(a) All persons or entities operating a child care agency as defined in this part, excluding drop-in child care centers and those programs and facilities exempt from licensing as provided in § 71-3-503, shall, in consultation with appropriate local authorities and local emergency management, develop a written multi-hazard plan to protect children in the event of emergencies, including, but not limited to, fires, tornados, earthquakes, chemical spills, and floods. Such persons or entities shall also inform parents and guardians of children attending the child care agency of the plan.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 71-3-517

  • agency: means and only where the context requires in any other provision of law, a place or facility, regardless of whether it is currently licensed, that is operated as a family child care home, a group child care home, a child care center, or a drop-in center, as those terms are defined in this part, or that provides child care for five (5) or more children who are not related to the primary caregiver for three (3) or more hours per day. See Tennessee Code 71-3-501
  • Child care: means the provision of supervision and protection, and, at a minimum, meeting the basic needs, of a child or children for less than twenty-four (24) hours a day. See Tennessee Code 71-3-501
  • children: means a person or persons under eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 71-3-501
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Department: means the department of human services. See Tennessee Code 71-3-501
  • Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The written plan required pursuant to this section shall include:

(1) Procedures for child care agency staff to notify parents in an emergency;
(2) The development of designated relocation sites and evacuation routes to those sites;
(3) Reunification plans for children and families; and
(4) Written individualized plans for accommodating a child’s special needs in an emergency situation.
(c) The child care agency shall maintain documentation that the emergency plan is reviewed monthly.
(d) All child care agency staff persons shall be trained on the plan annually.
(e) The child care agency shall implement these emergency procedures through timely practice drills to meet local regulations and local emergency services plans and shall maintain documentation of drills for one (1) year. Such drills shall involve the following:

(1) At least one (1) fire drill shall be conducted monthly;
(2) Child care agencies shall alternate drills each month to cover each shift while children are present, including extended care hours;
(3) At least one (1) drill other than fire shall be conducted every six (6) months; and
(4) All drills shall be conducted in such a way as to simulate, as closely as is practical, conditions of a real emergency, with alarms to be utilized and evacuation plans to be practiced.
(f)

(1) Emergency telephone numbers for the following entities shall be posted next to all child care agency telephones and shall be readily available to all child care agency staff members:

(A) Fire department;
(B) Police department and sheriff’s office;
(C) Nearest hospital emergency room;
(D) Department of children’s services child abuse hotline;
(E) Local emergency management agency;
(F) Ambulance or rescue squad;
(G) Poison control center; and
(H) Department of human services child care complaint hotline.
(2) If a generic emergency number, including, but not limited to, 911 service, is operable in the community, it shall also be posted in the manner prescribed in this subsection (f).
(g) All contact information for parents, guardians, and emergency personnel shall be readily available to all child care agency staff, including work, home and cell phone numbers.
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