The following clarifications are to be considered and applied as you monitor RSPMI facilities. The standard licensing requirements will apply to any areas and situations not covered by these clarifications. If the program is meeting basic licensing requirements but is not meeting RSPMI standards that exceed the licensing requirements, the Director or person in charge will be advised as a courtesy.

301 Staff/Child Ratios

2.d RSPMI programs meet a 1/10 ratio for kindergarten through school age. This exceeds our ratios. A deficiency would only be cited If the program failed to meet our minimum requirements.

302 Director

3. Directors who are licensed Mental Health Professionals fully meet director requirements.

4. Specific New Director’s Orientation sessions may be available for RSPMI

7. Directors who represent newly licensed programs. (Check with Licensing Central Office for schedule.) Directors or staff members who are Licensed Mental Health Professionals are already required to obtain continuing education credits which will count for the required training hours regardless of whether the subject matter is listed in this section or the licensing requirements.

303 Employee Requirements

4. In addition to the requirement for at least one staff to be present who is certified in CPR, RSPMI programs also require at least one staff member to be present who has been certified in a nationally recognized crisis prevention/management model. (This is not something that would be cited but would be brought to the attention of the Director.)

5. In addition to the basic orientation requirement, RSPMI employees who work in summer and or after school programs are required to receive training as Mental Health Paraprofessionals. (Again, this is not something we would cite for failing to meet licensing requirements.)

304 Volunteers

2. RSPMI rules do not allow volunteers to have any supervisory or disciplinary control over children and volunteers are not to be counted in the staff/child ratio. (This exceeds our requirements for volunteers.)

500 Behavior Guidance

6. Some methods of behavior guidance are appropriate for use by RSPMI programs that might not be allowed in typical child care settings. Check with your supervisor before citing any non-compliance in this area. Physical holds or time outs that require physical contact with a child are required to adhere to guidelines established through CARF, JCAHO or COA standards.

601 Employee Records

7. RSPMI programs, as a part of the documented training requirement, also require documentation of MHPP certification and annual training requirements. (This exceeds licensing requirements and would not be cited.)

600 Child Records

All requirements in this section apply to RSPMI programs with the possible exception of the requirements for immunizations. Programs serving only school age children are not required to verify immunizations. However, the immunization requirements would apply to programs serving pre-school children. (Pre-school definition - Children five years old or younger who are not yet attending kindergarten.)

700 Nutrition

For RSPMI summer programs the rules for nutrition found in the Program Specific Variations, Section 1300 School Age/Summer Day Camp requirements are to be followed. (Please note that these rules only apply to snacks, the serving of milk and the use of vending machines. Other nutrition requirements, such as lunch requirements, are to be enforced as stated in the standard Section 700 requirements.)