Rule 5101:2-9-28 | Bedrooms.
(A) All bedrooms contained within a children's residential center (CRC) shall have seventy-four square feet for the initial occupant and an additional fifty square feet for each additional occupant, and a ceiling height of at least seven feet, six inches.
(1) If a residential facility certified prior to the effective date of this rule has an approved variance for the square footage requirement, the facility may still remain in operation as long as the agency has a copy of the approved variance on file for review by ODJFS.
(2) All facilities certified after the effective date of this rule shall adhere to the square footage requirements of this paragraph.
(B) Bedrooms in a CRC or group home shall be used to sleep children of the same sex.
(C) No bedroom in a residential facility, constructed or put into use after January 1, 1991, shall be used to sleep more than four children.
(D) A residential facility shall not permit non-ambulatory children to sleep above the entry level of a building, unless the facility is specifically approved for such children by the state fire marshal or a local certified fire safety inspector.
(E) Each bedroom in a residential facility shall have at least one outside wall window. The window shall be equipped with a means for providing privacy. The window shall also be screened and capable of opening and closing, unless the room is provided with a ventilation system which provides a regular change of fresh air such as a central air conditioning system.
(F) Each CRC utilizing live-in child care staff shall provide such staff with separate sleeping space and bathroom facilities.
(G) Each group home or residential parenting facility utilizing live-in child care staff shall provide such staff with separate sleeping space.
(H) Bedrooms in a residential facility shall not have the entry to a child's bedroom located so as to require the child to pass through another bedroom or a bathroom in order to enter his or her bedroom, or to require another person to pass through the child's bedroom to enter another room.
(1) If a residential facility certified prior to December 1, 2010 has an approved variance for the pass through requirement, the facility may still remain in operation as long as the agency has a copy of the approved variance on file for review by ODJFS.
(2) All facilities certified after the effective date of this rule shall adhere to the pass through requirements of this paragraph.
(I) All bedrooms in a residential facility shall have a standard door that is capable of opening and closing.
(J) Each bedroom in a residential facility shall have one bed for each child assigned to the bedroom. Beds shall not be less than thirty inches wide and not less than five feet in length and appropriate to the child's size. Each bed shall have a clean and comfortable mattress. A child's bed shall not be used by another child when the child is temporarily away from the facility.
(1) If a residential facility certified prior to December 1, 2010 has an approved variance for any requirement of this paragraph, the facility may still remain in operation as long as the agency has a copy of the approved variance on file for review by ODJFS.
(2) All facilities certified after December 1, 2010 shall adhere to the requirements of this paragraph.
(K) Each child in a residential facility shall be provided with clean sheets, pillowcases, a pillow, and blankets.
(L) Sheets and pillowcases shall be changed and laundered at least weekly or more frequently if needed. Waterproof mattress coverings shall be provided to a child as needed.
(M) All bunk beds in use in a residential facility shall be equipped with safety rails on the upper tier for a child under the age of ten, or for any child whose physical, mental, or emotional condition indicates the need for such protection. A child under six years of age shall not sleep on the upper bunk of a bunk bed. No beds shall be bunked higher than two tiers. Bunk beds shall not be used in a residential parenting facility.
(N) Each child in a residential facility shall be provided with storage space for clothing and personal items in the bedroom to which the child is assigned. Each teenage mother in a residential parenting facility shall be provided with storage space for herself, and for her child's clothing, in her bedroom.
(O) Each child in a residential facility shall be provided with space in their bedroom for hanging clothes. Each teenage mother in a residential parenting facility shall be provided with space in her bedroom for hanging clothes for herself and her child.
(P) If a residential facility removes any required items from a child's bedroom, the facility shall document the reason for the removal and shall have a statement showing the removal of the items was necessary for the safety and well being of the child signed by one of the following:
(1) A licensed social worker.
(2) A licensed independent social worker.
(3) A licensed professional counselor.
(4) A licensed professional clinical counselor.
(5) A civil service employee engaging in social work or professional counseling for a residential facility operated by a public children services agency (PCSA) or a local public entity (LPE) as described in rule 5101:2-5-02 of the Adminstrative Code. If a civil service employee is not a licensed social worker or licensed counselor, the employee shall not sign statements for any other facility except a residential facility operated by the PCSA they are employed with.
(Q) In a residential parenting facility, no teenage mother and her child shall share a bedroom with another teenage mother and her child.
(R) In a residential parenting facility, each teenage mother shall have a bed of her own and shall not be permitted to sleep with her child in the same bed.
(S) Each infant, toddler or preschool age child shall have an age appropriate bed. A bassinet shall be used only for infants under three months of age or less than fifteen pounds in weight. An infant or toddler under thirty-five inches in height shall be provided with a full sized crib which meets the following requirements:
(1) Crib slats shall be no more than two and three-eighths inches apart.
(2) Decorative cutout areas on crib end panels which could entrap the head of a child shall not be used.
(3) Drop-side cribs shall not be used.
(4) Each crib shall have a firm mattress which is at least one and one-half inches thick and covered with a waterproof material. The mattress must fit snugly enough in the frame so that there is no more than a one and one-half inch gap between the mattress and the sides of the crib.
(5) The facility is responsible for monitoring for recall and safety information as issued by the consumer product safety commission (CPSC), and ensuring that CPSC recommendations related to equipment used by the facility are followed.
(6) Only cribs that are compliant with the U.S. consumer product safety commission specifications shall be used. The specifications can be found in 16 C.F.R. 1219 (2011).
Supplemental Information