Kansas

Staff-child ratios (centers)

Requirements

Annual training

16 clock hours of professional development per licensure year for each staff member and volunteer counted in ratios (4 of the 16 in specified health/safety areas; infant caregivers need 4 infant-specific hours). Program directors also complete 16 hours including 6 in administration. Each unit must always have someone present with current pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR certification (K.A.R. 28-4-428a).

Lead teacher

Lead teachers must be at least 18 with a high school diploma/GED plus one of: an associate or higher degree in ECE/child development, a technical certificate or diploma in early childhood, a CDA, 3 semester hours plus 3 months of age-appropriate experience, or 6 months of age-appropriate experience (K.A.R. 28-4-429(e)).

Director

Program directors must be at least 18 with a high school diploma/GED; centers licensed for under 24 children accept an associate degree, CDA, technical certificate, or experience-based options, while centers licensed for 24+ require a bachelor's (or associate/CDA/12 ECE credit hours) combined with prescribed early childhood experience, or 6 years of qualifying experience (K.A.R. 28-4-429(b)-(c)).

Worth knowing

K.A.R. 28-4-428(a) (eff. 8/2/2024) allows infant units at either 1:3 (unit max 9) or 1:4 (unit max 8). Additional bands: children 2 to under 3 years 1:7 (unit max 14); mixed units of infants plus children under 6 run 1:6 (max 12, no more than 3 infants per staff/6 per unit). 'Maximum group size' replaced 'license capacity' in the 2024 update.

Compliance

Background checks

K.S.A. 65-516 bars persons with disqualifying convictions or child-abuse findings from maintaining, residing, working or regularly volunteering in a child care facility, and requires fingerprinting for a state and national (FBI) criminal history determination, funded through the child care criminal background and fingerprinting fund. Staff files must contain verification of these clearances.

Mandated reporting

Licensed child care providers and their employees are mandated reporters under K.S.A. 38-2223 and report to the Kansas Protection Report Center (1-800-922-5330); recognizing and reporting suspected abuse or neglect is a required 30-day health-and-safety training topic (K.A.R. 28-4-428a(b)(2)(A)).

First aid & CPR

Every staff member and volunteer counted in ratio, and the program director, must obtain pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR certification (with a practical, instructor-observed component) within 30 days of starting and keep it current, and each unit must always have present at least one ratio-counted person holding both current certifications (K.A.R. 28-4-428a(c)).

Health & safety training

The license applicant completes a pre-application orientation; each program director, staff member and volunteer gets facility orientation within 7 days of hire, and everyone counted in ratio plus the director completes secretary-approved health-and-safety training within 30 days covering abuse recognition/reporting, child development and supervision, safe sleep/SIDS, infectious disease, allergy emergencies, premises safety, emergency preparedness, hazardous materials, transportation and medication administration (K.A.R. 28-4-428a(a)-(b)). Annually, directors and all ratio staff complete 16 clock hours of professional development (4 in health/safety topics; infant caregivers 4 infant-specific; directors 6 in administration).

Operations

Supervision rule

No child may be left unsupervised at any time; a ratio-counted staff member may step out of the unit no more than 5 minutes only if another staff member remains in the room, and longer absences (under 20 minutes) require a substitute (K.A.R. 28-4-428(a)). Volunteers not counted in ratio must be supervised by staff whenever activities involve access to children, and napping/sleeping and safe-sleep practices are governed by K.A.R. 28-4-436.

Record-keeping

Each individual's file at the facility must document all orientation, training, certifications and education (K.A.R. 28-4-428a(f)), plus health assessments and TB testing recorded on department forms; each child needs a medical record (health assessment, medical history and immunizations per K.A.R. 28-1-20) with emergency medical treatment forms kept accessible, and fire/tornado drill records are kept on file for one year (2024 K.A.R. 28-4 amendments).

Inspections

K.S.A. 65-512 requires the licensing agency to inspect or have inspected every child care facility at least once every 12 months, to inspect before initial licensure, and to inspect any facility upon complaint or reported violations at any time; licensees must admit the inspector and provide all reasonable information.

Worth knowing: K.A.R. 28-4-428a text is the authenticated version amended Aug. 2, 2024; center regulations cited from the 2024 adopted amendment package (KLRD copy bearing approval stamps). Whether compliance surveys are unannounced and where survey results are published were not confirmed from fetched sources; KOEC now administers the program.

Family & home child care

K.A.R. 28-4-113 through 28-4-119b (K.A.R. 28-4-114 capacity; K.A.R. 28-4-114a training, as amended August 2, 2024); K.S.A. 65-501 et seq.

Family Child Care Home (license)

One consolidated licensed category: care on the premises for a maximum of 12 children under 16. Maximum group size depends on ages and number of providers. One provider: 10 children with no infants (8 aged 12 months-5 years + 2 aged 5-10); 10 with 1 infant; 9 with 2 infants; 8 with 3 infants; if all children are 2.5-10 years: 10; all 3-10 years: 11; all 5-10 years: 12. Two providers: up to 12 (with at most 5 under 12 months). Children under 10 related to the provider count toward group size.One provider: at most 3 children under 12 months (group size then drops to 8). Two providers: at most 5 children under 12 months (group size 12).

Provider training

16 clock hours of professional development training each licensure year, of which 4 must be in specified health and safety topic areas; plus initial orientation, approved health and safety training, and current pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR.

Worth knowing

Effective August 2, 2024, Kansas consolidated 'family child care home,' 'day care home' and 'group day care home' into a single licensed Family Child Care Home category (maximum 12 children under 16), so there is no separate large/group home license. Two additional part-day school children may be present in limited windows under K.A.R. 28-4-114(i).