National Norms and Standards relating to Environmental Health

(i) For children between 0-24 months, one adult supervisor must be available for not more than 6babies;(ii) For children between 3 years and 5 years, one adult supervisor for not more than 20 children;(iii) For children between 5 and 7 years, one adult supervisor for not more than 35 children, in linewith the Child Care Act.3.13 General requirementsa) The location and layout of the pre-school must be suitable for its purpose with regards to the designand construction and finished in such condition that children can be cared for hygienically and can beadequately protected against possible public health hazards and nuisances.b) Storage facilities for the storage of children’s toys, books, and other play material must be provided inthe indoor play area.c) If transport to and from the child care center is provided;(i) Children must be supervised by at least one adult, apart from the driver during boarding anddisembarkation.(ii) Doors of the vehicle must be child locked at all times during the transportation of children.(iii) Children may not be transported in the front seat or in the boot of any vehicle duringtransportation.(iv) Children may not be overloaded in any car during transportation.(v) The driver responsible for transporting the children, as well as the transportation utilized must bepermitted in terms of the requirements of the Road Traffic Act.d) An adequate number of refuse bins for the disposal of all waste material on the premises must beprovided.e) An approved refuse area must be provided on the premises for the storage of all refuse pendingremoval.f) Each child must be provided with a face cloth which must be individually marked for that child’s useand must be individually hanged on pegs or hooks. For children under the age of 3 years disposabletowels must preferably be provided.g) If cots or mattresses are used, the floor must be free from dirt, dampness or any liquid substances.h) Individual sheets and covers must be provided for each child and washed at least once a week, ormore often, if necessary.3.14 Safety measuresStrict safety measures must be in place for protection of children’s welfare.a) Reasonable measures must be taken to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of pre-schoolchildren.b) All heating appliances/heat emitting surfaces must be protected by a fix guard or must bethermostatically controlled to ensure safe surface temperatures.c) Hot water provided for use by the pre-school must be thermostatically controlled to ensure a safetemperature.d) Children must be adequately protected against fires, hot water installations, electrical fittings andappliances, heating appliances and any other objects that may be dangerous or constitute a hazardor injury to the children on the premises.e) Medicines, detergents, pesticides and other harmful substances must be stored in lockable placesand kept out of reach of the children.f) The premises must be free from any noxious, poisonous or dangerous plants or shrubs.g) No animals or birds must be kept on any premises where a child care center is operated, except bywritten permission of the Environmental Health Practitioner after the necessary Environmental Healthassessment has been completed.h) No paddling pool, swimming pool or other related structure may be permitted in any child care centerpremises, except by written permission by the Environmental Health Practitioner.i) No sandpit may be permitted on the premises, except by written permission of the EnvironmentalHealth practitioner.j) Ponds, pits and or other hazards in any garden or external play area must be fenced off to ensuresafety of children.k) The play equipment must be maintained in good working order and in good repair.DOH. Norms and standards for environmental health in South Africa Feb 2013 21