PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL—Palm Beach County Health Department Child Care Licensing Division is asking all child care facilities to contact them prior to opening following hurricane Frances.

    Child care inspectors from the health department want to assure that the facilities are safe and fully operational before children are allowed to stay for any period of time. Inspectors have now contacted a majority of the facilities and found about 50 percent operational and others following the schedule of the Palm Beach County School system.

    The following are some of the items that inspectors, owners, parents and guardians should be looking for.

• Physical damage—roofs, windows, down power lines, doors, fencing, playground equipment.
   
• Sanitized facilities—Playground equipment exposed to flooding should be sanitized with one-cup bleach to one gallon of water. If indoor flooding occurred all toys and other materials should be sanitized with ¼ cup bleach to one gallon of water.
   
• Electricity and plumbing should be fully functional
   
• Telephones must be working. Cell phones are not acceptable.
   
• Safe drinking water must be available and any boil water orders followed.
   
• Staffing rules apply including at least one certified in CPR and First Aid. Staff should be screened and Volunteers working under direct supervision of a screened staff member.
   
• No field trips
   
• Discard all foods in refrigerator/freezer during the storm and prior to power being restored.
   
• Discard any packaged goods or paper products that may have come in contact with floodwater.

    Centers, parents and guardians can contact the Health Department about Child Care facilities at 561-514-5373 or 514-5300.

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