Preschool Licensing Requirements Including Teacher Certification and Student Health Records

If you are the owner or administrator of a licensed preschool you know there are many state regulations that must be met. You will find it's worth taking the time to be in compliance from the very beginning of the school year rather than trying to catch up after school has started. Doing a monthly check on records will eliminate the pressure experienced when the State Supervisor surprises you with an unscheduled visit.

In-service Training

As an administrator of a preschool you already know the importance of your entire staff being up-to-date on all in-service training. This can be tedious from the standpoint that not all of your teachers have necessarily joined your staff at the same time. Always know the exact date for renewal of all of your staff's in-service classes so you have arrangements made well in advance of the expiration dates.

There are several ways to meet these requirements. You can use a card system or make use of charts you can find online. It is important to have a way you can instantly see what training will be needed and how many of your staff members are required to have an update.

Student Health Records

When it comes to maintaining the required health records for currently enrolled students, always notify parents of upcoming required physicals at least four to six weeks in advance. Normally families find their health insurance will not allow a new physical unless it's within a few days of one year since the last physical. By giving parents plenty of time to make an appointment to coincide with the expiration date, along with a copy of the required form to be signed by the examining physician, you won't have the hassle involved with a child not having current records for immunizations, etc.

Allergies

If you have been made aware of any kind of student allergy, be sure you fully understand what it represents and what treatment may be required while the child is in school. Most states provide special forms for licensed preschools documenting that the parent has given instructions to the child's teachers for the care of the child should there be an allergic reaction. These forms need to be signed and dated by the parent and teachers showing they have been educated in the child's care.

In the state where I reside you must also have a copy of a doctor's prescription for these medications in the child's health file. The parent is also required to provide any needed medications to be kept at the school in case of an emergency.

If you have student's with peanut, egg or other food allergies, be sure to alert parents of classmates to read packaging of any food items they may provide to the class. As an example, certain types of candy may not have peanut products in them, but when examining the packaging it may have been manufactured in a facility that manufactures peanut products. This can cause a serious allergic reaction for a child with a peanut allergy.

I cannot stress enough....carefully read the packaging before sending something into school, food allergies can be a very serious matter.

I hope that sharing this information might be of help to you as an administrator of your preschool.

Please visit my website, http://www.preschoolsource.org/ for preschool information and guidelines for parents, teachers and administrators. Also, visit my blog, http://blog.preschoolsource.org/ for timely, topical posts on subjects related to preschool.

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