Adult and Child Care Facilities
BEDHD contracts with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)and LARA (Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Office) to perform environmental health inspections of child day care centers, children’s camps, and child and adult foster homes. These facilities are defined below:
- Child care center: A facility other than a private residence that receives one or more children for care for periods of less than 24 hours a day.
- Child day care home: A private residence that receives one or more children for care for periods of less than 24 hours a day
- Children’s camp: Five (5) or more children, away from their parents, relatives, or legal guardians, for five or more days within a 14-day period in a natural environment.
- Children’s foster home: A private residence providing full-time parental care to minors (<18 years old) who are not directly related to an adult member of the household by blood or marriage.
- Adult foster care home: A private residence that provides care to adults who are aged, mentally ill, developmentally disabled, or physically disabled and who require some level of supervision, but not continuous nursing care.
Depending upon the facility type, an environmental health inspection may include an evaluation of all or a portion of the following:
- Food service
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Living conditions
- Maintenance of the premises
- Sewage disposal and water supply
- Water sampling of well water
- Recreational facilities
In addition to scheduled inspections, BEDHD also conducts plan reviews of all new day care centers and adult foster care homes as well as joint investigations with the facility's DHHS licensing consultant on complaints or concerns related to environmental health conditions.