New County Regulations Allow Child Care Facilities to Give Medication

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved new regulations that will give home child care facilities more leeway to administer medication to children under their watch.

The two measures are aiming to comply with bills passed in the General Assembly this year, and were subsequently adopted into code by the board at its June 21 meeting. Both measures take effect July 1.

The first bill, introduced by Sen. George Barker, allows administration of prescription medications by individuals in a childcare program regulated by local government, as long as they fulfill the same requirements imposed upon state-licensed childcare providers, according to Anne-Marie Twohie, director of the county’s Office for Children.

It means home day care providers will be allowed to administer prescription medications required by the children under their care without breaking any laws. Family child care providers were not legally allowed to hand out medication until now. Non-prescription topical products are exempt from the rule.

The change requires that providers who administer prescription medications complete medication administration training every three years. This training is on top of the regular training that home childcare providers are required to already have, Twohie said.

The second bill, introduced by Del. David Bulova, expands the county’s authority to conduct criminal history background checks on applicants for home childcare facility permits by amending the county’s authority.

In cases where an applicant may show criminal activity in a state other than Virginia, the county can request a search of a national background check to search out convictions in other states. Such a search also may be conducted, Twohie added, when the director of the Office of Children “otherwise deems appropriate.”

The changes will allow family child care providers to provide an important service to families whose children may require medication, said Courteny Park, a member of the Fairfax County Child Care Advisory Council. The background check provides another valuable layer of precaution when approving child care providers, she added.

The board approved the measures unanimously. Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland was out of the room for the vote.