168

168.1

A Child Development Home Caregiver shall be at least eighteen (18) years of age and shall:

(a) Have completed or earned the following:

(1) An associate or more advanced degree from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, with a major in child and family studies, child development, child studies, developmental psychology, early care and education, early childhood development, early childhood education, early childhood special education, early childhood studies, early learning and development, or human development; or

(2) An associate or more advanced degree from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, with a major in a field other than child and family studies, child development, child studies, developmental psychology, early care and education, early childhood development, early childhood education, early childhood special education, early childhood studies, early learning and development, or human development, with at least twelve (12) credit hours, or its equivalent as determined by OSSE, in child and family studies, child development, child studies, developmental psychology, early care and education, early childhood development, early childhood education, early childhood special education, early childhood studies, early learning and development, or human development at an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and have at least one (1) year of supervised occupational experience working with children in a licensed District of Columbia Facility or its equivalent in another jurisdiction;

(3) Sixty (60) credit hours, or its equivalent as determined by OSSE, with at least twelve (12) of those credit hours, or its equivalent as determined by OSSE, in child and family studies, child development, child studies, developmental psychology, early care and education, early childhood development, early childhood education, early childhood special education, early childhood

studies, early learning and development, or human development from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and have at least one (1) year of supervised occupational experience working with children in a licensed District of Columbia Facility or its equivalent in another jurisdiction;

(4) Sixty (60) credit hours, or its equivalent as determined by OSSE, with at least twelve (12) of those credit hours, or its equivalent as determined by OSSE, in child and family studies, child development, child studies, developmental psychology, early care and education, early childhood development, early childhood education, early childhood special education, early childhood studies, early learning and development, or human development, from an institution outside of the United States, and submitted a foreign credential equivalency report as required by OSSE, and have at least one (1) year of supervised occupational experience working with children in a licensed District of Columbia Facility or its equivalent in another jurisdiction;

(5) The equivalent of an associate or more advanced degree from an institution outside of the United States and has submitted a foreign credential equivalency report as required by OSSE, with:

(A) A major in child and family studies, child development, child studies, developmental psychology, early care and education, early childhood development, early childhood education, early childhood special education, early childhood studies, early learning and development, or human development; or

(B) A major in a field other than child and family studies, child development, child studies, developmental psychology, early care and education, early childhood development, early childhood education, early childhood special education, early childhood studies, early learning and development, or human development, with at least twelve (12) credit hours, or its equivalent as determined by OSSE, in child and family studies, child development, child studies, developmental psychology, early care and education, early childhood development, early childhood education, early childhood special education, early childhood studies, early learning and development, or human development and at least one (1) year supervised experience working with children in a licensed District of Columbia

Facility or its equivalent in another jurisdiction;

1. (6) A competency-based credential, representing a level of knowledge and skills equivalent to or greater than an associate degree and awarded by a nationally recognized credential program, should one become available and approved by OSSE; or
2. (7) A current CDA credential, or a state-awarded certificate that meets or exceeds the requirements for a CDA credential as determined by OSSE;
3. (b) Participate in at least five (4) child development-related training courses, approved by the District of Columbia Government, per year, for a total of at least twelve (12) hours of professional development annually; and
4. (b) Successfully complete all health and safety training requirements set forth in this chapter.168.2 For the purposes of this section, early childhood development and early childhood education shall include the courses listed in Subsection 164.5.168.3 A Child Development Home Caregiver employed in a licensed Child Development Home in the District of Columbia on December 20, 2023, and who has continuously served as a Home Caregiver for the past ten (10) years, excluding any absences from the labor force due to caregiving responsibilities, may submit an application to OSSE for a continuous service certification that waives the qualification requirements in Subsection 168.1. OSSE may deny a certification request when a Facility for which the Home Caregiver was responsible received one or more summary suspensions or failed to abate or resolve the deficiencies, or for any other reason consistent with ensuring the health, safety and welfare of children.100168.4 The duties of a Child Development Home Caregiver shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:- (a) Orienting each member of the Caregiver's household to the laws, regulations, and standards governing Child Development Homes;
5. (b) Operating the Child Development Home in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including compliance with background check requirements for Caregivers and any adult living in the household;
6. (c) Ensuring that enrolled children are supervised and within sight and sound at all times;

1. (d) Ensure that any other duties or activities performed on behalf of the household do not interfere with the supervision and care given to the enrolled children;
2. (e) Ensuring that each person residing at the home has a physical examination by a licensed health care practitioner at least annually and that each is certified by the examining practitioner to be free of tuberculosis and other diseases in communicable form;
3. (f) Supervising and accompanying all visitors who are present at the Home or on the grounds during the Child Development Home's hours of operation;
4. (g) Reporting to OSSE and to the parent(s) or guardian(s) of each affected child any unusual incident or accident that occurs in the Child Development Home, in accordance with this chapter;
5. (h) Ensuring that an adequate number of qualified registered back-up personnel, are engaged by the Child Development Home and are available to be present at the Child Development Home when needed, at all times during the Child Development Home's hours of operation, in accordance with this chapter; and that all the qualifications and training of back-up personnel be documented, and that this documentation, along with records related to back-up personnel, be kept current and maintained consistent with the standards set forth in this section, as required for all Child Development Home Caregivers;
6. (i) Developing and implementing written contingency plans, including written instructions for all Child Development Home personnel and for all responsible household members, for use in case of medical and non-medical emergencies;
7. (j) Being responsible for the overall supervision and administration of the program of care provided to the enrolled children; and
8. (k) Ensuring that staff members have access to ongoing professional development through registration in the District of Columbia's Early Learning Professional Development Information System.

100168.5 Child Development Home Caregivers shall be physically present at the Facility during the Facility’s hours of operation and maintain, on the premises, a record of days and actual hours at work at the Facility.

100168.6 When the Child Development Home Caregiver is not physically present at the

Facility due to Caregiver's attendance at a professional development event or performance of other Caregiver related responsibilities, the Child Development Home Caregiver shall designate a qualified back-up Caregiver, who meets the requirements and qualifications of a Caregiver as set forth in Section 168.1(a) and (c) and criminal background checks as set forth in Subsection 132.2 and Section 133, to assume full responsibility for the Facility's operations in the absence of the Child Development Home Caregiver.

100168.7 Child Development Home Caregivers shall ensure that qualified back-up personnel are available during all hours of the Facility's hours of operation and that the engagement of back-up personnel does not create a violation of this chapter. If a Child Development Home Caregiver utilizes another licensed Child Development Home Caregiver as a back-up, the back-up site shall not be responsible for more children than indicated on his or her license.

100168.8 Child Development Home Caregivers shall ensure that the written contingency plan is applicable for all hours of the day, days of the week, and weeks of the year for which the Child Development Home is normally operating. If the written contingency plan utilizes a location that is not available for all days or hours for which the Child Development Home is normally operating, the written contingency plan shall identify a secondary emergency location that is available.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking at 63 DCR 14640 (December 2, 2016); as corrected by Errata Notice published at 64 DCR 8231 (August 18, 2017); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 65 DCR 7032 (June 29, 2018); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 68 DCR 5016 (May 7, 2021); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 72 DCR 008518 (August 1, 2025).