Due to the various regulatory agencies involved in the Child Care Center (CCC) and Educational Facility (EF) licensing process, it can be confusing and overwhelming to navigate the requirements. Thankfully, on February 8, 2017, the NJDEP released its new “Technical Guidance for Investigating Child Care Centers and Educational Facilities.” The document is intended to provide LSRPs and other interested parties with an overview of the environmental requirements for CCCs/EFs. EFs include private, public, and/or charter school requirements. Among other things, the guidance provides clarification on the legal aspects of the remediation and licensing, as it pertains to the three organizations involved – Department of Children and Families (DCF), Department of Health (DOH), and Department of Environmental Protection(DEP).
The legislation that drives this guidance is the Madden Legislation, and it requires two tracks for licensing. The first is the clearance of the indoor environment, as governed by the DOH. The second is the clearance of real property, governed by the DEP and the Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) of record for the site. The DCF is the agency that ultimately issues the license, and requires compliance with the Manual of Requirements for Child Care Centers. The Manual requires an applicant to address many things, including radon gas, lead paint, site contamination, an indoor environmental health assessment (IEHA), the facility water supply, a safe building interior, and asbestos. As part of the application, the Manual also requires the following three items:
The following information focuses primarily on the clearance of the real property and the requirements of the NJDEP. For more about DOH and DCF requirements, please refer to this blog post.
As noted above, in most cases an RAO is required for a CCC/EF license application. And, in most cases, a Preliminary Assessment (PA) will be required to support the RAO. The RAO can be issued for either an entire site or the child care portion of the facility (i.e. leasehold area), and the PA is conducted accordingly. Regardless, the PA is to be conducted in accordance with the NJDEP Technical Guidance for Preliminary Assessment. There are many requirements for the PA, and some specific requirements that are pertinent to the CCC / EF include:
For information on site investigation requirements for CCCs and EFs, as well as example scenarios, please continue reading the next blog, linked here: Child Care Centers and Education Facilities – Site Investigation and Example.
Through collaboration with the NJDEP and other licensing agencies, JM Sorge, Inc. has helped dozens of CCC and EF owners obtain and maintain their license. JMS is experienced in completing Preliminary Assessments and Site Investigations required for child care licensure, and is also licensed by the NJDOH to conduct Indoor Environmental Health Assessments. Please contact us at 908-218-0066 or consult@jmsorge.com for a Child Care Center/Educational Facility environmental evaluation.
Jim Vander Vliet, PE, LSRP
Senior Manager