Section 407.260  Daily Arrival and Departure of Children

a)         The daily arrival of children at the center shall be conducted in a way that protects each child's physical and emotional well-being.  Information provided by the parents about a child's immediate daily needs shall be communicated  in a timely manner to staff caring for the child.

b)         Child care staff shall conduct a daily pre-admission screening to determine if the child has obvious symptoms of illness. If symptoms of illness are present, the child's inclusion or exclusion for the day shall be determined in accordance with Section 407.310(b) and (c).

c)         Children served in a day care center shall not remain on the premises for more than 12 hours in any 24-hour period, unless the parent's employment or training schedule requires more than 12 hours of day care and this has been confirmed in writing, by the parent.  The written confirmation shall be kept on file for licensing review.

d)         A daily attendance log shall be maintained in such a way that it is always  possible to determine the number of children present at any given time.

e)         The daily departure of children from the center shall be conducted in a way that protects each child's physical and emotional well-being.

1)         The staff shall refuse to release a child to any person, whether related or unrelated to the child, who has not been authorized by the parent or parents to receive the child.  Persons not known to the staff shall be required to provide a driver's license (with photo), a photo identification card issued by the Illinois Secretary of State or other photo identification to establish their identity before the child is released to them.

2)         When a child is released to a person authorized on the contingency list, the center shall maintain a record of the person's name and the date and time.

3)         The time of each child's departure from the center shall be noted on a daily departure log and initialed, signed or otherwise documented by the person to whom the child is released.

4)         When the center has a written policy or an individual plan for a specific school-age child, that child may be allowed to leave the  center unaccompanied with written authorization from their parent or parents.  The authorization must include:

A)        the time of release from the center;

B)        the means of transportation the child will use and, if applicable, the time the child is to return to the center;

C)        the procedure to be followed if the child does not return at the expected time; and

D)        the designated staff person to enter the time of the child's departure and initial the log.

f)         All day care centers shall have a written policy that explains to parents and staff the actions the center will take if a parent or guardian does not pick up, or arrange to have someone pick up, his or her child at the designated, agreed upon time.  The policy shall consist of the provider's expectations clearly presented to the parent or guardian in the form of a written agreement that shall be signed by the parent or guardian and shall include at least the following elements:

1)         The consequences of not picking up children on time shall be precisely communicated to parents, for example:

A)        Amount of late fee, if any, and when those fees begin to accrue.

B)        The degree of diligence the provider will use to reach emergency contacts, e.g., number of attempted phone calls to parents and emergency contacts, requests for police assistance in finding emergency contacts, and so forth.

C)        Length of time the facility will keep the child beyond the pick-up time before contacting outside authorities, such as, the child abuse hotline, police, and so forth.

2)         Emphasis on the importance of having up-to-date emergency contact numbers on file.

3)         Acknowledgement of the provider’s responsibility for the child’s protection and well-being until the parent or outside authorities arrive.

4)         A policy that staff shall not hold the child responsible for the situation and that discussion of this issue will only be with the parent or guardian and never with the child.

(Source:  Amended at 28 Ill. Reg. 3011, effective February 15, 2004)