1. When the inspectors arrived unannounced to the service in the Marvelous Monkeys there were 18 preschool children aged 1 year 3 months to 2 years and 6 months with 3 staff members. Four members of staff were required. It is acknowledged that a fourth member of staff returned to the room at approximately 10.30am as they had been on their break from 10 – 10.30am
Provider's corrective action:
1. A whole nursery approach will be adapted to ensure short breaks are covered efficiently to ensure ratio’s are kept correct at all times. All staff breaks are on the team rota and cover is added for all breaks
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
General Safety: 1. A storage unit containing cleaning solutions in the sanitary area located off the Terrific Tigers room was observed to be unlocked. The children were observed to use the sanitary area independently, which poses a potential risk of harm to a child. Infection Control: 2. Children’s soothers were observed inappropriately stored loosely in a basket in the sleep room. In addition, they were not named. This is an infection control and cross contamination risk. 3. The soft child sized seating in the Wonderful Wolves room had spilt at a seam which exposed foam. The surface was not smooth to ensure it could be adequately cleaned, therefore posing an infection control risk. Safe Sleep: 4. One child under the age of 2 years of age was observed sleeping on a daybed instead of in a cot. This is a health and safety risk and at variance with best safe sleep practice
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective & Preventive Action General Safety: 1. A lock has been added to the store cupboard in the Terrrific Tigers sanitary area. All staff (Including cleaning and kitchen staff) have been reminded about how important it is to keep this cupboard locked at all times. Infection Control: 2. New soother boxes were purchased and labelled with all the children’s names. Soothers are only to be stored in the child’s own labelled box. 3. The soft seating with the seam split was removed from the Wonderful Wolves. Staff were reminded that rips in soft furnishings should be reported on daily risk assessments. Safe Sleep: 4. The child in question was returned to a cot for 2 weeks until their 2nd birthday. Staff were reminded that they must wait until the child’s birthday, children cannot sleep on day beds until they turn 2
Regulation 25 — First aid
(1) The registered provider did not ensure that there was a person trained in First Aid Response (FAR) for children, on the premises during the following times i.e. during the staff members hour lunch break Monday – Thursday, half hour break Friday and from 5pm – 6pm on a Friday
Provider's corrective action:
(1) The service provider completed FAR training since the last inspection. A reminder has been set up on the nursery phone for 2 months previous to all FAR certs expiring
(2)(a) One member of staff did not have a second written and validated reference available for inspection. It is acknowledged that since this inspection, the registered provider did submit an appropriate reference on 11/10/24 dated 10/10/24
Provider's corrective action:
(2)(a)A second reference was forwarded to the Office of the Early Years Inspectorate on the 11/10/24. Extra care will be given to ensure the written references held on file for the after-school team are acceptable under Tusla guidelines. References relating only to earlier education and training and not personal character will no longer be accepted
Regulation 20 — Facilities for rest and play
1. The sleep room was very dark and not adequately lit to allow a staff member to view the colour and breathing pattern of a sleeping child. This is a recurrent non-compliance and at variance to the registered provider’s response previously - “A new light has been installed in the sleep room and the emergency lights will be checked on the daily risk assessment.”
Provider's corrective action:
1. The bulbs in the main lights were changed to a dimmer switch to allow for the lights to be left on during sleep time but to be lowered to a comfortable level for sleeping. Checking that all lights work effectively has been added to the daily risk assessment
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
The Inspectorate was not assured that adequate steps have been taken to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the pre-school children attending the service in relation to the following observations made during the inspection: General Safety: 1. Garda vetting was reviewed for 2 staff members and these vetting disclosures were not dated within the previous three years in adherence to with the Early Years Inspectorate Regulatory Notice ‘EYI-RN12.3 Renewal of Garda Vetting’. Safe Sleep: 2. When the inspectors and the registered provider went into the sleep room after the feedback meeting there was a child in the sleep room with a fleece blanket fully over the child’s head. This is a health and safety risk and smothering risk. It is acknowledged that the registered provider removed the blanket from the child’s head immediately. Fire Safety: 3. Fire drills were not being carried out on the recommended monthly basis in the service. Prior to the September fire drill the last recorded fire drill was dated 22/1/24
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective & Preventive Action General Safety: 1. Garda Vetting has since been updated for both staff in question. Going forward, management will carry out quarterly and monthly checks on all Garda Vetting, to ensure this oversight does not happen again. Safe Sleep: 2. Once noted, the blanket was removed by the registered provider. In-house safe sleep training was carried out with the nursery team to ensure a similar incident does not happen again. All staff were asked to re- read the Safe Sleep policy. To ensure continued safety regarding safe sleep, the team leaders and designated person in charge will carry out unannounced safe sleep checks. Should any concerns arise from these checks, staff will be sent on additional safe sleep training. Fire Safety: 3. A full fire drill alongside individual fire drills for each room were carried out. The team leaders have undergone additional in-house fire safety training. They have all also re-read the Fire Safety Policy. To ensure continued safety regarding fire drills, the designated person in charge will ensure that every group have carried out their monthly fire drill, reporting to the Fire Officer if this has not happened. The Fire Officer will conduct quarterly checks to ensure the monthly fire drills have taken place
Regulation 29 — Premises
(c) 1. There was no means of ventilation in the nappy changing room off the Wonderful Wolves Room. 2. In the sanitary and nappy changing area off the Marvelous Monkeys Room, two of the mechanical ventilation fans had accumulations of dust and were not working. (d) The child sized plastic covered sofa in the Marvelous Monkeys Room was in a state of disrepair with a tear in the seat and worn corners. (e) In the sanitary area off the Wonderful Wolves room there was no toilet seat on the children’s toilet
Provider's corrective action:
(c) 1. A new extraction fan has been fitted to the nappy changing room in the Wonderful Wolves classroom. A construction works checklist will be signed off, ensuring all areas of compliance are met. 2. Two new extraction fans were fitted to the Marvellous Monkeys changing area. Extraction fans in clean and good working order have been added to the daily risk assessment for all sanitary areas within the nursery. (d) The sofa in question was removed and disposed of. Quarterly assessments will be made by management on all furniture within the nursery to ensure anything missed in the daily risk assessments are identified and dealt with in a timely manner. (e)A new toilet seat was purchased and fitted. Functioning toilet seats have been added to the sanitary area daily risk assessment checklist
Found compliant: Regulation 11, 19, 26, 30.
Inspection of 30 November 2023 — Inspection Report
(2)(d) One of the 4 staff members who had lived outside the Irish jurisdiction required international police vetting from a second country and this was not available for inspection. (4) Two members of staff who worked directly with the preschool children did not have documentary evidence of a minimum Level 5 childcare qualification
Provider's corrective action:
(2)(d) Police vetting has been obtained from a second country for one of the 4 staff members who had lived outside the Irish jurisdiction. Going forward, all CV’s will be checked by senior management to ensure police vetting has been obtained where necessary. (4) The registered provider has acknowledged that there is now an official certificate of Childcare Level 5 qualification on file for a member of staff, that was not available on the day of the inspection. The registered provider has also stated that a staff member present was from the afterschool team and there to assist with Christmas photos and not counted in the ratio on the day of the inspection. After-school staff who are not certified with a childcare qualification will never be used to cover in rooms as extra help
Regulation 16 — Record in relation to pre-school service
(1)(g) The service nappy changing policy did not detail the requirement for staff to wash the children’s hands after having their nappy changed
Provider's corrective action:
Washing the children’s hands after the staff member’s change their nappy has been added to the Nappy Changing Policy. Additional in-house training was carried out to ensure all staff wash children’s hands at every nappy change. All new staff will complete nappy changing training, any staff seen to not follow nappy changing protocol will receive additional training
Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
1. There was no adult chair for a staff member to sit comfortably and nurse a child. Staff members were observed sitting on the floor nursing a child and then trying to get up off the floor with the child in their arms. 2. In the Toddler Room a child who was displaying signs of tiredness and rubbing their eyes became visibly upset at 13:50. Instead of being placed down to sleep the child was taken to the dining room for dinner and while it is acknowledged the child stopped crying while eating their dinner, they became upset again in the dining room. The child was then taken to the sleep room at 14:17 and promptly settled to sleep. 3. There was no documented individualised plan in place for a child in Preschool A who required additional support. Thereby identifying the child’s abilities, needs, preferences and interests, in order to plan for and consistently support the child’s engagement and meaningful participation in the service. However, it is acknowledged that all staff members, including the staff member assigned to support this child under the Access and Inclusion Model scheme, were observed engaging warmly and displaying appropriate responsiveness with each child in the room, including this child during the inspection
Provider's corrective action:
1. A sofa was added to the Toddler Room. 2. The registered provider has completed additional in-house training regarding a child’s ‘signs of tiredness’ and the essential need for sufficient sleep for young children. In house training regarding safe sleep and signs of tiredness will be carried out regularly by senior management. Team leaders will monitor their team on an ongoing basis to highlight any team members they feel needs additional training. 3. A care plan has been developed for the child in preschool A. All new children with additional needs will have a care plan created for them when they commence in the Service
Regulation 20 — Facilities for rest and play
1. The soft cosy area in the Toddler Room had 2 large beans bags. These are not recommended for use with children under 2 years of age and are a health and safety risk. 2. Some of the cots in the sleep room were too close together with some of them touching and this did not allow for the required 50cm spacing between cots to prevent infection control and is also a health and safety risk. 3. The sleep room was very dark and not adequately lit to allow a staff member adequately to check a sleeping child. Due to the level of darkness in 1 area of the sleep room the inspector did not observe a 4th member of staff in the sleep room assisting with settling the children. 4. One of the cots had an ill-fitting and oversized sheet on the mattress which is a health and safety risk. 5. There was no suitable comfortable rest area available to the children attending Preschool A on either day of inspection, should a pre-school child wish to rest or relax. An adjoining internal room (formerly used as an office) which was directly accessed from Preschool A was designated as a library and rest area containing an adult sized couch and soft furnishings. However, on both days of inspection the door to this room was closed and the high-level door handle was out of reach of the preschool children accommodated in Preschool A. Additionally, the glass panel between the preschool room and the rest area was also positioned above the children’s head height which reduced the opportunity for the children to see the space
Provider's corrective action:
1. The bean bags were removed from the toddler room. Bean bags will never be used in the Toddler room again. 2. The cots have been moved apart in the sleep room. Senior management will continuously monitor with the help of team leaders that cots are always positioned correctly at sleep times. 3. A new light has been installed in the sleep room. The emergency lights will be checked on the daily risk assessment. 4. The oversized sheet has been removed. All sheets used within the nursery will be checked at time of purchase by senio r management to ensure suitability. 5. On the day of the inspection, the Pre -A cosy corner was out of use due to a planned Christmas photo shoot where the area was set up for this purpose. The registered provider has acknowledged that this was once off event and will never happen again. The door to this small room will always be open and accessible to children
Regulation 22 — Food and drink
On day 1 of inspection in the Toddler Room the children’s drink cups were stored on a tray in the corner of the adjoining dining room and therefore were not readily accessible to the children attending this room
Provider's corrective action:
The registered provider has completed additional in-house training around the importance of children always having access to their water throughout the day. The drinks trays will always stay within the care rooms unless it’s mealtimes. In house training around children’s need for water will be carried out regularly by senior management. Team leaders will monitor their team on an ongoing basis to highlight any team members they feel needs additional training
Regulation 23 — Safeguarding health, safety and welfare of child
General Safety: 1. In the sleep room, one of the cot mattresses did not have a safety label. This is a safety risk. 2. Two small elasticated hair bands were found by the inspector in 1 of the cots, one on the mattress and one under the mattress. These are a safety risk. 3. Some of the equipment in the service had sharp unprotected corners and therefore posed a potential injury hazard for example the wooden shelving in the Toddler Room and the green and white tables in the Junior Room. The registered provider and staff are responsible to ensure that all sharp corners need to be checked and protected at all times. 4. Some of the chairs in the dining room off the Toddler Room were too high for the children attending as it was observed their feet did not touch the ground while sitting on them. One child was observed to climb up onto the table so they could get off the chair as they could not push it back with their feet. This is a safety and potential falls risk. 5. A blind cord in Preschool C was found to have become detached from its restrictor on the first day of inspection. When informed of this potential strangulation hazard by the inspector, the registered provider undertook immediate corrective action and appropriately secured the blind cord in a safe manner. Infection Control: 6. There was a stain on one of the cot mattresses and this a cross contamination risk and required cleaning. 7. Two soothers were observed inappropriately stored with 1 lying on the floor uncovered under a cot and a second lying uncovered on a raised stage area in the sleep room. This is a cross contamination risk. 8. In the Toddler Room some jigsaw pieces which had been placed in the mouth by some of the younger children were not observed to be removed for cleaning after use. This is an infection control and cross contamination risk. 9. On the first day of inspection the children’s hands were not washed when they returned indoors to Preschool B at 14:40 following outdoor play. 10. Although single use paper towels were available, a cloth towel which was damp was provided beside the wash hand basin in the sanitary accommodation adjoining Preschool A. The inspector was informed that cloth towels were sometimes used after painting and messy play activities. As cloth towels harbour germs this posed a risk that the cloth towel provided could become a source of cross contamination. Safe Sleep: 11. Children sleeping on daybeds in the sleep room adjacent to the Toddler Room and the converted sleep room set up in Preschool C were left unsupervised once they had fallen asleep. A staff member did not remain in the rooms to supervise and ensure the safety of the sleeping children. This is a health and safety risk as if a child woke, they could leave their beds unsupervised and climb, trip, fall, disrupt the sleep of or cause harm to another child. 12. In the sleep room adjacent to the Toddler Room staff carrying out sleep check at various times were observed not to check the room thermometer and therefore the room temperature was not accurately recorded on the sleeping children’s sleep logs. For example the inspector recorded the room temperature as 16.7o C and staff were recording a room temperature of 20o C at that time. Fire Safety: 13. The fire extinguisher in Preschool C was obstructed by a re-positioned wooden play kitchen on the second day of inspection. When informed of this safety hazard, the registered provider undertook immediate corrective measures and returned the play kitchen to its original position, making the fire extinguisher visible and accessible if required
Provider's corrective action:
Corrective & Preventive Action General Safety: 1. Mattress without label has been removed. The team have been instructed to never cut safety label off the mattresses. 2. No children will go to bed with any hair accessories in their hair; additional in-house training was carried out to ensure all staff know the dangers of hair accessories for children as they sleep. In house training around safe sleep will be carried out regularly by senior management. Team leaders will monitor their team on an ongoing basis to highlight any team members they feel needs additional training. 3. Corner protectors were added to the wooden units and small table. All furniture at time of purchase will be checked by senior management before being added to the care rooms. 4. The chairs were removed from the dining room. All chairs for children will be checked at the time of purchase by senior management before being added to the care rooms. 5. The blind cord has been altered to prevent being a hazard in the future. The blind cord will be added to the daily risk assessment. Infection Control: 6. The mattress has been removed. Mattresses will be checked by senior management on the full-service quarterly risk assessment. 7. Additional in-house training has been carried out to ensure all soothers are kept in the children’s individual sterilized boxes. In house training around children’s soothers will be carried out regularly by senior management. Team leaders will monitor their team on an ongoing basis to highlight any team members they feel needs additional training. 8. Additional in-house training has been carried out to ensure all staff are aware of the dribble box and how it is to be used. In house training around the use of the dribble box will be carried out regularly by senior management. Team leaders will monitor their team on an ongoing basis to highlight any team members they feel needs additional training. 9. Additional in-house training has been carried out to ensure all staff are aware that children need to wash their hands every time after playing outside, not just before food and after toilet. In house training around correct hand washing protocol will be carried out regularly by senior management. Team leaders will monitor their team on an ongoing basis to highlight any team members they feel needs additional training. 10. Towels are no longer in use for art activities, the service is now using disposable paper towels. Additional in-house training was carried out to ensure all staff are aware of cross contamination. No towels will be used within the care rooms. Safe Sleep: 11. A staff member stays with the children while they sleep, additional in-house training on the important of adequate supervision of all children as they sleep. In house training around safe sleep will be carried out regularly by senior management. Team leaders will monitor their team on an ongoing basis to highlight any team members they feel needs additional training. 12. Additional in-house training has been carried out to ensure all staff are checking the room temperatures at every sleep check. In house training around Safe Sleep will be carried out regularly by senior management. Team leaders will monitor their team on an ongoing basis to highlight any team members they feel needs additional training. Fire Safety: 13. Additional in-house training has been carried out to ensure all staff know the importance of easily accessing firefighting equipment. In house training around firefighting equipment will be carried out regularly by senior management. Team leaders will monitor their team on an ongoing basis to highlight any team members they feel needs additional training. Fire- fighting equipment access is added to the Daily Risk Assessment
Regulation 29 — Premises
(d) 1. In the Junior Room the small plastic covered sofa was in a state of disrepair as the covering was cracked and torn. (e) 2. The service had insufficient toilets to accommodate the number of toilet-trained children attending the service as only 5 toilets were available for use by the pre-children and school aged children. The requirement is that 1 toilet and 1 wash hand basin is available for every 11 toilet trained children. The records demonstrated that on some dates in excess of 55 toilet-trained children were in attendance. This was also confirmed by the registered provider. 3. The service had insufficient toilets to accommodate the staff members employed as only 1 toilet was available for use by the 18 staff members working in the service. The ratio of sanitary accommodation for staff is 1 toilet and wash hand basin for every 8 staff members. These two non-compliances in relation to Regulation 29(e) were identified on inspection of the service on 12/06/2019 and 14/11/2019. As part of the subsequent corrective action and preventive action response submitted to the Inspectorate, the registered provider outlined proposals to extend the service into the adjoining commercial premises in June 2020 to include the provision of additional sanitary and other ancillary accommodation. To date, this work has not been completed and the regulatory requirement has not been met
Provider's corrective action:
(d) 1. The small sofa has been removed. (e) 2 and 3. The registered provider is in the process of employing a contractor to make modifications to the sanitary areas adding 2 additional toilets to the main bathroom plus an additional toilet and changing area to the Pre-A classroom. As an interim solution, the registered provider has arranged temporary access to other sanitary facilities within the building in order to facilitate an additional 7 staff members. The Inspectorate has reviewed the registered provider’s response in relation to Regulation 29. The response to 29(d) 1. has addressed the non-compliance identified. The interim corrective action in relation to Regulation 29(e) point 3 has been accepted and addressed this non- compliance. The non-compliance in relation to Regulation 29 (e) point 2 remains outstanding and will be reviewed at the next inspection