Rainbow DJ LabRas Tafari Inc. · Rainbow Beach Park, Chicago
Proposed:The Lab is not running yet. No class runs until every item on the launch checklist is complete.
Rainbow DJ Lab › Safety › Medication Storage & Administration

Medication Storage & Administration

How the Rainbow DJ Lab accepts, stores, gives, records and returns a child's medicine.

Status

These policies were adopted by the Ras Tafari Inc. board on October 17, 2026. The Lab is proposed. No staff are hired and no class dates are set.

The rules

  1. Original container only. Medicine comes in its original pharmacy container with the prescription label (child's name, medicine, dose, prescriber). Over-the-counter medicine comes in its original package.
  2. Signed authorization first. A parent or guardian signs a medication authorization on the Medical & Allergy form before any medicine is accepted.
  3. Locked, except rescue medicine. Routine medicine is kept in a locked box that stays with the lead adult. Rescue medicine (an epinephrine auto-injector or an inhaler) is never locked. It stays within reach of the trained adult at all times.
  4. No medicine in kids' bags. Children don't keep medicine in backpacks, with one exception: if a child's own plan and their prescriber say they carry their own inhaler, and the parent agrees in writing, the trained adult still knows where it is.
  5. Given only as labeled. We give the dose and time on the label or plan. We never change doses.

Classes run 4 to 6 pm, so routine medicine during class should be rare. If a dose can be given at home, please give it at home.

Hand-off at sign-in

Step Who What
1 Parent Hands medicine to the lead adult. Medicine is never given to a child to carry in
2 Lead adult Checks: child's name on label, expiration date, dose matches the authorization
3 Lead adult Puts routine medicine in the locked box, or gives rescue medicine to the trained adult
4 Both Lead adult notes it on the medication log (time received, who received it)

Giving medicine

  1. Check the "five rights": right child, right medicine, right dose, right time, right way (by mouth, inhaled, injected).
  2. Give it where another adult can see.
  3. Record it right away: medicine, dose, time, who gave it, and how the child responded.
  4. For rescue medicine used in an emergency, follow the child's plan and the Epinephrine Protocol. After epinephrine, we always call 911.

Returning medicine

  • At sign-out, routine medicine is handed back to the authorized adult picking up, not to the child.
  • Expired medicine is returned to the parent, never thrown away by staff.
  • If medicine is left behind, Stephen Henry calls the parent the same day.

Mistakes

If a dose is missed, given at the wrong time, or given to the wrong child:

  1. Check the child. If they're unwell, call 911. For a possible overdose or wrong medicine, call the Illinois Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 (call 911 if the child is unresponsive, having trouble breathing or seizing).
  2. Call the parent right away.
  3. Write an incident report within 24 hours (Incident Reporting).

What you'll be told

  • At pickup: whether any medicine was given, when, and how much.
  • Immediately by phone: any rescue medicine used, any mistake, or any reaction.

Sources

  • FARE, Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan: https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/food-allergy-anaphylaxis-emergency-care-plan
  • Illinois Poison Center: https://illinoispoisoncenter.org
  • American Red Cross, First Aid/CPR/AED: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class