The current regulations in section 22VAC40-185-530 require only one person on the premises to be trained in CPR and first aid.  The proposed new regulations will require all staff who work directly with children to be certified.   This will have a huge impact on cooperative preschools because they have many parent volunteers who count as “staff” -- our preschool has approximately 70 parent volunteers who take turns assisting our 4 classroom teachers.  We cannot absorb the cost to train all 70 of them in CPR, which can cost $100 per person, and must be renewed every two years.  Our school’s policy   requires all teachers and substitutes to hold current CPR/first aid certification.  Requiring one CPR-certified staff person per classroom is sufficient and would be a significant improvement over the existing regulations.

RECOMMENDATION   Require one staff person in each classroom/group to hold a current CPR/first aid certification.