# Little Harvard Creche & Montessori, Dublin 14 — inspection reports and findings > Little Harvard Creche & Montessori (Dublin 14, Co. Dublin): what Tusla inspections found — 2 published inspection(s), non-compliances and the provider's corrective actions. ## Little Harvard Creche & Montessori Sessional · 2 - 6 Years · Dublin 14, Dublin · Tusla ID **TU2015DS118** · Registered since 1 January 2026 An inspection records what inspectors saw **on one day**; services respond with corrective actions — [how to read this](/methodology.md). #### Inspection of 10 July 2025 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) ##### Regulation 9 — Management and recruitment - (4) There was no evidence available to show that two staff who worked directly with preschool children held at least a major award in Early childhood Care and Education at Level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework, or a qualification deemed by the Minister to be equivalent - All of the service preschool staff are qualified, and their qualifications are on file. A number of children who were moving to our afterschool room this year were in the care of afterschool staff for a short period of time on the day of inspection. In future Regulatory Notice EYI-RN11.1 issued in February 2025 will be adhered too. Management have been made aware of the relevant regulatory notice and advised to comply with it in the future ##### Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service - (j) 1. The service was observed to have two types of form in use to record medication administration. One form type in use did not include a section for parents to sign to confirm they had been informed of medication administration. This posed a potential risk of sharing inaccurate information resulting in a safety risk to children. 2. The registered provider did not ensure a full record in writing was maintained for medication administration. A sample of 13 forms were reviewed and 8 were observed incomplete. The incomplete records did not include a parent’s signature confirming they had been informed of the medication administration. Of the 8 incomplete forms reviewed 7 of these records were completed on the template form that did not include a space for parents’ signature. This posed a potential risk of sharing inaccurate information resulting in a safety risk to children. (k) 1. The registered provider did not ensure a full record in writing was maintained for accidents and incident. A sample of 15 forms were reviewed and 7 were observed to be incomplete. • Two records did not include the child’s full details. • Five records did not include the date of the parents’ signature to show they were informed of the accident. This posed a potential impact of sharing inaccurate information resulting in a safety risk to children - (j) Points 1 and 2 Updated forms are now in use at the service. The outdated forms have been withdrawn. Management has informed staff to fully complete all relevant records and to ensure that the signatures of all concerned are adhered thereto. (k) 1. Training has taken place with all staff with regard to the completion of incident and accident forms. Staff have been advised to ensure that the forms are completed in full, including the full names of children and the signature of the parents obtained. Local, regional and senior management will regularly inspect all forms to ensure that they are completed in full ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - General Safety: 1. An ambient care room temperature between 18-22℃ was not maintained in Pod 3 where children over the age of three were playing. The following was observed: • At 10.55am the temperature was 23.1℃ • At 12.32pm the temperature was 25.6℃ • At 2.05pm the temperature was 26.3℃ It is acknowledged that staff took measures to help reduce the temperature such as lowering blinds, opening windows and using a plug in air cooler. Management arranged for a second plug in air cooler for the care room and informed the inspectors it arrived at 2.30pm. The temperature of the care room was observed to reduce after the use of the second air cooler. 2. Six of nineteen suncreams stored in a box were not individually labelled. This posed a potential risk of skin irritation if a cream was wrongly administered to a child. Administration of Medication: 3. The care plan for a child was not readily available or easily accessible for all staff in the event of an emergency. The availability of detailed care plans provides clear guidance to staff on when medication is required and how to administer, reducing the risk of delayed administration in the event of an emergency. Fire Safety: 4. Attendance records were not maintained in a timely manner. At 11.04am a review of attendance records with staff and management demonstrated that three children who were present in the service were not signed in on any roll book. In addition, a fourth child who was present in the service was recorded on a room transfer sheet and not signed in on a roll book. Some staff had advised they would bring only the roll book in the event of emergency evacuation. The service fire safety policy advises all children must be signed in and out accordingly onto the attendance record and that staff members will take the roll book in the event of a fire. This posed a potential risk of hindering safe evacuation from the premises in the event of an emergency. 5. Staff were inconsistent in their understanding and explanation of the services fire evacuation procedures. Staff informed the inspectors of varying approaches of how children are accounted for in the event of an evacuation. Some staff referenced the use of a room transfer sheet and roll book while other referred to only a roll book. This posed a potential risk of hindering safe evacuation from the premises in the event of an emergency. Action submitted by the Registered Provider - General Safety: 1. Additional air conditioning units have been supplied and are now available at the premises. Management will ensure that sufficient air temperature control units are in place at all times. 2. Training has taken place with staff advising them that all suncreams should contain the name of the child to whom it is to be administered. Local management will verify that all suncreams are labelled with the child’s name before use, and senior management will monitor ongoing compliance with Regulation 23 to prevent future occurrences. Administration of Medication: 3. Copies of all care plans, containing relevant and up-to-date information, will be kept in each room to ensure staff have access to them at all times. To prevent recurrence, local management will review care plans regularly for accuracy and ensure compliance with all aspects of Regulation 23. Fire Safety: 4. Training has taken place with staff regarding the completion of attendance records. All records will be completed in a timely manner. Management will conduct regular audits of attendance records and provide refresher training to ensure all information are completed on time and accurately in line with regulatory requirements. 5. Detailed training has taken place with all staff regarding the evacuation of children in the case of a fire. A fire drill has been conducted, and clear guidance has been given to staff regarding how children are to be accounted for in the event of an evacuation. Local Management will schedule and record regular fire drills, ensuring all staff are confident in evacuation procedures and in accurately accounting for every child during an emergency. Senior Management will ensure compliance with all aspects of Regulation 23 going forward ##### Regulation 27 — Supervision - 1. The registered provider did not ensure that children were adequately supervised at all times during the day. On the morning of the inspection at 10.38am six preschool children were under the supervision and care of unqualified staff. Management advised the children where on a settling in period that morning with the afterschool group, the children were observed in their main care rooms at 12.00pm after returning from the afterschool group. This is in breach of the Early Years regulatory notice Definition of Enrolment in a School Age Service February 2025 which outlines the decision of the early years inspectorate; criteria for recognising a school-age and the time frame for settling in periods of 10 working days before the start of school - 1. Management has been instructed that in future years to fully comply with the definition of enrolment of school age children. A copy of the Regulatory Notice EYI-RN11.1 issued in February 2025 is available at the facility and management have been made aware of the contents of same. Local and senior management will ensure that this regulatory Notice is complied with in the future Found compliant: Regulation 11, 19, 25. #### Inspection of 12 March 2024 — Inspection Report Full report (PDF, Tusla) **Immediate action notice.** An immediate action notice was issued on the day of the inspection in relation to an observed risk under Regulation 23. A response which addressed the non-compliance was received from the registered provider on 13th March 2024. Please see body of report for details. ##### Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Children in Pod 4 were not given adequate time to engage in an activity as instructed by the staff on the day for example following circle time staff instructed the children to go to the cosy corner and take a book while the next activity was prepared. Children were observed attempting to get books when the staff member began calling them back to the activity tables just seconds later. Six children did not have time to engage with a book before being called for the next activity. Children require adequate time to complete activities to ensure they don’t feel pressure and the support familiarity and predictability in their daily routine. 2. The books in Pod 4 were not displayed in an easily accessible way to support children’s engagement with early literacy experiences. Books were observed to be stored in a plastic box between two sofa’s in the cosy area. This restricted access when children tried to access the books together and limited visibility as to what books were available. Books should be displayed in such a way as to promote engagement and be easily accessible to the children in the service - Corrective Action 1. Training was conducted with staff regarding appropriate time given to children to transition between one activity to another and how to foster a positive and supportive environment for learning and play. 2. A book holder has been put in place to display the books appropriately. Preventive Action 1. Training has been provided. Local management will ensure compliance with all aspects of Regulation 19 going forward ##### Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child - Infection Control: 1. A cloth towel was hung on the back of the toilet door of Pod 3 and observed to be used for hand drying this is not in line with HSPC guidance for hand drying and posed a risk of cross contamination. 2. Children lunches brought from home containing perishable items such as yogurts, cheese and ham were observed to be stored in their bag and not refrigerated. This is posed a risk of bacteria forming and is not in line with the food and nutrition guidelines for pre-school services. 3. Children in Pod 2 did not wash their hands after playing outdoors, this posed an infection control risk. 4. The sofa cover in Pod 3 and sofa in Pod 4 was observed to be torn and frayed this prevented effective cleaning. Administration of Medication: 5. A staff member was unaware of the correct dosage of medication to be administered to a child with an allergy. This posed a potential risk of incorrect administration. It is acknowledged a care plan was available for the child. Fire Safety: 6. A gate located in the garden area, which forms part of the fire evacuation route for two care rooms was observed to be locked with a padlock. Although a key was available in a coded key box mounted to the wall adjacent to the gate three staff members were not aware of the code to access the box and the lock was observed to have some rust present and was difficult to open. This may impede the safe evacuation of the children in the event of an emergency. An immediate action notice was issued on the day of the inspection. 7. Staff sign in and the transition log of children who moved care room on the morning of the inspection was not updated in a timely manner. The following was observed: • A staff member was signed into Pod 3 at 9:30am was not on the premises when the inspectors arrived at the service. The staff member returned to the premises at 11:00am. • Children who transitioned room in Pod 2 at 11:00am did not have an updated record when reviewed by the inspector at 11:40am. • Children who transitioned room at 11:00am in Pod 3 did not have an updated record when reviewed by the inspector at 11:24am. This posed a potential risk of hindering safe evacuation of the premises and of incorrect information being provided to the fire services in the event of an emergency. Action submitted by the Registered Provider Corrective Action Infection Control: 1. The cloth towel was removed from the toilet in Pod 3. 2. Staff have been reminded about the importance of storing children’s lunches in the fridge. 3. Staff have been reminded of the importance of handwashing following play time in the garden. 4. The sofas in Pod 3 and Pod 4 have been replaced. Administration of Medication: 5. All staff have been instructed in the importance of administering the correct dose of medication and to familiarise themselves with the required dosage on regular basis. Fire Safety: 6. The lock in system has been changed in accordance with the Immediate Action Notice issued of the subject of the previous correspondence. 7. Staff have been instructed regarding the importance of completing the transfer log of children from one room to another in a timely and professional manner to ensure accuracy of registers. Preventive Action Local and Senior Management will ensure compliance with Regulation 23 during the course of visits and inspections of the premises. Supporting documentation submitted Infection Control: • Staff sign off on training. • Photographic evidence of new sofas. Administration of Medication: • Staff sign off on training. Fire Safety: • Staff sign off on training. Summary Comment The inspector has reviewed the corrective and preventive actions taken and evidence submitted. The non- compliances identified under Regulation 23 have been addressed Found compliant: Regulation 9, 11, 25, 26, 28. ### Other services in Dublin - [Little Jack's Corner](/creche/little-jack-s-corner-dublin-15.md) Dublin 15 - [Little Ladybird Ltd.](/creche/little-ladybird-ltd-dublin-24.md) Dublin 24 - [Little Learners](/creche/little-learners-dublin-9.md) Dublin 9 - [Little Monkeys Playschool](/creche/little-monkeys-playschool-dublin-11-2.md) Dublin 11 - [Little Rainbows Ltd](/creche/little-rainbows-ltd-dublin.md) Dublin - [Little Stars Scoil Bhride Boys](/creche/little-stars-scoil-bhride-boys-dublin-15.md) Dublin 15 - [Meadows Preschool](/creche/meadows-preschool-dublin-22.md) Dublin 22 - [Once upon a time](/creche/once-upon-a-time-dublin-24-3.md) Dublin 24 - [St. Nicholas Montessori Merrion](/creche/st-nicholas-montessori-merrion-dublin-4.md) Dublin 4 - [Cocoon Childcare](/creche/cocoon-childcare-dublin-24.md) Dublin 24 [Alert me when a new report is published](/help.md) · [Dated report on this service — €19](/report.md) --- Página: https://creche-inspection-reports.pages.dev/creche/little-harvard-creche-montessori-dublin-14/ Fonte: Tusla Early Years Inspectorate Recolha: 2026-09-11