Are family child care providers permitted to have pack and play type equipment to use for sleep? For instance those pack and plays that are distributed by Cribs for Kids? Please clarify the regulation for this requirement.
There are no South Carolina regulations that prevent the use of Pack and Plays as cribs in Family Child Care Homes, but that doesn’t mean you can use them for sleep equipment. They are playpens, not cribs. Federal code of laws 16 CFR 1219 and 1220 are the laws for cribs that everyone believes banned drop-side cribs. What they actually did was set the national standard for cribs used in accommodations. Child care facilities are accommodations. Therefore, Family Child Care Homes should use cribs as sleep equipment, not playpens, and those cribs must meet the standards described in 16 CFR 1219 or 1220. If Child Care Licensing Specialists visit a Registered Family Child Care Home, and the facility is caring for infants, we are requiring them to get cribs to replace their Pack and Plays. Above all, we are appealing to all in-home child care operators to seek out information and training about safe sleep practices. Too many infants die every year due to unsafe sleep practices, and if using a crib is a regulation or not, it’s still the right thing to do.