevent motor vehicles from accidentally entering an area where children are present. Structural Bollards or a discrete barrier, such as trees or posts should be placed along any side of the playground which is within 30 feet of streets, parking lots, or driveways to prevent a vehicle from accidentally entering the play space.
A crosstie is not an acceptable substitute for a bollard unless the crosstie is installed vertically and provides the resistance to a frontal impact from a large vehicle… the same would be true for tire stops. In addition, a sign such as a ‘No-Parking’ sign would not be an acceptable substitute.
3. What is CPSC, and should I refer to CPSC guidelines for all playground requirements?
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the federal agency that provides product safety information and recalls, as well as manages, regulations for products and businesses.
CPSC typically indicates the company standard for playground equipment safety. However, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) provides
the testing of resilient surfacing standards that are frequently consulted, and National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the nationally
recognized certification for Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPSI) and offers interpretations, use zones and standards for inspection
and assessment of playgrounds. All three regulatory guidelines can be used to help you determine the safety of your playground and equipment.
ERSI has compiled a document with the guidelines that are used in evaluating playgrounds. It can be found here:
3rd editions | ERS Institute.
4. Are tire swings or trapeze bars acceptable equipment for a playground?
Tire swings are usually suspended in a horizontal orientation using three suspension chains or cables connected to a single swivel mechanism that permits both rotation and a swinging motion in any axis. A multi-axis tire swing should not be suspended from a structure having other swings in the same bay. Attaching multi-axis swings to composite structures is not recommended. Tire swings should be stand-alone equipment in one bar with no other equipment provided in the same use zone. (Handbook for Playground Safety page 30)
Swinging Dual Exercise Rings and Trapeze Bars – These are rings and trapeze bars on long chains that are generally considered to be items of athletic equipment and are not recommended for public playgrounds. NOTE: The recommendation against the use of exercise rings does not apply to overhead hanging rings such as those used in a ring trek or ring ladder (page 21 of Handbook for Playground Safety addresses horizontal ladders
and overhead rings).
5. How many swings should be in a bay?
To minimize the likelihood of children being struck by a moving swing, it is recommended that no more than two single-axis swings be hung in each bay of the supporting structure. In addition, to reduce side-to-side motion, swing hangers should be spaced no less than 20 inches apart. (Page 29 of
Handbook for Playground Safety)
6. How do you count safety hazards?
Each time you are able to identify a hazard for any piece of equipment, it counts as 1 hazard.
Here is an example: There are 2 climbers over 18†tall on the playground; neither have adequate resilient surfacing, and both are located next to the fence with less than 12†of space between the fence and climber.
How many safety hazards would this count as? In this example there are 4 separate hazards (2 for each climber).
Nap
7. What are the spacing requirements for mats/cots/cribs?
The requirements to ensure correct spacing can be found in the most up-to-date ERSI and GA notes for clarification for each scale.
https://www.ersi.info/
Meals and Snacks
8. Is it okay to give children milk at the end of the meal?
USDA - CACFP meal guidelines are followed when scoring these indicators. When milk is a required component of the meal such as for breakfast and lunch, milk should be present throughout the meal unless a written doctor’s note is supplied. For any food item to be credited by CACFP or for an ERS observation, all components must be served at the same time.
9. Can one rag/cloth be used to clean/sanitize more than one table?
No, if wet cloths are used, a separate cloth is required for each table and/or highchair tray, and cloths cannot be returned to soak in a bleach-water solution. Please refer to the
Table Washing Procedure resource on the QR website.
10. Can a bleach/water substitute be used to clean/disinfect tables?
All four scales require the same procedure for effective cleaning and sanitizing.
- To remove soil, spray the surface with a soap-water solution and wipe dry with a disposable paper towel.
- To sanitize the surface, spray with bleach-water solution and wait at least 2 minutes before wiping with a disposable towel or allow to air dry, in order to allow the solution to kill germs. The surface cannot be sprayed and immediately wiped.
An alternate EPA approved sanitizing solution may be used in place of the bleach water solution, but be sure all instructions for use are followed. A sanitizer, and not a disinfectant, should be used on all food contacting surfaces. Below is a guide for making sanitizing and disinfecting solutions at two different strengths. Bleach and water solutions have different uses to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
- Sanitizing (1 tablespoon of bleach + 1 gallon of cool water) = approx. 200 parts per million of chlorine.
- Disinfecting (1/4 – 3/4 cup of bleach + 1-gallon cool water, or 1 – 3 tablespoons of bleach + 1-quart cool water) = approx. 750 parts per million of chlorine.
11. An EPA registered sanitizer’s directions state to leave on for 1 minute and allow to air dry – do not rinse or wipe. Can it be wiped after 1 minute?
Please follow the EPA instructions and allow it to air dry before proceeding. Programs have the option of finding a different EPA registered product, but if the directions are hard to follow, programs can use a bleach water solution that is mixed daily using the correct ratios for sanitizing and disinfecting purposes.
Room Arrangement
12. Can a physical barrier like a shelf separate quiet and active centers?
When considering separation, it is best to sit in a quiet area and determine if it provides the relief or opportunities for retreating from the noisy harshness of the room.
A reading area next to dramatic play and/or blocks does not allow for that quiet time or retreat.
The business of the blocks/construction and the flurry of activity in dramatic play/housekeeping often interfere (on occasion even invading)
with the activities of the other centers. Shelving (whether open on both sides or not) is not enough to sufficiently separate active
and quiet areas. A low shelf or a shelf where toys are stored does not provide the buffer needed, sound travels over shelving.
Having a physical barrier and sufficient distance separating these areas is helpful in avoiding problems. Other areas like sand/water,
fine motor, science, and math can provide the needed buffer between those more active areas and the quiet areas.
Toileting/Diapering
13. What are the requirements for disinfecting the floor after changing pull-ups/underwear?
CFOC4 and ERSI requirements are followed when changing pull-ups/underwear.
CFOC4 recommends that children needing to have a pull-up or underwear changed should be placed on a toddler
changing table (one with stairs) to reduce the risk of contaminating the environment as much as possible. However,
BFTS allows you to change children standing up on a mat or changing pad on the bathroom floor, instead of requiring programs
to purchase toddler diaper tables. Because all diaper changing procedures must still be followed,
if a child is standing on a mat on the floor, this means the mat effectively becomes the changing surface for this particular procedure
(changing paper can be placed on the mat for the child to stand on).
Children regularly using the toilet are not actually “being changedâ€, and that is why disinfecting is not required after every child uses the bathroom,
(however, toilet seats and the floor should obviously be cleaned and disinfected if they become contaminated during use and are one of
the areas that daily cleaning and disinfecting is required). When a pull-up or underwear is changed on a child that is standing up
there is an increased risk that the floor and other surfaces may become contaminated (staff often drop the removed pull-up
or underwear on the floor, or it touches the floor as a child steps out of it, and gravity means the floor can easily become
soiled with urine droplets or fecal matter). Because the requirements for changing a pull-up/underwear are the same as you follow
when changing a diaper on a table, you are required to clean and disinfect the changing surface (the mat/changing pad in this case)
after each change.
Health Practices
14. Is it ok to use a washcloth to clean a child's hands after art instead of handwashing at the sink?
Hands must be washed after messy play using the correct handwashing procedures. It is not recommended to use a wash cloth
instead of soap and running water. Paint is a liquid that can be contaminated so hands must be washed before
(if children are sharing the finger paint in the container) and after painting.
Furniture for Routine Care and Play/Learning
15. Do programs need to have an actual cubby unit, or can a program utilize hooks/other cubby substitutes to store children’s possessions?
The intent of having cubbies is so that children can store their personal belongings. The type of cubby is not important, what matters is that whatever item is used as a cubby can sufficiently hold all of the children’s belongings, and that it can do so without those personal belongings touching another child’s. Hooks/cubby substitutes can be used for storing individual possessions if there is a way to allow all the necessary items to be stored, such as blankets, jackets, items brought from home, etc. to be stored without them touching.
16. Requirement for cubby substitute: Instead of cubbies I have milk crates zip-tied
together. The crates have holes in them, but are large enough to store the children’s
personal possessions, school work, and their winter jackets. Will using milk crates
as cubbies be acceptable?
The use of milk crates as you describe would most likely allow personal items to
touch, parts of clothing, blankets etc, may protrude through the holes of the crates
and touch items in the adjoining crate. The purpose of having separated cubbies
that do not allow for touching of personal items is to reduce the risk for the spread
of disease or nuisance infestations such as lice. If there is some way to line the
crates with a sturdy material that would prevent personal items from touching then
the milk crates may suffice as cubbies, so long as they are large enough to store
all items securely without them falling out onto the floor or bulging out the sides
and touching other children’s possessions.
17. How many cubbies/storage spaces are required for a classroom?
All four scales require a sufficient number of pieces of furniture for use in the storage of children’s possessions for the total number of children allowed to attend at one time.
18. I have siblings in my classroom. Is it ok if they share the same cubby or do they need to have their own cubby to store their personal items?
Siblings are individual children and so cannot share the same cubby if that would cause crowding and allow their personal items to touch.
19. Can toys for rotation be stored on shelving in the restroom if the toys are stored in lidded, closed containers and then put into different containers when being put into the classroom for use?
The restroom can be used for storage of additional toys or routine care supplies, providing they are not in a place where they are likely to become contaminated (i.e. next to the toilet on the floor), or are within children’s reach. Items can be stored in locked cabinets or in lidded, closed containers out of the reach of children on shelving.
20. If mats are stored outside of the classroom and some cubbies are too high for the children to reach all parts, will these furnishings still be considered convenient and accessible?â€
Because this indicator refers to routine care furniture, all furniture and equipment to meet children’s needs for feeding, diapering/toileting, nap/rest, and storage of personal possessions must be accessible and convenient. Mats are not convenient if they have to be brought to the classroom. It would not be accessible or convenient for you to get a child’s mat if he or she needed to rest prior to nap time. Mats are only considered accessible and convenient when they are stored within the classroom, so the teacher does not have to leave the children unattended.
With the exception of infants and toddlers (who are not required to have access to their cubbies), the children’s possessions should be accessible to them inside the classroom to be considered convenient.
Safety Practices
21. Is tripping or finger pinching considered a major or minor hazard?
For all four scales, a major hazard is determined to be something that would result in a serious injury resulting in hospitalization or medical treatment, and a minor hazard is something that may require minor first aid on-site but would not be likely to result in a hospitalization or visit to the doctor’s office. For example, the ECERS-3 scale book (page 34) considers exposed tree roots located where children usually run, in which tripping would result in a fall onto a cement surface, as a major hazard that would possibly result in hospitalization or medical treatment, whereas exposed tree roots on a soft surface where children rarely run would be considered a minor hazard. The same would go for a finger pinch that just required an ice pack and not a doctor’s visit. The determining factor on whether something would be considered a major or minor hazard is to figure out what type of outcome would likely be caused by the hazard, which may differ depending on the age and abilities of the children involved.
22. Does a teacher need to have access to a phone or walkie-talkie at all times?
The intent is for the program to have the essentials that are needed to deal with dangers that require immediate action such as accidents, fire, or other emergencies. The teacher does need immediate access to a phone (cell phones are acceptable), walkie-talkie, other communication devices. If there is a phone in the classroom it must be able to dial out directly, not just ring to the front desk and other rooms, (in case staff need to call 911 or talk to a parent from the classroom).
23. Are the children’s emergency numbers required to be posted in plain view, or should just the general emergency numbers be posted?
Only general emergency numbers (911, poison control, etc.) should be posted in plain view near the telephone. There is not a requirement to post private information relating to children, and their emergency numbers do not have to be posted for all to see. However, a reference can be made on the bulletin board as to where these numbers can be easily found by all staff, including substitutes. The same type of privacy concerns should be followed for children with allergies or medical needs. Your posted allergy chart for example could have a cover sheet titled “allergies†so that only those who would need to see the list would turn the page and locate the needed information.
Children with Disabilities
24. Do we follow the same ERS guidelines for a special needs student who is only in our class during the summer?
Yes, since this child will be in your classroom for possibly 3 months you should have the same knowledge of this child’s needs that his typical teacher would have. The child will have the same need to have any modifications made no matter what classroom they are physically in, and you will need to have access to the same goals and plans for this child so you can best meet his or her needs.
25. Are pull handles on doors considered accessible?
Pull handles are an acceptable type of handle and are considered accessible as long as they can be operated by individuals with limited use of their hands. Round door knobs may present difficulty in manipulating the turn knob to open a door. This is a requirement regardless of whether individuals with disabilities are or are not part of your program.
Use of TV, Videos, and Computers
26. Is a Nintendo Wii/other gaming system considered computer screen time for ERS?
A Nintendo Wii, or any other video game system that utilizes a screen, is considered in ERS to be “screen timeâ€.
The same type of activity played on video games that programs use because it promotes physical activity,
can frequently be achieved without using a screen. For example, dancing or exercising can be led by a child or
the teacher instead of turning on the tv or video for guidance.
27. Will storing TVs in a classroom affect our ERS score?
A television that is stored in a classroom and is not in use will not be included in scoring screen time.
It should be noted that a television does take up space in the room, so it may interfere with traffic,
activity area space, or supervision.