# Regulation 19 (Health, Welfare and Development of Child) — non-compliances in Dublin > What inspectors found under Regulation 19 (Health, Welfare and Development of Child) at 139 early years services in Dublin, with providers' responses. ## Regulation 19 in Dublin Health, Welfare and Development of Child: **139** non-compliance(s) in the latest reports we read. An inspection records what inspectors saw **on one day**; services respond with corrective actions — [how to read this](/methodology.md). 24 June 2026 ##### [Little Harvard Childcare Limited](/creche/little-harvard-childcare-limited-santry.md), Santry · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. In one care room a staff member did not respond to the child’s needs during snack time which led to frustration for the child. The child was observed to repeat their request for assistance. Action was taken by the staff member when prompted by the inspector. It is important for staff to respond quickly and appropriately to children to ensure they feel safe, valued and develop secure attachments - 1. Expectations around responding promptly to children's requests and emotional needs were reinforced and training was provided to staff. The responsive supervision during mealtimes training card will be reviewed with all staff. Room Leaders will continue to monitor practice through regular observations to ensure responsive interactions are consistently maintained during mealtimes 15 June 2026 ##### [Ringsend Creche Ltd](/creche/ringsend-creche-ltd-dublin-4.md), Dublin 4 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1) (b) There was a lack of appropriate planning and organisation for sleep in the Toddler room which resulted in an environment that was not conducive to sleep and a prolonged transition to sleep. The transition to sleep was observed to commence at 12.35pm, and a review of documentation indicated that the three children did not go asleep until times ranging between 1.20 and 1.50pm. Children require planning and organisation to facilitate an established sleep routine to meet their need for rest. This had been identified as a non-compliance on the previous inspection, and the actions submitted failed to prevent a recurrence - (1) (b) The registered provider reports they have introduced a reviewed procedure to make the room more conductive to rest by changing the sleep room to a darker room. The children after dinner will now initiate a gradual wind down period to reduce restlessness and promote relaxation before children are placed in their beds. They report they have implemented sleep plans for all the children who will be sleeping and will reduce high energy activities in advance of sleep time to ensure better transitions all around 10 June 2026 ##### [Dimples Creche & Montessori](/creche/dimples-creche-montessori-dublin-18.md), Dublin 18 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - The furniture in use for mealtime in the Tiggy Winks room was not age appropriate. Children were observed to be seated on chairs that were too big for the size and developmental age of the children - The furniture in Tiggywinkles has been appropriately sized to suit the height and developmental stage of the children, ensuring they are seated comfortably in chairs that support their age and individual needs. These height- appropriate tables and chairs will be available to the children in Tiggywinkles at all times, alongside taller chairs to accommodate any children who may require them 28 May 2026 ##### [Little Brightstars Montessori Ltd](/creche/little-brightstars-montessori-ltd-ballyboughal.md), Ballyboughal · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. Two shelving units were observed to be turned away from the children and stored tightly against the wall which prevented the children from accessing the play resources contained within, which included specialised Montessori materials and tabletop resources. This practice restricts children’s play through reducing their access to play materials and resources. 2. The children’s books were located at the rear of a shelving unit and were difficult for the children to access or retrieve them - 1.The shelving units were turned around to their usual position with montessori materials and tabletop resources accessible to the children and the shelving units will not be turned into the wall again. All staff have been reminded of this 2. The books were made easily accessible to the children. Staff will make sure to keep the book area clear of toys in future 26 May 2026 ##### [Cocoon Childcare Citywest](/creche/cocoon-childcare-citywest-dublin-24.md), Dublin 24 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 19(1)(b) 1. The inspector observed that appropriate practices were not in place to meet the sleep needs of the children in the Wobbler room. There were ten children in attendance aged 13-20 months. The inspector observed that some of the children were displaying signs of overtiredness throughout the morning. It is acknowledged that one child was provided with the opportunity to sleep in a timely manner. However, the other children were only provided with an opportunity to sleep after the main meal. Two of the children were observed to be negatively impacted by this as outlined. Child 1: The inspector observed the child displaying signs of overtiredness including crying loudly and clinging to staff from 10:34 The child was placed to sleep at 12:17. Child 2: The inspector observed the child displaying signs of tiredness including disengaging and repeatedly rubbing eyes and crying from 11:06. This child was not placed to sleep until 12:09. Failure to facilitate children to sleep according to their needs can impact negatively on their emotional and physical development. 2. Mealtime practices in the Wobbler and Baby rooms did not support the individual needs of children as outlined. (a) At 11:41 the inspector observed that staff were engaged in tasks including cleaning and preparing children for sleep when one child was still eating the main meal. The inspector observed another child taking a spoonful of her meal. An adult who was engaged in a task beside her gave the meal back to the child but did not change the spoon. The child subsequently poured the meal on herself. When an adult checked the child’s dish they stated “Are you finished? You were starving”. They removed the child’s dish without offering any more. At 11:47 in the Baby room, the inspector observed two children both one year of age eating their dinner and the staff member who had been feeding one of them, started to clean the room and turned away from the two children and emptied the bin by the sink. One child spooned the remainder of their dinner out onto the table. The adult returned and removed the food and bowl and cleared it away. This practice was at variance with the services mealtimes policy which stated ‘Mealtimes will be used as a learning experience and an opportunity to develop social skills. Staff must ensure to always sit with the children at mealtimes’. Further information is documented under regulation 27 – Supervision. (b) One child who staff reported had some food allergies was not provided with a nutritiously balanced alternative at mealtime. While the other children were provided with vegetable curry couscous, the child was just provided with plain couscous. Failure to provide nutritionally balanced meals may impact a child’s growth, health and overall wellbeing. 3. The inspector observed an adult remove a wet nappy from a child who attended the Wobbler room and replace it with a dry nappy. The adult did not clean the child before putting on the dry nappy. This practice can result in skin irritation, soreness and discomfort and does not support infection control - - 1.The Branch Manager met with the staff team to reinforce the importance of implementing a needs-led approach to sleep and ensuring that individual sleep requirements are consistently responded to throughout the day. The Branch Manager will continue to monitor and support practice within the Wobbler Room to ensure that children's individual sleep needs are consistently met in line with a needs-led approach. Ongoing monitoring, guidance, and supervision will be provided to ensure that daily routines reflect each child's established sleep requirements. Continued monitoring will help ensure this does not reoccur and that children's individual care needs remain the priority at all times. 2.Following the inspection, the Branch Manager reviewed the Supervision Policy with the Baby and Wobbler Room team and reinforced the expectation that educators remain seated with the children throughout mealtimes, in line with the service's usual practice and supervision procedures. Children are encouraged to self- feed, with educators providing support using an additional spoon where required, promoting both independence and responsive care. The Branch Manager reinforced the importance of slow relational pedagogy, remaining present, actively supervising, and engaging with children during mealtimes. 2b. The Branch Manager also met with the Centre Cook to review the dietary requirements of all children with allergies and the alternative meals provided within the service. Each child's individual dietary needs and approved meal substitutions were discussed to ensure that appropriate alternatives are consistently provided. The Centre Cook demonstrated a clear understanding of the required meal replacements and the importance of ensuring that all alternative meals are balanced, nutritious, and meet each child's individual dietary requirements. The Branch Manager has implemented ongoing observations and support during mealtimes in the Baby and Wobbler Room to ensure that children are appropriately supervised and that educators remain fully engaged with the children throughout the meal experience. These observations will continue as part of the service's ongoing quality assurance and supervision processes to support consistent practice. In addition, the Branch Manager has introduced a routine check of all meals before they leave the kitchen to verify that they are of the appropriate quality, standard, and suitable for each child's individual dietary requirements. This monitoring process will continue to ensure consistency and compliance with the service's nutritional and food safety standards. 3.Staff were reminded that all children must be cleaned during every nappy change, including when changing a wet nappy, using either water wipes or cotton wool and water, in line with the service's hygiene procedures. The Nappy Changing Policy was reviewed in detail at a staff meeting following the inspection. The Operations Manager provided a practical demonstration of the correct nappy changing procedure, reinforcing the required standards of hygiene and infection prevention. Each educator subsequently demonstrated the nappy changing procedure and was observed by management to ensure that practice was fully aligned with the service's policy and procedures. - The Branch Manager has implemented ongoing observations of nappy changing practices within the junior rooms to monitor compliance with the service's Nappy Changing Policy and to ensure that procedures are being consistently implemented. These observations have confirmed that nappy changing is being carried out in accordance with the service's policy and hygiene procedures. Ongoing monitoring, support, and supervision will continue as part of the service's quality assurance processes to reinforce good practice and maintain consistent standards of care 26 May 2026 ##### [The Village Creche](/creche/the-village-creche-portmarnock.md), Portmarnock · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material Environment: 1. The materials and equipment provided to the children in the Tweenie room 1 did not support child led initiation of play and the extension of their ideas and imagination. For example. • The layout of the room was poor with no clear designated areas of interest evident. • Toys and supporting materials were stored on high shelves out of reach of children, for example; stacking shapes, wooden jigsaws and mini cars, not promoting child led play. • The play kitchen and dolls house were empty and not supplied with suitable toys and props and any available equipment was stored out of reach of the children. • Seven cause and effect toys requiring batteries were not working, removing the play and developmental purpose of the toy from the children. • A picnic basket, tractor and pink pot had pieces missing which reduced the children’s enjoyment and sense of completion. • No sensory toys or creative play areas were present - 1. The service has held a meeting with Tweenie room staff to discuss ongoing development for the classroom, on 17 June 2026. Areas of interest have been introduced which are available to the children at all times and enhanced the idea of themed areas such as home and construction. A stock of batteries is now available for toys. The sensory table is available to the children throughout the day and changed on a weekly basis. The service has been in contact with an external agency for support in in developing this room. Staff will take part in course to further the environment meets the childrens needs. Management will continuously check in that room is child centred 25 May 2026 ##### [First Steps Academy](/creche/first-steps-academy-dublin-13.md), Dublin 13 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (a) The registered provider did not ensure the following: Basic Needs 1. An additional portion of food was not available to a child. The child was observed to request more food on two occasions after they had finished their meal, however none was made available. Physical and Material Environment 2. There were insufficient resources available for two groups of children who shared garden time on the morning of inspection which led to frustration and reduced play opportunities for some children. Children were observed to request additional resources and engage in disputes over singular items including the one ball and one ride on car present. It is acknowledged the service has two permanent climbing frame garden structures - 1. The service report that staff were reminded that additional portions of food must be available to children who request more food and that these are now prepared and available at mealtimes to ensure children's individual needs can be met. The service will ensure sufficient quantities of food are available for all children and this will be monitored through regular room observations conducted by management. 2. The service reports a review of outdoor play resources was undertaken. Additional outdoor equipment was made available to children. Staff were reminded to take resources from the storage when in the garden. Regular audits of the outdoor resources has been introduced to ensure sufficient equipment is available to meet the needs and interests of all children 11 May 2026 ##### [Just Like Home](/creche/just-like-home-lusk.md), Lusk · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. In the Wobbler room the children’s water bottles were stored on a countertop. The box was positioned out of children’s eyeline making it difficult for them to indicate that they wanted a drink and was too high for the children to retrieve their bottles. Supporting relationships and interactions around children: 2. There were no family photographs displayed in the Wobbler room. This does not enable the children to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness in the service and to maintain links with family and home. Physical and material environment: 3. There were no play materials provided in the outdoor kitchen to enable the children to extend their play - Corrective Action Basic needs: 1. Following the inspection finding , the placement of children's water bottles in the wobbler room was immediately reviewe d. T he bottles have been relocated from the high countertop to a lower , child accessible level within the room, ensuring that they are within the children's eyeline and easy reach. This allows children to independently access their water bottles and indicate their need for a drink more easily. Supporting relationships and interactions around children: 2. Following the inspection finding, family photographs have now been introduced into the Wobbler room. The photographs have been displayed at child height to support children's sense of belonging , identity, and connection with home. T his immediate action ensures that children can see and recognise their families within the room environment. Physical and material environment: 3. Following the inspection finding, appropriate play materials have been added to the outdoor kitchen area to support and extend children's play. These resources now enable children to engage in imaginative, and role play activities outdoors, enhancing their learning experiences and interaction with the environment. Preventive Action Basic needs: 1. The service has reviewed the arrangement of resources in all rooms to ensure that children's personal items, including water bottles, are stored at an appropriate height and are readily accessible to support children's independence and communication of needs . Staff have been reminded of the importance of maintaining a child-centred environment that promotes autonomy and self-help skills. Room leaders will regularly review room layouts to ensure ongoing compliance with these principles. Supporting relationships and interactions around children: 2. The service has reviewed the environment in all rooms to ensure that children's family photographs are displayed appropriately and consistently . Staff have been reminded of the importance of supporting children's emotional well-being, sense of identity , and belonging through meaningful displays linked to home and family life. Room leaders will ensure that family displays are maintained and updated regularly as part of ongoing room environment planning, in line with Aistear and Síolta guidance. Physical and material environment: 3. The service has reviewed the provision of resources in the outdoor area to ensure that all learning zones are adequately resource d to support and extend children's play . Staff have been reminded of the importance of observing children's play and providing additional materials to extend learning in line with children's interests . Room leaders with regularly review outdoor provision to ensure that resources remain relevant, accessible, and supportive of high -quality play experiences . In addition, the service is currently developing a new outdoor play area/playground, which will be available in the near future. This area will include a range of natural and open -ended materials designed to further support children's exploratory play , creativity, and engagement with the outdoor environment . This development will further enhance the quality of outdoor learning experiences within the service . Room leaders will continue to review outdoor provision regularly to ensure resources remain appropriate , accessible, and responsive to children's developmental needs 11 May 2026 ##### [Tigers Leopardstown](/creche/tigers-leopardstown-dublin-18.md), Dublin 18 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. In the Senior Discoveries 2 room, 3 children were visibly upset and displaying signs of tiredness, crying, yawning and rubbing their eyes at 10:29am. The children were not placed to sleep until the designated sleep time after dinner at 12:00pm. 2. Two children in the Senior Discoveries 2 room had wet clothing from dribbling and handwashing during the morning of inspection and were not changed until sleep time at approximately 12:12pm. 3. Some children attending the Senior Discoveries 2 room had a heavy build-up of dried nasal discharges and running nose throughout the morning of inspection and were not cleaned by staff members - Following the inspection a staff meeting was held. During the meeting educators were reminded to ensure children noses are cleaned throughout the day. Children clothes are to be changed as soon as possible if they have gotten wet & bibs are to be used to help prevent clothes getting wet from dribbling. Educators were reminded to follow children’s cues for sleep and if they are tired to place them down for a nap. Management will complete spot checks in the room to ensure children’s comfort is being maintained at all times 7 May 2026 ##### [Family Resource Centre Ltd](/creche/family-resource-centre-ltd-dublin-8.md), Dublin 8 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1)(a) In the Baby and Toddler rooms, there was an insufficient range of age-appropriate materials and equipment available to support the developmental needs and interests of the children attending the service as detailed below. 1. In the Baby room, there was a lack of sensory and exploratory resources, including cause-and-effect toys and role-play props to complement the home corner and kitchen area. 2. In the Toddler room, although open shelving was available, resources were limited, with only a small number of accessible materials provided, including animals, jigsaws and cars. Areas of interest were not clearly defined or organised to support purposeful play and independent engagement. Consequently, children were frequently observed wandering around the room and climbing on furniture. 3. In the Toddler room the morning activity was not effectively planned or managed to ensure it remained suitable for the group of children and the available environment. While children initially engaged in exploring frozen animals in ice, the activity was changed when paint was introduced, increasing the complexity and level of supervision required. This resulted in a busy and unsettled atmosphere within the room. Children were observed painting their arms and faces, walking around the room with paint on their hands, and paint being transferred onto furniture. One child’s clothing became wet after accessing a bowl of water staff had placed on the floor. During this time, some children disengaged from the activity and wandered around the room, while others climbed on furniture. Staff attention was divided between managing the activity, preparing additional materials, and cleaning spills. 4. There was no suitable rest area available in the Toddler room for children who wished to take a break from activities or access a restful space. The only soft furnishings provided was a rug and this was partially covered by a bookshelf. (1) (b) Some care practices observed in the Baby and Toddler rooms were not appropriate and suitable to meet children’s basic care needs at all times as detailed below. 5. In the Toddler room children’s behaviour and safety were not consistently or effectively managed within the room, evidenced by one child repeatedly climbing a low-level bookshelf. Although the staff member moved the bookshelf, the child continued to push it back and resumed climbing. The staff member used conditional punishment relating to outdoor play instead of positive behaviour support and redirection the child was told they could not go outside until the behaviour stopped. 6. In the Baby and Toddler Rooms children’s personal care was not attended to in a timely manner this created a risk to children’s comfort and dignity as evidenced by the following. 7. On the first day of inspection at approximately 11:23am children from the Baby and Toddler Rooms were observed engaging in water play in the outdoor area. Appropriate protective clothing, including overalls and waterproof clothing, was not provided to protect children’s clothing during the activity. One child was observed walking in the water, resulting in their footwear and clothing becoming wet. The child remained in wet clothing until approximately 12:40pm, after returning indoors and eating their dinner, at which time the clothing was changed. Drinking water was not consistently and freely available to children, as evidenced by the following observations: 8. During both days of inspection, children from the Baby and Toddler rooms spent time in the outdoor area, without access to their water bottles, as staff did not bring them outdoors. The weather was sunny and warm at the time. This practice posed a potential risk to the children’s health and wellbeing. 9. In the Toddler room, drinking water was not readily accessible to children throughout the day. During lunchtime, water was not routinely offered to children. Only one child was observed receiving a cup of water, drinking it, and requesting an additional serving. 19 (3) In the Baby room, it was observed that some staff were not consistently implementing appropriate, suitable and respectful care practices when handling children. On a three separate occasions, a staff member was seen lifting and guiding children by holding their wrist and lower arm, rather than using recommended practice such as supporting or leading children by the hand. This approach does not align with best practice in ensuring children are handled in a safe and developmentally appropriate manner. It was noted the behaviour management policy was not sufficiently detailed, as it did not provide information or guidance to staff regarding safe handling practices - 1., 2. Baby and Toddler room have now been re-equipped with a variety of toys, the play areas have also been put in place giving children a variety of play equipment while also showing different play areas, kitchen/car mat/construction/cosy area/tabletop/art areas. Manager will ensure checks are carried out in all rooms to ensure the areas of interest and variety of toys is readily available to all age groups, policies are being adhered too. 3.The service has also begun to engagement with Better Start Quality Team to ensure the overall quality of the service improved and the rooms continue to improve. 4. Rest areas with books have been provided in each room. Kitchen and imaginary play areas have also been developed - 5. Behaviour management policy has been updated and all staff have been given a copy and signed off on. The manager will continually monitor this room to ensure positive behaviour management is being used. The staff member was also spoken to by manager to ensure she is aware of the language she was using and ensure she fully understands the positive behaviour approach. 6.,7. New cubbies for each child has been added to our entrance area to ensure that each child has an available change of clothes. 7.,8.,9. Drinking water stations are now available in all rooms and the garden area. (19)(3) The behaviour management policy has been updated and the gone through with each staff member so they fully are aware of the positive behaviour approach that staff have with the children. The staff member was spoken to individually about the behaviour observed on the day of inspection and this room will be monitored closely by management to ensure this practice is no longer being done 5 May 2026 ##### [St. Nicholas Montessori School Blackrock](/creche/st-nicholas-montessori-school-blackrock-blackrock.md), Blackrock · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Materials were not always easily accessible to children during the inspection. The shelving units had hinges and were folded inwards so that access to the items on the shelving was blocked. One shelf holding materials for children's use remained folded closed for the duration of the inspection and three shelves were folded closed at 11:00. At 12:30 two tables were stacked on top of each other and remained out of use and children had a limited choice of materials and access to tables and chairs for the remainder of the day. Staff reported that the shelves were closed because of the requirement to clear the space by the end of the day - 1. The registered provider stated that materials on the shelves will be available to the children at all times so children can freely choose what they would like to do at any time during the school day. Extra storage for teacher supplies and other items will be in place in the new school year; this will free up additional low shelving for materials for children’s use. Staff will review how the environment, which is a shared space, can work most effectively for the children on an ongoing basis and improvements will be made as necessary 28 April 2026 ##### [Bright Futures Creche](/creche/bright-futures-creche-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. The children’s choice in their play was observed to be limited in the Preschool room as the activities were adult led. This restricts choice and independence for the children. 2. At 13:40hrs in the Toddler room a child who was asleep was observed being woken by a staff member. The child was upset and crying. The staff member stated that the child was being woken up to facilitate dinner. When asked, the staff member stated that dinner is not facilitated for children outside of the set time of dinner being served. This practice was not child led and caused unnecessary upset to a child and disrupted their sleep. 3. In the Baby room the children’s water bottles were stored in a container on a high shelf both out of sight and reach of the children, this did not facilitate the children in asking for or gesturing that they wanted a drink of water throughout the day. Physical and material environment: 4. The environments and interest areas were poorly developed in the Baby room, Toddler room and the Preschool room. For example, in the Toddler room there was no sink provided in the play kitchen and there was limited additional materials available in this area including real-life everyday objects such as food packaging to support the children to engage in role play. In both the Baby room, Toddler room and Preschool room there were no further areas of interest developed. In the Baby Room there were limited resources to support children’s physical development such as climbing area or climbing resources or a grab bar for children. 5. In the Baby Room a shelving unit and a wooden kitchen were observed to be turned away from the children and stored against the wall from 10.40am until sleep time at 11.50am which prevented the children from accessing the play resources contained within, which included cause and effect toys, animals and kitchen resources such as toy food. A child was observed to climb up on the sofa to reach the wooden kitchen. 6. There were no family photographs displayed in the Toddler room, this prevents the children from bridging the connection between the service and home - Corrective Action Basic needs 1. Management discussed with all the staff the importance of child led activities. The staff changed the layout of the preschool room and designed interest areas. 2. Staff were informed at the staff meeting about the child led routine. 3. Importance of children having access to their drinks was discussed at the staff meeting . The staff moved all drink trays and containers to the child’s level to make it accessible for all children. Physical and material environment: 4. The staff changed the equipment in the rooms to include the following; interest areas, real life materials for hairdresser baskets, doctor set and climbing equipment/frame in the baby room. The staff glued the sinks in all the toy kitchens. 5. Management explained to the staff that children need to have access to all the toys at all times. This was discussed in depth at the staff meeting. 6. Toddlers’ teachers made a family book. The book is on the bookshelf. Preventive Action Basic needs 1. Rooms and areas of interest will be checked and evaluated on a weekly/monthly basis. 2. Staff will be informed about sleeping children at dinner time, so dinner can be kept on hot hold and served once the child is awake. 3. Rooms will be checked and evaluated on a weekly basis. Physical and material environment: 4. Rooms will be checked and evaluated on a weekly monthly basis to follow and support the child's interests. 5. Rooms and access to the toys will be checked on regular basis (every day). 6. Reviewing the need in each room and evaluating on a regular basis 28 April 2026 ##### [Tigers Childcare](/creche/tigers-childcare-dublin-15-2.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1) (b) 1. A child in the Discoverers 1 room was not given the opportunity to self-feed. A staff member sat beside the child using a spoon to feed the child. When the staff member got up to move away the child took the spoon and began to self-feed. The staff member returned and saw the child eating with the spoon. The staff member returned with another spoon and continued to feed the child. This did not support the child’s autonomy and independence. The HSE recommend encouraging children to self-feed. This promotes independence and teaches life skills - Corrective Action 1. This item was added to the staff meeting agenda and discussed with all staff. The importance of promoting children’s independence was highlighted, with emphasis placed on supporting children to develop self-help skills, confidence, and decision-making abilities in line with their age and stage of development. Staff were reminded to provide appropriate opportunities within daily routines for children to complete tasks independently, while still ensuring a safe and supportive environment. Preventive Action 1. Following the staff meeting, all staff members were issued with the Food, Nutrition and Health Promotion Policy and asked to review and sign to confirm that they had read and understood the policy. Management will carry out regular checks to ensure the policy is being followed and implemented consistently 28 April 2026 ##### [YMCA Childcare](/creche/ymca-childcare-dublin-2.md), Dublin 2 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material Environment 1. On review of the physical and material environments of Room 5, Room 7 and the outdoor area it was observed that the equipment and materials available, did not adequately facilitate the children to engage and explore them and to develop their learning opportunities and experiences, for example: • In Room 5, the supporting equipment for the play kitchen was not available or accessible to the children to play with. • In Room 7 the equipment for play in the home corner was minimal with an assortment of toys and dolls clothes. The dolls house was empty with no supporting equipment available. • The dress up area had an assortment of toys, and a dolls buggy was positioned on top of the dress up unit. • Dolls were in poor condition with matted hair. • No soft mat or cushions were provided on the floor in the rest area for children to sit and relax a take a break from activities. • In the outdoor area the playhouses were empty and had no supporting equipment to engage and invite the children to play - Physical and Material Environment 1. In response to the non-compliances the service has stated the following. • An equipment order was placed and delivered. Environments have been updated and further developed. • Cushions were also added to the cosy corner in Room 7 and a leather orange sofa was taken out of storage. • An all-staff training day was held on 5th May, comprising 4.5 hours of professional development on exploring updated practices and principles of providing child led play and learning. Staff also received a 1.5-hour workshop from a practice development agency. • Staff meeting was held on 28th May where Tusla feedback was discussed. Non compliances were addressed and discussed with the full staff team. • Management will conduct biweekly checks on rooms and environments ensuring that there are sufficient resources and play activities to meet the needs of the children in each room. • Play resources will be included in the agenda of the regular staff meetings taking place every 2 months. • Training needs will be reviewed regularly. • Quarterly reviews of the equipment will also take place, and resources will be replaced accordingly. Our next review will be on 17th of August in preparation for the new school year. • Room leaders in each room will report any breakages or wear and tear to equipment so that replacements can be sourced as the need arises 27 April 2026 ##### [Little Stars Childcare & Montessori](/creche/little-stars-childcare-montessori-dublin-7.md), Dublin 7 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material Environment: 1. The materials and equipment provided to the children in the Tadpole and Frog room did not support accessibility, the children’s initiation of play and the extension of their ideas and imagination. For example. o Toys and supporting materials were mixed up together in boxes and were not organised to promote child led play for example one box labelled blocks contained animals o Empty wooden jigsaw frames and the matching jigsaw pieces stored loose in a box did not promote accessibility or child led play. o Jigsaws and puzzles had pieces missing and a sorting blocks box had no pieces, which reduced the children enjoyment and sense of completion. o The play kitchen was empty and not supplied with suitable toys and props and the available equipment was stored out of reach of the children. o Doctors set contained one piece only - 1. Management informed staff of the importance of setting up interest areas and maintaining them throughout the day in the care rooms and introduced Aistear and Siolta self-evaluation tool: Creating Inclusive Learning Environments Birth to 6 years. Play equipment has been sorted and organised and new play equipment has been ordered. Management to monitor resources being put back in the correct places at the end of the day. Staff to inform management of missing pieces of play resources 20 April 2026 ##### [Giraffe Childcare Clonsilla](/creche/giraffe-childcare-clonsilla-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1) (b) The follow practices were observed on the day of inspection which did not support the health, welfare and development of the children attending. 1. A child aged between 2 to 2 ½ years was observed to suck a soother throughout the day including mealtimes, activity time and nappy changing. This was not in line with best practice and was at variance with the service policy which states “soothers are used solely for sleep and in the event of an upset child”. 2. Nappy changing procedures before dinner time in the Kilimanjaro room were observed to be carried out in a rushed manner. Nappy changing time is a unique time for one-to-one early years interactions where the adult gets to connect with the child in a sensitive and engaging manner. 3. Staff did not ensure a smooth transition from mealtime to sleep time for the children in the Kilimanjaro room. During this time the room was noisy, and children were observed to run around the room while staff attended to cleaning up duties. This did not support a calm restful atmosphere for the children to rest and sleep. A similar non-compliance was observed on the previous inspection, and the preventive action had not been sustained - 1. Management spoke with the child’s parent; it was agreed the use of the soother would be reduced both at home and in the centre. At present, the child is offered the soother only for sleep time. Management will carry out regular checks on children who use soothers to ensure compliance. 2. Staff were retrained on the nappy changing policy and procedures. Management will monitor compliance of Nappy Changing Policy, and either management or part time staff will support during nappy changing times. 3. An additional staff member is based in this room to support transitions. Management will continue to check and support the rooms during the busy times of the day 20 April 2026 ##### [Little Rainbows Ltd](/creche/little-rainbows-ltd-dublin.md), Dublin · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material Environment 1. In the Busy Bees room, the equipment and materials were not available to the children and inviting areas of interest were not set up or appealing as spaces for the children to engage and explore to develop their learning opportunities and experiences, for example: • Support equipment for play in the play shop or in the play kitchen was not available or accessible to the children. • Dolls house was empty with no supporting equipment available. • The car port was place on top of the play shop, with no cars or trucks available. • Jigsaws were empty with no available pieces. • Dolls and dress up costumes stored in boxes in the construction area. • No soft mat provided on floor for children to sit on when doing activities. Programme of Activities 2. In the Busy Bee room, there was no clear programme for child led activities. Children were not given choices regarding their play activities. At 10.43 am the inspector observed the staff member informing the children that they were all going to play magnets. No alternative activity was given to the children. Play activities in a care room should be child led and not adult led - 1. The Busy Bees room has been rearranged and set up in sections for the children to engage in learning and supporting them. There was an order placed which arrived on the day of inspection of new materials to add to the Busy Bees room. New materials introduced with a new laid out and management spoke with staff at staff meeting held 22 April 2026 and are researching training courses for staff. 2. New materials have been provided to the Busy Bees room. A staff change and child led activities introduced. Management had a meeting with staff on 22 April 2026 about interaction with children and encouraging child led activities 20 April 2026 ##### [Tigers Childcare](/creche/tigers-childcare-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - On the day of inspection children’s learning, development and well-being was not fully supported. 1. It was observed in the Discoveries classroom that a section of the classroom had been partitioned off and was being used for the children for extended periods of the day. The area contained very limited age-appropriate play and learning materials. This did not allow for sufficient opportunities for free play, exploration, creativity or developmental engagement. 2. In the Discoveries 1 room during the transition from play to lunch, children were observed to be waiting for extended periods before being served food. Throughout this time the children became disengaged and displayed unsafe and inappropriate behaviours due to lack of engagement - 1. The registered provider confirmed that the staff were briefed on the ‘interactions and paedology policy’ and ‘Transitions policy’ and the importance of always keeping access to all the age -appropriate learning materials available. An order was placed containing new age -appropriate recourses and equipment and classroom was re-organised. The ‘transitions policy’, routine and ‘interactions and pedagogy policy’ were discussed at the staff meeting. The m anagement team will conduct regular spot checks on materials available to the children especially during transition times. 2. The registered provider confirmed that the staff were briefed on the ‘transitions policy’, ‘supporting children’s social behaviour, emotional regulation and well-being’ policy. The ‘transitions’, ‘interactions and pedagogy’, ‘supporting children’s social behaviour, emotional regulation and well-being’ policies were discussed at the staff meeting. The staff were re-trained on transitions and routine 16 April 2026 ##### [Little Rainbows (Parkside Belmayne)](/creche/little-rainbows-parkside-belmayne-dublin-13.md), Dublin 13 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. The basic needs of children in the Junior Wobbler, Junior and Senior Toddler rooms were not always facilitated by staff as the following practices were observed. • In the Junior Wobbler room, the children were given a limited time to drink their water before staff removed the drinks for them before dinner. Children should have access to drinking water to satisfy their individual thirst. • The children from the Junior Wobbler room and a child in the Senior Toddlers room were not provided with a dimmed environment for sleep as the window was missing a blind. A restful space should be made available to all children to enable them to relax and sleep. • Children in the Junior Wobbler room had their noses persistently wiped with an abrasive paper towel. The use of the paper towel did not ensure the integrity of the children’s delicate skin. • A child that was toilet training did not have their skin cleaned after staff removed wet clothing. The inspector intervened and the dry clothes were removed and the skin cleaned. Not cleaning skin after removing wet clothing during toilet training can cause skin rashes and discomfort for the child. • Staff were not observed prompting or assisting a child to remove their soother while they played. This can reduce their overall oral development and speech. 2. The transitions between lunch and sleep time in the Senior Toddler room was observed to be disorganised and took from 11:15 to 11:45am. This did not create a restful and calm environment for the children before sleep time. For example. • Staff did not work together in supporting the children and preparing the room for rest. A clear plan and routine were not evident in the room with staff beginning a task and then changing to another. • Children were observed jumping, rolling, climbing and crawling on care room equipment and materials while staff cleaned the care room and moved furniture. Physical and Material Environment: 3. The physical and material environment of the Junior Wobbler and Senior Toddler rooms did not create an inviting and enjoyable environment for the children. For example. • Cause and effect toys in the Junior Wobbler room were not working, removing the play and developmental purpose of the toy from the children. • The rest and relaxation area in the Senior Toddler room was cramped and used to store sleeping mats and child size sofas. • Areas of interest in the Senior Toddler room were poorly equipped with materials and toys to enable the children to develop and sustain their interests. For example, the equipment for the play kitchen was stored out of reach of the children. Supporting Relationships: 4. A behaviour chart in the Senior Toddler room was not conducive in supporting positive relationships with the children. Staff outlined that it was used to acknowledge and document behaviour both positive and negative within the care room. A sticker of a red ‘angry’ face was used for any behaviour issues, and a green ‘happy’ face was used for good behaviour. Stickers were positioned at a picture of the child. This is at variance with the service behaviour management policy and best practice guidelines due to the following. • This behaviour strategy did not create and develop each child’s self-esteem by focusing on the positive. • Staff were not consistent in their approach as some children that behaved well were not acknowledged on the chart. • Staff did not communicate with their colleagues in their absence to update the chart at the end of every week, as a child that received a red ‘angry’ face a week prior to the inspection was still on the chart. • The children in the care room were aged from 2-3 years of age and therefore not at a developmental age to understand the concept. 5. Birthday and family wall displays along with activities and artwork completed by the children in the Junior and Senior Wobbler and the Senior Toddler were not displayed at the children’s eye level to enable the children to see their images and promote the relationships between family and home and give the children a sense of belonging and ownership of their care room - Basic Needs: 1. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated the following. • A staff meeting was held on the 25 May 2026; staff were reminded that children must have continuous access to drinking water to satisfy their individual thirst needs. The Wobbler Room timetable has been adjusted to allow additional time for dinner so children can eat and drink at their own pace. Management will continue to monitor all of the above practices through regular observations, room checks, staff support meetings, to ensure these improvements are consistently maintained and embedded into daily practice. • The blind was replaced on the day of inspection. In addition, lighting is now temporarily blocked during sleep time to ensure children have a calm and restful environment. The Safe Sleep Policy was reviewed and re-read by all relevant staff. Locking out direct light has been added to the sleep risk assessment. • Staff now know to use only soft tissue roll or water wipes, where appropriate, for wiping children’s noses. • A clear toileting and toilet-training procedure has now been developed and will be displayed in the changing area. This procedure was reviewed in detail during a staff meeting, and staff were reminded of the correct hygiene practices and expectations when supporting children with toileting accidents. 2. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated the following. • Daily routine in the Senior Toddler Room has now been adjusted to support a smoother transition from lunch to sleep time. A floating staff member has been assigned to assist during busy periods to ensure that children are adequately supervised and staff are supported during transitions. • The floating staff member is responsible for preparing the sleep environment, this allows the core room staff to remain focused on supporting and supervising the children, helping to maintain a calm and settled atmosphere. Management will ensure that the floater remains part of the toddler team and continues to follow the daily routine. • Management will also ensure that the updated routines are consistently implemented and will continue to monitor transitions from dinner time to sleep time to ensure that a calm, organised, and consistent experience is being implemented for the children Physical and Material Environment: 3. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated the following • The physical and material environment in both the Junior Wobbler and Senior Toddler Rooms was reviewed to ensure that the environment is welcoming, engaging, and age appropriate for all children. • The importance of maintaining all toys and equipment in good working order was discussed during a staff meeting. Staff were reminded that ensuring all cause-and-effect toys are functioning correctly is important, as these toys play a significant role in supporting children’s learning and development. • Staff were informed that checking batteries and ensuring toys are in working order will now be part of the daily morning checks, and this requirement has been added to the daily checklist. • The cosy corner area in the Senior Toddler Room was reviewed and reorganised to create a more comfortable and spacious area for the children. • Sleeping mats and beds will no longer be stored within the room during the day. Staff were reminded of this during the staff meeting. • Additional toys, play materials, and resources have been put into the Senior Toddler Room to better support children’s interests and learning in the play area. • Staff were reminded during the staff meeting that toys and equipment must remain accessible at children’s level throughout the day to encourage independent play and choice. Staff were reminded that they are responsible for ensuring that all interest areas are appropriately equipped, inviting, and regularly rotated to maintain children’s engagement. • The play kitchen equipment and other resources are now stored within children’s reach to promote independent and meaningful play experiences Supporting Relationships: 4. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated the following. • A staff meeting, managers discussed the importance of staff understanding the age-appropriate behaviour and development of the children in their care, and the importance of responding to behaviour in a positive and meaningful way. Staff were reminded that their role is to teach and guide children, and examples were given on how to approach different situations. • Managers also reminded staff that if they are struggling with managing certain behaviours, they should approach a manager for support. Managers will work with staff to help them manage behaviours in a positive and appropriate way and will continue to monitor staff practice through regular observations, mentoring, and support to ensure that positive behaviour management strategies are implemented across the service. Ongoing staff meetings and training will also be provided to ensure children are supported in a respectful, positive, and developmentally appropriate manner 5. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated the following. • The display areas within the Senior Toddler Rooms were reviewed to ensure children’s artwork, family photographs, and birthday displays are accessible for the children to look at. • Displays have now been repositioned to a lower level where possible so children can view and engage with their own artwork, photographs, and family 15 April 2026 ##### [Giraffe Childcare Elm Park](/creche/giraffe-childcare-elm-park-dublin-4.md), Dublin 4 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - The following observations demonstrated how some appropriate and suitable care practices were not in place: 1. In the cot room adjacent to Acacia, an inappropriate care practice was observed when a child was being supported to settle to sleep. The child was placed in the cot at 12:07 and began moving round from sitting to standing in the cot. The child was not upset. At 12:13 when the child stood, a staff member placed the child back down on the mattress. After a few seconds, the staff member, in a quick movement, took the blanket off the child, picked up the child and placed the child on the floor. The staff member opened the door to the care room and placed the child in the care room, returning to the cot room. This practice had a negative impact on the child who was observed by the inspector to be visibly upset as a result of the quick movement. The child was comforted by the staff member in the care room. The preventive actions submitted by the registered provider following the last inspection of the service on the 05 March 2025 did not prevent the re-occurrence of non-compliance relating to sleep practices. 2. Children in Wobbler Baringo were not provided with spoons to afford them an opportunity to feed themselves at dinner. The children presented with signs that they were developmentally ready to use a spoon and were observed by the inspector to become frustrated while waiting to be spoon fed - The registered provider stated that: 1. On receipt of information of the above anomalies around sleep practices, this was immediately reviewed by the management team. The staff member received guidance and support regarding appropriate settling and sleep practices and the importance of calm respectful and child-centred interactions at all times. All staff were retrained on the service’s sleep and rest policy to ensure consistent and appropriate practices are followed throughout the service. Management will continue to monitor sleep and rest practices through regular supervision, observations and staff meetings, and management will be more visible on the floor at sleep times. Ongoing support and refresher training will be provided to ensure all staff follow the sleep and rest policy and maintain a nurturing and respectful environment for children. 2. Mealtimes and feeding practices were reviewed with all staff to ensure children are always supported appropriately and safely during meals. Staff were reminded that children must be supervised and assisted in a developmentally appropriate manner at all times. All staff have been retrained on safe feeding and supervision practises, including maintaining close supervision during mealtimes and responding promptly to children's needs management will continue to monitor practices through regular observations supervision and training to ensure the compliance is maintained 13 April 2026 ##### [Skerries Creche](/creche/skerries-creche-skerries.md), Skerries · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. Water was not provided to the children when they were playing in the outdoor play area. This prevented the children from taking a drink spontaneously whilst they were outside. Supporting relationships and interactions around children: 2. There were no family photographs displayed in either of the 2 preschool rooms on the first floor of the service. The family photographs that were on display in the Baby/Toddler room were positioned at too high a level for the children to see. This does not enable the children to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness in the service and to maintain links with family and home. Physical and material environment: 3. Some play materials were not visible and easily accessible to the children. Kitchen resources in the Home Corner area of the Baby/Toddler room were not easily accessible to children to play with. One child was observed to climb into a dolls cot whilst trying to access kitchen resources from the kitchen box. 4. There were 2 dolls houses in the Baby/Toddler room, neither of which had accompanying visible resources such as dolls or furniture to enhance children’s play. 5. In the Baby/Toddler room when children were observed to sit together to eat their meals together, one child was observed to be sitting in a chair that was not appropriate as the child’s feet could not touch the ground - Corrective Action Basic needs: 1. Staff to continue to offer water to children every 15 minutes and to encourage children to drink water. If children are going outside for longer than 15 mins they are encouraged to take their water bottles with them. Supporting relationships and interactions around children: 2. Family photographs have since been moved from the stairs area to the preschool room walls. Photograph albums have been bought for children to fill with family photographs and to look at when they wish. Physical and material environment: 3. Play materials have been made more easily accessible. More lower shelving has been bought, and the room has been rearranged to create different environments. 4. One doll house in the toddler room is used as a bookshelf, and the other doll house has furniture for it. More will be bought if necessary. 5. Smaller children will be placed in highchairs going forward. Preventive Action Basic needs: 1. Staff to remind children to take water bottles to the garden. Management to ensure that this occurs. Supporting relationships and interactions around children: 2. To encourage staff to think of other ways to help children to develop links between home and creche life and to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness. This will be ongoing and discussed at any meetings going forward. Physical and material environment: 3. Staff encouraged to link in together as much as possible to discuss the physical and material environment. If staff require materials to benefit the children’s development, this will be discussed with management. 4. Staff encouraged to link in together as much as possible to discuss the physical and material environment. If staff require materials to benefit the children’s development, this will be discussed with management. This will be discussed at any team meetings going forward. 5. To remind staff to make sure that smaller children are to be seated in highchairs 9 April 2026 ##### [Lansdowne Lodge Preschool Montessori](/creche/lansdowne-lodge-preschool-montessori-dublin-4.md), Dublin 4 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Some practices observed did not meet the care needs of some children present which may negatively impact their health and wellbeing as follows; Three children aged three years were observed asleep on the floor of the Little Moons care room during the inspection, two on a floor rug with a pillow and one on a wooden floor with a pillow. During discussions with the inspector, staff detailed there were no beds available upstairs for the older children to sleep - The registered provider submitted the following response: Corrective and Preventive Action The number of children that would have a tendency to fall asleep during relaxation time in all Senior units has been assessed and a suitable number of beds are now available and easily accessible to these children. It has been recognised that although no formal nap is offered for this age group, a few children tend to fall asleep during relaxation time and so proper provisions have been made for this 8 April 2026 ##### [Bright Minds Childcare and Montessori School Ltd](/creche/bright-minds-childcare-and-montessori-school-ltd-dublin-16.md), Dublin 16 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - The Toddler room did not have a rest area where children could rest or take a break from activities - The registered provider has stated that a rest area has been added to the toddler room to allow children rest of take a break from activities. The rest area will remain in the toddler room going forward 7 April 2026 ##### [First Steps Academy Crèche & Montessori Ltd.](/creche/first-steps-academy-creche-montessori-ltd-dublin-13.md), Dublin 13 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Staff in the Snuggle room did not change a child’s wet top in a timely manner despite interacting with the child during this time. This did not ensure a comfortable experience for the child - 1. Staff were reminded of their responsibility to ensure children’s personal care needs are responded to promptly and sensitively at all times. A review of room routines and staff deployment within the Snuggle Room was undertaken to ensure children’s care needs can be identified and responded to without delay. The Person in Charge conducted observations within the room to ensure appropriate standards of care and responsiveness were being maintained. The issue was discussed at a staff meeting to reinforce expectations regarding children’s dignity, comfort, and wellbeing. Refresher training will be provided to all staff on responsive caregiving, children’s wellbeing, and maintaining children’s comfort and dignity throughout the day. Daily room checks and observations by room leaders and management will be strengthened to monitor the quality of interactions and care practices. Personal care procedures will be reviewed with staff to ensure there is a consistent understanding of expectations regarding timely changing of wet or soiled clothing. Reflective practice sessions will be incorporated into regular supervision meetings to support staff awareness of children’s emotional and physical wellbeing needs. Management will continue to monitor practice through ongoing audits and unannounced observations to ensure sustained compliance and quality improvement 1 April 2026 ##### [Early Journeys](/creche/early-journeys-dublin-9.md), Dublin 9 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - The layout of the baby room and the materials available was not sufficient to facilitate independent play experiences for the age range of children in the room. For example: • There was no direct access to construction toys. The plastic bricks available were stored in a lidded box in a corner enclosed by shelving leaving it inaccessible to a child who was observed trying to climb onto the shelf to reach it. • The layout of the furniture was not positioned to effectively support cruising skills for pre-mobile children; a child was observed to trip over a toy while trying to walk for one area of the room to another. This can potentially limit confidence in early motor development. • The room was cluttered, and the children were observed to wander through the play space with no focus showing signs of disinterest, resulting in children climbing on furniture and equipment. • Six battery operated toys were broken and therefore could not be used for the purpose in which they were designed - Following the inspection, the baby room environment was immediately reviewed and reorganised to better support independent play, accessibility, and the developmental needs of the children attending the room. Construction toys and age-appropriate materials have been repositioned at child level to ensure children can independently access resources safely. Furniture has been rearranged to provide clear pathways and better support cruising and early walking skills for pre-mobile and mobile children. Clutter was removed from the room to create a calmer, more engaging play environment and to reduce unsafe climbing behaviours. All broken battery-operated toys were removed, checked, and repaired or replaced as required. Staff have been reminded that it is their responsibility to carry out regular battery checks and replace batteries where necessary to ensure equipment remains functional and suitable for children’s use. Introduction of a room layout review process, with regular evaluations to ensure the environment remains accessible, safe, and developmentally appropriate for the children in attendance. Implementation of a toy and equipment rotation system to prevent clutter and maintain children’s interest and engagement 30 March 2026 ##### [Doras Buí](/creche/doras-bui-dublin-17.md), Dublin 17 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material environment: 1. In the Preschool room 1, the equipment and materials were not organised and inviting spaces for the children to engage and explore to develop their learning opportunities and experiences, for example: • Areas of interest were not equipped with adequate and available support equipment for play in the home corner with the kitchen and for dolls present. • Dolls had no clothes and one buggy present was broken and could not be pushed. • Heads of dolls for hairdressing activity were in poor condition and no longer available for play due to their poor condition - o Room meeting held regarding resetting of room at clean up time and the importance of organisation and how area is not inviting to children if not organised. o Staff meeting on day of inspection so Early years manager was able to talk to staff following verbal feedback from inspector. o Meeting with Senior early years practitioner from Preschool 1 to put plan in place to develop areas with fresh new equipment stored in designated spaces. o Equipment ordered that will develop areas of room that materials were not adequate. o Nurture team will do spot checks on all areas of all rooms at different times of the day to look at room organisation, equipment on offer and advise for areas of development , highlight gaps in rooms and make suggestions what they can do to develop rooms for childrens learning opportunities and will report to the Early years management on a monthly basis. They will report issues arising who it has been assigned to where development is at and expected completion date 26 March 2026 ##### [The Apres School Club Ltd](/creche/the-apres-school-club-ltd-killiney.md), Killiney · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - On the day of inspection during snack time in the Orange room at 12:55, the adults were observed to offer the children cheese and crackers. For children who did not eat cheese, there was no alternative available at this time. For children who did seek extra portions, only crackers were available. One food group does not constitute a snack as this must be two or more. At this time, the snack was served directly on the table in front of each child, they were not offered a plate or napkin - The team have been informed that food must be provided on a plate or napkin to serve food in order to prevent/reduce chances of cross contamination. A new menu has been designed to incorporate a more varied menu of food for children’s snack time ensuring that there are suitable elements offered each time and to children who choose not to eat certain items of snack. Apres School Club have purchased new plastic plates for the children to eat snack from. The service has also designed a new menu and altered the shopping order to match the new menu ensuring that varied snacks are available to the children 24 March 2026 ##### [Safari Childcare](/creche/safari-childcare-islandbridge.md), Islandbridge · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. On the first day of the inspection, the basic needs of children in the Wobbler 1 room were not facilitated by staff as the following practices were observed. • A hot meal of vegetable curry and rice arrived for the children at 11.00am. The children were not seated and ready to eat until 11:30am and as a result their meal was cold. • The transition from nappy changing to mealtime was not smooth with children getting upset while waiting for their hot meal. • The children who were not assisted by staff to eat their meal, ate a minimal amount of food. • A child that had wet trousers following outdoor play in the morning was not changed into dry clothes to provide comfort during lunch or for sleep time. Supporting Relationships: 2. Birthday and family wall displays along with activities and artwork completed by the children were not displayed at the children’s eye level in the Wobbler 1 room. This did not promote the relationships between family and home and give the children a sense of belonging and ownership of their care room. Physical and Material Environment: 3. The equipment and materials in the Wobbler 1 room were not organised and inviting spaces for the children to engage and explore to develop their learning opportunities and experiences. For example. Boxes of equipment had an assortment of toys and dolls; the play kitchen was empty and not supplied with suitable toys and props - Basic Needs 1. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated the following. • Room routines were reviewed and reorganised to ensure children are seated and ready before hot meals arrive in the room. ● The transition from nappy changing to mealtime was revised to minimise waiting times and reduce distress for children. Additional staff support is now provided during busy transition periods to ensure children are comforted and engaged while waiting. Procedures relating to children’s personal care were reinforced with all staff. Children are now changed promptly into dry clothing following outdoor play or any accidents to ensure their comfort and wellbeing during meals and sleep time ● A more experienced senior staff member has been assigned to the Wobbler 1 room to provide additional support, guidance, and oversight of daily routines and care practices. This change is reflected in the staff rosters. ● A new staff member who had been working in the room has been temporarily reassigned to another room to gain further training, support, and experience before returning to the Wobbler 1 room. ● Staff have been reminded of their responsibility to actively support and supervise children during mealtimes, particularly younger children who require encouragement and assistance to eat adequately. Mealtime practices are now monitored by room leaders and management. ● Ongoing supervision, mentoring, and regular spot checks have been introduced to ensure consistent compliance with the service’s policies and the care needs of all children. ● Staff now coordinate transitions more effectively so that meals are served promptly and at an appropriate temperature. ● Room leaders and management now carry out regular observations, spot checks, and supervision of practice to monitor compliance with policies, identify any issues early, and ensure consistent standards of care are maintained. ● Daily room routines and staffing deployment will continue to be reviewed to ensure the needs of the children are being met effectively at all times. Supporting Relationships 2. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated the following. • Birthday and family album was created to further support children’s sense of belonging and connection between home and the setting. ● Children’s artwork and completed activities are now displayed at a low height to promote visibility, engagement, and ownership. ● Staff have been instructed to ensure all displays are child-centred, accessible, and regularly updated. ● The room layout and display areas have been adjusted to better reflect and promote relationships with families ● A room checklist has been introduced to ensure all wall displays (including birthday and family displays and children’s artwork) are maintained at appropriate height. ● The birthday and family album has been implemented as a permanent resource and will be regularly updated to maintain strong links between home and the setting. ● Management carries out spot checks to ensure displays remain child-centred and accessible. ● Responsibilities for updating and maintaining displays have been clearly assigned to staff to ensure consistency Physical and Material Environment 3. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated the following. • Regular tidy-up routines have been introduced to ensure the environment remains organised, stimulating, and supportive of children’s learning. • Management has reviewed the room setup to ensure it now meets expected standards for a rich and engaging learning environment. • Wobbler 1 room has been reorganised to create more inviting, structured, and accessible learning areas for children. • Equipment has been sorted and stored appropriately, with similar items grouped together to reduce clutter and improve accessibility. • The play kitchen has been restocked with suitable toys, props, and loose parts to support imaginative and role play experiences. • Mixed boxes of toys have been reviewed, sorted, and labelled to ensure resources are easy for children to access and use independently 23 March 2026 ##### [Snowdrops Crèche & Montessori](/creche/snowdrops-creche-montessori-balbriggan.md), Balbriggan · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. Before dinner time in the Toddler room children had their shoes and upper outing clothing removed before they ate their dinner, when asked the staff member stated that this was being done to speed up the process of placing the children to sleep after they ate. This practice does not support the dignity of the children and is not child-led practice - Basic needs: 1. Staff member has been informed this is not respectful practice and children have to remain fully clothed while having their dinner before their nap time. Staff member completely accepted this and since the day of inspection has changed this practice with the help of a floater who comes in during dinner time and preparation for nap time. Preventive Action Basic needs: 1. Manager will provide a floater to help the staff member during the busy time of dinner and preparation for naps. Summary Comment The inspectors have reviewed the actions and evidence submitted. The noncompliance identified under regulation 19 Health, welfare and development of child has been adequately addressed 20 March 2026 ##### [The Diverseminds Academy](/creche/the-diverseminds-academy-dublin-7.md), Dublin 7 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. In the Bright moon room, the changeover of staff in the care room and lack of staff consistency led to lack of coordination of transitions and impacted the continuity of care for the children. This created an atmosphere of disorganisation and poor child engagement resulting in children becoming upset. It is acknowledged the room leader was absent during the 2 days of inspection. The following was observed: o At 12pm the children were instructed to sit at the table for dinner. Initially the children appeared happy and sang songs with a staff member. Dinner arrived at 12.22pm by which time the children were restless, had left the table and begun to argue and fight with each other. o The provision of food at lunch time was disorganised and unplanned. Initially the children were provided with potato, gravy and sliced cucumber and tomato at 12.22pm followed by fish fingers at 12.36pm. This created confusion for the children and did not create a relaxed and sociable atmosphere for dinner. Physical and Material Environment: 2. The layout and materials available in both care rooms did not promote a child led, inviting, engaging and explorative environment for the children. For example: • In the Bright Moon room: Areas of interest were not established; the home area was disorganised with dress up clothes in baskets , dolls with no clothes , no play kitchen; The art area was empty; The book area was poor with damaged and torn pages; farmhouses and trucks had missing pieces; battery toys were not working; family wall and artwork at a high level and not visible to children. • In the Shining Stars room: Boxes of equipment had an assortment of toys equipment and dolls. Labels on boxes or shelves did not match the contents of the boxes. Storage of jigsaws in a large box with loose jigsaw pieces. Two play kitchens were empty of play food and supporting equipment. Play food boxes contained other toys limiting the visibility of the contents of three boxes and where not directly accessible to the play kitchens. The art trolley contained a pile of soft toys and dolls with no clothes. Books were limited and damaged and four torn toy catalogues books blocked visibility of the books present. No family wall or family books were available to the children to provide comfort and a sense of identity for the children. 3. The fully enclosed outdoor area located to the side of the service was not adequately equipped with toys and materials to enable the children to enjoy the space throughout the year - Basic Needs: 1. The person in charge of the service coordinated with the kitchen staff to make meal time a pleasant and uninterrupted experience. The mealtime routine was reviewed to ensure food is prepared and ready prior to children being seated. The kitchen staff was also instructed to serve the meal all at once rather than in separate stages. Management have reviewed staffing arrangements and room support procedures to ensure greater consistency of educators within the room during future staff absences. This will also support to maintain consistent routine, facilitate smooth transition and meaningful engagement of children in absence of the key educator of the classroom. To ensure smooth mealtime routine, staff will be provided refresher training on creating a positive and calm mealtime experience for children. Management will encourage daily communication between kitchen staff and classroom staff regarding meal readiness. For the future, the relief kitchen staff will be provided training on mealtime routine. Physical and Material Environment: 2. The learning environment of the Bright Stars classroom was reviewed, and clearly defined areas of interest and play are created. Additional resources have been added to the environments. To prevent the reoccurrence the person in charge will conduct a monthly environment and resource audit for both Bright Moon and Shining Stars rooms. Management will conduct spot checks to ensure that the classroom environments and resources are well maintained by the classroom staff. At future staff meetings, the team will review physical learning environments based on Aistear Siolta Practice Guide. Staff will undertake free e-learning training on the learning environment. The service has also applied to a Quality Development Service (QDS) for support in creating child centred and quality indoor and outdoor learning environment. 3. The outdoor play equipment and materials were reviewed, and additional resources have been added to support children’s exploratory play opportunities. The person in charge will conduct a monthly environment and resource audit for outdoor area. Management will conduct spot checks to ensure that the outdoor environment is well maintained by the staff. The service will continue to enhance the outdoor environment with open- ended materials, sensory resources and other play equipment 19 March 2026 ##### [Jonix Educational Serivces](/creche/jonix-educational-serivces-dublin-5.md), Dublin 5 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Practices observed in the service did not promote a healthy food ethos and was at variance with the service’s ‘Healthy Food’ policy. Children’s snack boxes were observed to include non-nutritious food items. The Nutrition Standards for Early Learning and Care Services recommend that sweets, chocolate, biscuits and cakes should not be part of a child's daily diet. 2. Discussion with management showed that children attending the service on a part-time basis are provided with food at one set mealtime each day unless advised by the children’s parents that they have not eaten well in the morning. Children’s lunches were not accessible to the children if they are hungry. Children attending a part-time service should be offered two meals and one snack each day. 3. A nappy-changing unit was not available to support the comfort of the children who required nappy changing. One nappy-changing unit, including a wash-hand basin and changing mat is required for every 11 children in nappies - 1. While the service has a Healthy Eating policy, for many of the children in our service, food can be a sensitive subject. We often work closely with a child’s disability services or in-house Behaviour Support team to address specific needs related to food, including aversions, sensitivities, swallowing issues, rigidity and restriction, and eating disorders such as AFRID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). Children participate in a food related activity each week which incorporates healthy snacks and gives them the opportunity to try new food options. 2. A notice including nutrition standards has been shared with families. The service would also like to emphasise that pictures are used in the classroom to help children communicate when they are hungry. In some cases, concrete object references, such as lunch boxes, are also used, depending on the child’s individual needs. Additionally, for many of the children in our service, food can be a sensitive subject. The service often works closely with a child’s disability services or in-house Behaviour Support team to address specific needs related to food, including aversions, sensitivities, swallowing issues, rigidity and restriction, and eating disorders such as AFRID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). Staff will monitor and observe lunch and snack times, as well as the availability of food items within the preschool, and communicate any relevant information to the class teacher. 3. A nappy changing unit was risk assessed by the registered provider and a management plan was implemented. Management will update the risk assessment if necessary 12 March 2026 ##### [Giraffe Childcare Blanchardstown](/creche/giraffe-childcare-blanchardstown-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (3) Staff were observed to treat children kindly on the day of inspection with no harmful or prohibited practices observed, however information received by the Early Years Inspectorate regarding an incident which occurred on 09 March 2026 was viewed on CCTV by the Early Years inspectors. This footage demonstrated shortcomings of some care practices and was not in line with the service policy - The companies operational and HR policies were immediately followed relating to a care practice concern. The relevant bodies were notified and were supported in obtaining the required information. The staff team were met with both individually and as a team to discuss topics relating to care practices and retraining occurred on specific policies and procedures. Along with the retraining, the management team have increased their floor-based supervision and additional training will be ongoing 11 March 2026 ##### [Ladybug Childcare LTD](/creche/ladybug-childcare-ltd-dublin-6.md), Dublin 6 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1)(a), (b) 1. In the Pre-Montessori room, it was observed during lunchtime that drinking water was not routinely offered to all children. Only a small number of children were provided with beakers. This issue was previously identified during the last inspection on the 29 January 2025, and the corrective actions submitted have not effectively addressed the non-compliance. 2. In the Pre-Montessori room staff were not consistently seated with children during mealtimes to support and engage with them. 3. In the Pre-Montessori room staff were observed communicating with one another in their native language during mealtime from approximately 11. 36am until 11. 50. The inspector intervened and requested that english be used. This practice limited children’s inclusion and understanding and reduced opportunities for meaningful interaction, and did not support a fully accessible, language rich environment for all children present. 4. In the Pre-Montessori room Children were put to bed at approximately 12. 08 pm. Two children remained unsettled and did not fall asleep at approximately 13. 03 pm a staff member then asked the children if they would like to colour, after which they were brought to a table to engage in drawing activities. 5. In the Pre-Montessori room the home corner lacked accessible resources and props, limiting opportunities for imaginative and role-play activities - 1. The Person in charge assigned the pre-Montessori room leader to physically check at the beginning of each day to ensure the water beakers are always full of water and accessible to all children. . The individual water beakers are now placed at the children’s level so they can reach themselves. . There is always also available a full jug of water and spare cups at the water station in the room. Staff have been retrained by the person in charge and reminded of the importance of children’s hydration. Person in charge is closely supervising staff to ensure compliance with this matter. To prevent recurrence in the future, the service provider has engaged with Better Start and a staff member will be assigned to work along with the pr e-Montessori teachers to help them improve their best practices. 2. Ensure staff are seated with children at all three tables dur ing mealtimes effective immediately . Staff are assigned to each table / group to ensure consistent supervision and interaction. Tables have been rearranged during mealtimes; every staff member has a group of six . Each staff member sits down and actively engages in conversation . Providing encourag ement and supervision during mealtime with all children in the pre-Montessori room. Daily checks will be carried out by the person in charge . To prevent this happening in the future the service provider has engaged with Better Start and a staff member will be assigned to work with the person in charge and the three staff members in the pre-Montessori room to help and guide on best practices during transitions. 3. The person in charge addressed the issue immediately with the staff involved, reinforcing expectations regarding inclusive communication. A staff meeting was convened the next day to clearly communicate and remind all staff members the importance of creating a language-rich, inclusive environment for all children in our care. Staff were re instructed that english must be the primary language always used during working hours. Person in charge will conduct regular observations and room audits to ensure consistent implementation. Our setting promotes a culture of respect, inclusion, and professionalism and wants to ensure that all staff understand the importance of this action. 4. The person in charge has reinforced the importance of responsive caregiving and flexible rest routines in line with children’s individual needs. The person in charge had a meeting with the pre-Montessori class teachers to review the importance of rest and time policies to ensure alignment with best practice and regulatory requirements for children in our care. The person in charge implemented that children who are unable to settle after a reasonable period (e. g. 20-30 minutes) may transition to quiet, relaxing, supervised activities at a designated activity area in the room. The room leader is responsible to implement responsive caregiving to the children in our pre-Montessori room. The person in charge is daily monitoring the pre- Montessori rest time ensuring guidelines are being followed by staff. To prevent reoccurrence in the future, the service provider has engaged with Better Start and a staff member will be assigned to work in the pre- Montessori room to help staff within all transitions. 5. The home corner in the pre-Montessori room has been rearranged to improve accessibility and engagement. The materials are organised at child-accessible levels to promote independence. Staff will prevent this from happening again in the future ensuring a consistent rotation of resources to maintain children’s interest and support a variety of play themes. The room leader will schedule regular room environment reviews to ensure all learning areas remain well-resourced and fully accessible to all children to support children’s wellbeing, autonomy, and holistic development. The person in charge will carry out daily room inspection. The service provider will engage with Better Start to help prevent reoccurrence 11 March 2026 ##### [Lucan Child Nursery & Montessori](/creche/lucan-child-nursery-montessori-lucan.md), Lucan · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Drinking water was not available to children in the Toddler room at all times. There was no water station in place and drinks were only observed to be offered to the children whilst in the dining room during mealtimes - A water station has been introduced into the Toddler room. This includes a jug, cups, a tray and wall signage Staff meeting is being held, and the introduction of the water station will be discussed 26 February 2026 ##### [K&L Naíonra & Afterschool Club Ltd](/creche/k-l-naionra-afterschool-club-ltd-lucan.md), Lucan · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. In Seomra Ghrian the areas within the care room were not clearly defined. A large amount of equipment was present in the room, which contributed to the environment appearing cluttered. There were numerous toys and play items stored on top of units, including castles and houses, as a result, children did not have the opportunity to independently access these areas thereby limiting the play space available. 2. The designated cosy area in Seomra Ghrain was not accessible to children as the seating space was covered by a large soft toy and two bean bags. This prevented children from using the area for rest, quiet play, or relaxation. The inspector observed that children did not enter or play in this area - 1.The room has been cleared and rearranged with more space. 2. The room has been cleared and rearranged. Rest area is now accessible. Monthly checks will be carried out 25 February 2026 ##### [Little Crickets Preschool](/creche/little-crickets-preschool-malahide.md), Malahide · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Water was not readily available to the children at lunchtime at 11.25am or throughout the session. It is acknowledged that the children had water bottles in their bags stored in the entrance hall of the service but these were not readily accessible in the care room. Water to drink should be readily available to the children to support their hydration. 2. Outdoor play was not provided to twenty-one children attending ECCE hours of 9.00am to 12.30 pm on the day of inspection. Outdoor play provides children opportunities to develop gross motor skills, experience risky play, messy play and experience nature - 1. Children’s water bottles were moved to main room to be readily available. A large water container is now available with disposable cups for children that may not have a water bottle with them. Water bottles will be lined up each morning in the main room. The Registered Provider will ensure that each child have a bottle available in the room. Alternatively, there is now a water dispenser available to facilitate a child that might not have their own bottle. This will be part of the daily morning risk assessment. 2. The daily routine has been updated to include Outdoor play. Outdoor playtime has been implemented into the daily routine. Children will be taken outside in small groups each day 25 February 2026 ##### [Our Ladys Nursery Ballymun Ltd](/creche/our-ladys-nursery-ballymun-ltd-dublin-11.md), Dublin 11 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (a) The registered provider did not ensure that drinking water was freely available to the children in one of the care rooms. It was noted that no drinks were available from 10.49am until 12.12pm when jugs of milk and water were brought into the care room. It is acknowledged that staff immediately sourced cups and a jug of water which remained in the room when it was brought to their attention - (a) Staff were reminded of the practice to ensure all rooms will have a designated drink station and will ensure this is always available 24 February 2026 ##### [Kids Inc Rathfarnham](/creche/kids-inc-rathfarnham-dublin-16.md), Dublin 16 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. Staff did not adequately support children with nasal hygiene aiding comfort in the Toddler room. Despite interaction with the children, staff did not address the need for nasal hygiene as children were observed to be left with nasal discharge for prolonged periods on the morning of the inspection. 2. Dinner was not served in a prompt manner to ensure a warm meal was provided in the Toddler room. The dinner arrived in the care room at 11.40am in a large plastic bowl, at 11.44am it was covered using two hand tissues and was not served till 12.09pm. Physical and material environment: 3. Resources in the Preschool room were limited and not laid out in an inviting accessible manner to promote play. This reduced children’s opportunity for choice and play experiences - 1. Management met with staff to reiterate the importance of nasal hygiene. Staff were reminded that nasal hygiene must be addressed constantly and it is not acceptable that children are left with nasal discharge for any period of times. Staff signed off on Kids Inc infection control policy and confirmed they will abide by the policy at all times. All staff will continue to be reminded on monthly staff meeting about the importance of nasal hygiene and infection control. Management will observe practices onsite and staff will be regularly retrained in all compulsory policies. 2. Management held a meeting with staff to discuss the importance of communication between the room and staff on kitchen duty on any changes/ delays in the routine that could impact the mealtimes. Staff on kitchen duty were retrained in correct procedures of serving food ensuring covers are on when leaving the kitchen. All staff will continue to be reminded on monthly staff meeting about the importance of communication between team members and staff on kitchen duty. Management will observe practices onsite. 3. Management met with staff to discuss room layouts in line with Aistear/ Siolta Practise Guide – Pillar: Creating Inclusive Learning Environments. The room was completely reorganised with new room layouts and some new resources purchased to support needs, interests and abilities of children in the room. Management will support the staff in the room to make sure the room layouts are working for the room, are inviting for children and equipment is stored in an organized manner. Room Leaders will continue to attend cross collaboration meetings with other Kids Inc room leaders to share ideas with peers 18 February 2026 ##### [Rowlagh Women's Group Preschool](/creche/rowlagh-women-s-group-preschool-dublin-22.md), Dublin 22 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Children were not provided with daily opportunities to engage in outdoor play. During discussions with the inspector, it was identified that children had not been brought to the outdoor area since December 2025, limiting their opportunity for physical exercise, fresh air, and exploration while in the service. While an outdoor area was available, access was not embedded into the daily routine - The garden has since been cleaned of rubbish and the debris has been removed. The children have had daily access to the garden since the inspection. A portion of the garden is due to be upgraded with an alternative surface; the service is awaiting a start date for work to begin 17 February 2026 ##### [Dolphins Early Education and Childcare Centre](/creche/dolphins-early-education-and-childcare-centre-dublin-24.md), Dublin 24 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs Children attending the Green Room and Blue Room were not given sufficient time to eat. While it was acknowledged that the adults sat at the tables with the children, they did not offer support with feeding. Bibs were not offered to children. The staff were observed to commence with cleaning and removing children’s bowls before meals were finished. Physical and Material Environment The cosy areas in the Green Room and Orange room were not appropriately resourced to support children to rest and relax, in particular for children attending on a full day care basis who did not require sleep - Basic Needs All staff members have been addressed individually and collectively at a team meeting to reinforce appropriate mealtime procedures which have been outlined. Two staff members are now assigned to sit with children at each mealtime to provide supervision, encouragement, and support. In addition, a designated float staff member is available during mealtimes to provide further assistance to any child requiring additional support. Physical and Material Environment Sleep mats which were previously used in the cosy corner have been removed and new cushions and mats have been put down to create a cosy, warm and comfortable environment for the children if they want to rest at any stage during the day 16 February 2026 ##### [Giraffe Childcare IFSC](/creche/giraffe-childcare-ifsc-dublin-1.md), Dublin 1 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Staff struggled to respond adequately to care needs of children in the baby Acacia room on day one of inspection from12.15pm-12.29pm and again at 1.00pm-1.21pm. While one staff member was present children were observed to demonstrate clear signs of upset by crying and seeking interaction. Despite the efforts of the staff member, they were unable to meet the needs of all children at this time. It is acknowledged when brought to the attention of management arrangements were made to provide support. 2. Nappy changing practices in the toddler Serengeti room did not allow for a supporting one to one interaction as children’s peers repeatedly entered the sanitary area during the care practice. 3. Delayed lengthy transitions and a lack of planned activities in the toddler Serengeti room on day one of the inspection which resulted in children being disengaged leading to disruptive and challenging behaviours that on occasion went unobserved by staff - 1. On the day of the inspection, while in ratio, the baby room had only recently opened and so the children were quite new to the centre and did require additional support for this reason. A second staff member was present in the room the following week and received training on meeting care needs and practices. The management team have been closely monitoring this room and staggering new children’s start dates. 2. Staff in Toddler Serengeti have been retrained on toileting/ care practices during nappy changing/ toileting times. The management team has been monitoring this closely and noted the approach is working better. 3. Staff in Toddler Serengeti has been retrained in curriculum planning and added a more structured daily routine to the children’s day. The management team will monitor this closely and supported staff change within the rooms 10 February 2026 ##### [Giraffe Childcare Cherrywood](/creche/giraffe-childcare-cherrywood-loughlinstown.md), Loughlinstown · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - On Day 1 of the inspection the inspectors observed inadequate care practices as follows: 1. Mealtime practice was observed in the Serengeti room where there were eleven children aged two and three years. The children were served a main meal of pasta, vegetable sauce and cheese. Two children – one aged three years and one aged two years declined to eat it stating they did not like cheese. The staff advised them they would be offered it without the cheese and requested this from the kitchen. The alternative option was not provided, and the children were placed to sleep. Upon waking, the first child was offered pasta, without the vegetable sauce and with cheese. The child again refused it. The meal was not provided for the second child, however the electronic communication record for parents completed by staff indicated she had eaten it all. The service’s healthy eating policy states that parents will be advised if their child is not eating well and that alternatives will be offered to the children who refuse meals. Failure to provide and accurately record meals places children at risk of hunger, distress and unmet nutritional needs. 2. Nappy changing practices were observed in the Acacia room where there were nine children aged one year, and one child under one. During the observation period, one child was noted to have a visibly full, sagging nappy from 12:06 to14:11. Staff engaged with the child during this period, bottle-feeding and changing their outer clothes. However, despite the apparent need, the child was placed to sleep, and the child’s nappy was not changed. When queried, staff stated that nappies are changed according to the set schedule. Failure to change visibly full nappies promptly places children at risk of discomfort and skin breakdown. 3. Sleep practices were observed in the Serengeti room, where there were eleven children aged two and three years. During the observation period, five children were woken by staff. Staff reported that three of these children were woken in line with parental instructions: one after 30 minutes, one after 40 minutes and one after 60 minutes. No rationale was provided for waking the remaining two children. Several of the children displayed signs of tiredness upon waking, including crying and resisting attempts to get up. One child was supported to return to sleep for a longer period as staff failed to wake him. There were no documents of agreed sleep plans with parents, nor documents evidencing review or monitoring of the impact of waking children at set times on their wellbeing and individual needs. Waking children without a documented, regularly reviewed plan may negatively impact their emotional wellbeing, behaviour and ability to engage in learning due to unmet rest needs - 1.Mealtime practice: Following the inspection, the service provided refresher training to the team on the healthy eating policy and mealtime practices. Staff have been reminded of the importance of ensuring that alternative meal options are provided when children refuse a meal and that communication with the kitchen is clear and followed through. Management have also worked alongside the chef to ensure that alternative meal options are available and can be prepared promptly when required. In addition, staff have received further guidance on accurately recording children’s meals within the electronic communication system so that parents receive correct information that reflects their child’s day. Handover and recording procedures have also been reviewed with staff to reinforce the importance of accurate documentation and communication with parents. In addition to the above actions, management have reviewed the deployment of staff across the service to ensure appropriate support is available where needed. Staff members have been redeployed to strengthen teams in rooms where additional support was required. Experienced educators and supervisors have also been paired with newer or less experienced staff to provide guidance, mentoring and oversight of daily practices. The service’s management will continue to monitor practice through room supervision, staff meetings and ongoing support to ensure that the standards outlined within their policies are consistently implemented and that the health, welfare and development of the children remain a priority. 2. Nappy changing practices: Following the inspection, refresher training was carried out with staff on their nappy changing policy and procedures. Staff were reminded that children’s comfort, hygiene and wellbeing must always take priority over routine schedules and that nappies should be checked and changed whenever required. Management have reinforced the expectation that staff respond to children’s cues and ensure that hygiene practices are carried out promptly. 3. Sleep Practices: Following the inspection, the service introduced documented sleep plans for children where parents request that their child is woken after a specified period of sleep. These plans are now agreed with parents and recorded to ensure staff have clear guidance and that children’s individual rest needs are considered. These arrangements will also be reviewed with parents regularly to ensure they continue to support each child’s wellbeing 3 February 2026 ##### [Crumlin Childcare Centre](/creche/crumlin-childcare-centre-dublin-12.md), Dublin 12 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Some sleep care practices observed on the day of inspection did not meet the individual needs of the children in attendance and may negatively affect the health and wellbeing of a child as follows; - Two children were observed displaying signs of tiredness in the Nemo room from 11:36am on the day of inspection crying, yawning, and rubbing their eyes. Staff members discussed the children being overtired during this time and stated during discussions with the inspector that the children do not sleep prior to dinner time as they cannot put out the beds. The two children remained upset and displaying signs of tiredness until 12:05pm and 11:58am when they were placed to sleep before dinner - All staff in Baby Room (Happy Feet) & Wobbler Room (Nemo) were retrained on safe sleep and child led nap time. The cot room has assigned two cots for Nemo which will support the children to access sleep before the main room is ready. The policy has been put on the walls in the rooms and details are available if there is staff cover who may not normally work in the rooms 29 January 2026 ##### [Sundrive Nursery & Montessori School](/creche/sundrive-nursery-montessori-school-dublin-12.md), Dublin 12 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Some care practices observed on the day of inspection were not appropriate and suitable to the age and the needs of the children in attendance and may negatively affect the health and well being of a child as follows; 1. Children’s movement was restricted unnecessarily for prolonged periods of time in the Baby room leading into dinner time. For example, one child was observed seated strapped into a highchair from 11:04am to 11:59am. During this time, the child was displaying signs of tiredness yawning, becoming upset and rubbing their eyes. 2. Some children’s faces and noses were not appropriately cleaned throughout the inspection. For example, one child who had heavy nasal discharges did not have their face washed, despite staff members interacting directing with the child providing personal care. Although the child’s nose was wiped at times, the child was left with heavy accumulations of dried in mucus on their face - 1 & 2 The use of highchairs was addressed immediately. Staff were reminded that highchairs are to be used strictly for active feeding purposes only and for the minimum time required. Children must not remain restrained outside mealtimes and must be returned to floor level promptly following meals. The Baby Room routine was reviewed to ensure that no child remains seated waiting in a highchair during transitions and that movement back to floor level occurs without delay. Expectations regarding responsive care were reinforced, including recognising and responding promptly to children’s signs of tiredness. The child’s transition to rest time was reviewed to ensure fatigue cues are acted upon without delay. Staff were reminded that children must be kept clean and comfortable throughout the day and that visible nasal discharge must be addressed promptly and consistently. Appropriate hygienic methods for cleaning children’s hands and faces were clarified. Staff were instructed that cleaning materials must not be reused in a manner that could present a risk of cross-contamination. Where required, clean disposable cotton or tissues with warm water may be used to ensure effective and hygienic cleaning. Disposable wipes are now readily available in the room to ensure prompt and hygienic response when required. A post-inspection review meeting was held with staff to formally revisit Regulation 19 requirements. Highchair use, freedom of movement principles, responsive care expectations and personal hygiene standards were reviewed collectively to ensure consistent understanding and implementation. Personal care standards, including prompt response to visible nasal discharge and maintaining children’s comfort and dignity throughout the day, have been reinforced. Practice in relation to freedom of movement and personal care has been incorporated into the weekly managerial monitoring process to ensure sustained compliance and prevent recurrence. Updated guidance applies to all relevant staff and will be reviewed with any staff member returning from absence 28 January 2026 ##### [Luttrell House Creche](/creche/luttrell-house-creche-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. In the Wobbler room the children’s water bottles were stored on a high shelf both out of sight and reach of the children, this did not facilitate the children in asking for or gesturing that they wanted a drink of water throughout the day. Physical and material environment: 2. The Wobbler room environment did not fully meet the developmental needs of the children as demonstrated by the following: • The family wall that was on display in the Wobbler room was positioned at too high a level for the children to see. This reduced the children’s opportunity to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness in the service and to maintain links with family and home. • The books in the Wobbler room were placed out of the children’s reach and were not easily accessible which reduced the children’s opportunities to independently choose a book - Corrective Action Basic needs: 1. The staff were informed that water should be available and offered to the children throughout the day and not just at mealtimes – there is now a “hydration station” at children’s level in each care room. Physical and material environment: 2. The family wall was moved immediately after the feedback meeting as per the inspector comment and recommendation. The bookshelf in the classroom is back in operation and children can access the books with ease. Preventive Action Basic needs: 1. This subject has been added to the Manager’s audit which is carried out monthly and has been added to the Care Room audit which is carried out the Educator’s monthly to ensure it is kept on their agenda for their classrooms. Physical and material environment: 2. All documentation for children will be at their level going forward. Environments were spoken about and retrained at the staff meeting held on 09/02/2026 20 January 2026 ##### [First Steps Academy](/creche/first-steps-academy-lucan.md), Lucan · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Two children in cub bears were observed lying down in the cosy area drinking bottles of milk after dinner. Children should not lie down while drinking from a bottle as this practice increases the risk of choking and may contribute to dental decay and ear infections. 2. There were no adult chairs in Booboo bears, Snuggle bears or Cub bears which would enable staff to cuddle and support children when drinking from a bottle - 1. Bottle feeding while lying down has ceased with immediate effect. Staff have been reminded that children must be held or seated upright while drinking from bottles. The safe bottle-feeding policy has been updated and reviewed with all staff. This will now be now included in staff induction and will be monitored through monthly room observations by management. 2. Suitable adult chairs have been made available in Booboo Bears, Snuggle Bears and Cub Bears rooms to enable staff to safely hold and support children during bottle feeding. Management will ensure that appropriate adult seating remains available in all baby and toddler rooms 14 January 2026 ##### [First Step Movements](/creche/first-step-movements-dublin-3.md), Dublin 3 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Up to date care plans were not available for three children to outline specific actions and strategies required to facilitate continuous care and on-going development. 2. Outdoor play was not provided to the children on the day of inspection. Through further discussion with staff, it was established that outdoor play was not provided daily. Lack of outdoor play limits children’s opportunities to develop gross motor skills, experience risky play and experience nature - 1. Reports have been completed. Weekly reports have been put in place. Manager is reporting and signing off. 2. Daily outside play has been implemented with a daily outdoor log implemented Rubber matting is to replace wet area for access. This will be installed in May 25th - 29th 2026 13 January 2026 ##### [Saol Beag Project Creche](/creche/saol-beag-project-creche-dublin-1.md), Dublin 1 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1) (a) Basic Needs: 1. On the day of the inspection one child’s sleep needs were not adequately met. The child displayed a clear need for rest by rubbing their eyes, laying on the floor and laying on a small sofa. Staff were observed to verbally comment on the child’s tiredness and offered comfort by lifting them but were unable to address the need as an adequate sleep facility was unavailable. Staff advised the inspector that once another child woke the child would be brought for sleep - 1. Management will ensure there is adequate and suitable facilities for preschool children to rest during the day. New cots were purchased 7 January 2026 ##### [Little People's Academy Ltd](/creche/little-people-s-academy-ltd-dublin-1.md), Dublin 1 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Children in Wobbler 1 and Wobbler 2 rooms were not provided with the opportunity to enjoy outdoor play during the inspection , which is at variance with the services Outdoor play policy and Early Years Curriculum Policy and Statement - To ensure that the Wobbler room can consistently access the garden both, in the morning and in the afternoon, a change has been implemented in the garden-time roster. The start time of the Wobbler garden session has been delayed by 30 minutes to avoid coinciding with children’s sleep times, as a number of children may still be asleep at the originally scheduled time. As a result, the Wobbler garden time has been adjusted. The sleep routine remains unchanged and continues to take place between 11:30 and 13:30. Although the service has a sleep routine in place, as per our Safe Sleep Policy, some children may choose to sleep outside of these times and therefore are supported to do so. As part of the daily routine, children wake at different times, with some waking earlier than others as late as 13:30.In the event that any child remains asleep in the Wobbler room at the time the garden session begins, the Manager or Assistant Manager (or any staff member out of ratio) will remain in the Wobbler room until the last child has awakened, ensuring appropriate supervision and check time each 10 minutes during sleep time at all times while the rest of the group accesses the garden. The outdoor play policy has been reviewed to ensure it is up to date and fully supports the revised garden schedule and will be gradually introduced to the staff, ensuring their understanding and appreciation of its importance. Written communication was issued to all families outlining the requirement to provide and maintain waterproof clothing (wellington boots, waterproof trousers and waterproof jacket) in line with Tusla and HSE guidance and the service’s Outdoor Play Policy. While many families had already provided the required items, all families were reminded to ensure consistency and fill compliance across the service. Preventative Actions taken: 1.Daily Documentation: The Wobbler, Toddler and Preschool Garden access will be recorded daily in the garden’s planning sheet to provide evidence that outdoor play is taken place consistently. 2. Roster review: The harden roster will be reviewed monthly by management to ensure it meets children’s needs and regulatory requirements. Adjustments will be made as needed. 3. Staff Briefing: All staff informed of the new garden schedule and the procedure for supervising children who are still asleep on 30 January 2026. Responsibilities will be clearly during staff handovers and team meetings. 4. Management Oversight: The management team will perform spot checks to ensure that the garden access schedule and supervision procedures are being followed consistently 6 January 2026 ##### [Giraffe Childcare Harcourt](/creche/giraffe-childcare-harcourt-dublin-2.md), Dublin 2 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1) (b) The transitions in the Masai Mara room were not adequately manged before and after sleep on the day of inspection to meet the needs of the children present. This was evidenced by the following: • The transition after dinner was prolonged for the age range of children present. During this time children were not engaged in an activity as staff prepared the room for sleep, and some became disruptive as a result. Timely and organised transitions can help children to regulate and provide a sense of predictability. • A single staff member was caring for the children during the transition from sleep. While the interactions between the staff member and children were calm and supportive when the staff member was alone, they struggled to meet the needs of all children in the group which resulted in children’s sleep being disturbed and children engaging in behaviours that required attention and support. The following was observed: o A child who was awake was pushing the cot of a sleeping child. o A child who woke from sleep became upset as their sleep was disturbed. o A child who was awake threw a book into the cot of a sleeping child which woke the child. o A child proceeded to hit another child causing them to cry - (1) (b) Staff members were provided with training on supporting transitions. An overall review of transitions, age and needs of the children took place, and a new routine was put place to ensure additional support. The busier transition times and particular rooms are closely monitored and supported by the part time staff and management team who are supernumerary in the centre 10 December 2025 ##### [Best Start Childcare Brickfield](/creche/best-start-childcare-brickfield-dublin-12.md), Dublin 12 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. There was no chair available to a child aged one year which was appropriately sized to the child’s age and stage of development in Room one. As a result, staff members were observed during mealtimes holding the child on their lap, trying to spoon feed them. 2. There was no opportunity for self-feeding for two children aged one year in Room One. Staff members were observed holding the bowl and spoons away from the children who were at a developmentally ready age to self-feed - The service has two new wooden chairs that allow children feed themselves. The service will speak with the parents prior start and buy more chairs if it is necessary 9 December 2025 ##### [The Kiddies Day Nursery and Montessori School](/creche/the-kiddies-day-nursery-and-montessori-school-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The cosy area in the Jungle room was not appropriate for the age and developmental stage of the children in the room which made it difficult to access and unsafe for resting and relaxation use. The area consisted of soft topped bench with cushions on top which was observed to be of a height where children needed to climb up on to it and once seated their legs would dangle off it. The area was observed to be used by the children during the day and at one stage a child was lying down resting their body on it. Children need a cosy area which is easily accessible to them, and which provides a safe place for them to sit and rest as needed. A similar non-compliance had been observed in the previous inspection 14 June 2023. The preventative actions outlined by the registered provider had not been maintained - 1. Management changed the cosy area in the Jungle room to reflect the children’s development. The management team will look at the children’s age and development when setting up areas of rest and revised Tusla inspection report to ensure that all non-compliances are addressed 2 December 2025 ##### [Home from Home Creche](/creche/home-from-home-creche-balbriggan.md), Balbriggan · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. The children in the Baby and Wobbler rooms did not engage in outdoor play on the day of inspection. On discussion with staff, they confirmed that outdoor play is not prioritised with the children when the weather is wet. The routine of the Baby room did not document time in the daily schedule for children to enjoy outdoor play. Outdoor play is required daily to enable the children to explore and develop their skills of walking, climbing and playing. 2. Staff in the Baby room did not encourage the children to remove their soothers when they were settled and playing in the care room. This reduced the effective development of the children oral motor skills and speech. 3. Following sleep time in the Baby room children only had their nappies changed if they were soiled. Children require regular nappy changes to maintain their needs for comfort and hygiene. 4. Staff in the Baby room did not always prioritise the needs of the children in the room as follows: • From 11:13-11:19am a staff member spent time completing records on the electronic tablet rather than comfort a child that was upset. While it is acknowledged that records are required to be maintained and updated, it is important that children that are upset are given comfort and reassurance when needed. • At the start of dinner time, a staff member focused on the tidying of toys rather than supporting three children in highchairs ready to eat their meal Physical and Material Environment: 5. The layout and materials available in the Baby, Wobbler and Toddler rooms did not promote a child led, engaging and explorative environment for the children. For example: • In the Baby room: o there was no sensory equipment to enable the children to independently explore and discover alternative textures and surfaces. o suitable tables and chairs were not accessible to the children available to support tabletop activities despite the children being of an age and stage of development to enjoy sitting at the table available for an activity. o the play kitchen was not suitable for the age of the children in the room. • In the Wobbler and Toddler rooms designated areas of interest were poorly resourced with supporting equipment with boxes of materials stored with sealed lids not accessible for the children to open. 6. The large fully enclosed outdoor area located to the rear of the service was not equipped with toys and materials to enable the Baby and Wobbler rooms to enjoy the space throughout the year. Supporting Relationships around children 7. The family walls that support children’s sense of identity and belonging were displayed higher than children’s eye level in the Wobbler and Toddler room. The Baby room did not have any evidence of a family wall for the children to engage with. Programme of Activities: 8. On discussion with staff in the Baby room it was confirmed that daily activities such as playdough, painting, glueing, drawing and sensory play was not routinely carried out in the care room and one construction activity of magnetics which the children showed interest in only had five pieces available for six babies. Children require introduction and exposure to activities that enable them to develop interests and fun experiences while attending the service - Basic Needs: 1. In response the service has stated that staff have been advised that children must be brought outside for outdoor play, there is no reason not to as space is available, and all children have outer gear/boots. This must be included in their weekly curriculum. 2. In response staff have been advised that soothers are only to be used as soothing comfort not outside of this requirement. They are removed after arrival / nap times once child is content and stored in sterilised container while not in use. Spot checks on this are being carried out frequently to ensure it continues appropriately. 3. In response staff were advised nappies are to be changed whether wet or soiled once they awake from naps, this is best practice and should be followed daily. 4. In response staff were advised priority of the child is paramount and correspondence on the electronic application must be seen as secondary to the child’s needs. Cleaning of toys can be completed after child goes for their nap. When dinners arrive in room, that must be served straight away to a child. Children are not to be left waiting for their dinner. Continuous checks will be completed in rooms to ensure children are prioritised Click or tap here to enter text. Physical and Material Environment 5. In response the registered providers have stated that sensory equipment has been added to the Baby room along with new tables and chairs to suit the developmental stage requirements of the children. Play kitchen was repositioned to give easier access for children. The Wobbler/Toddler Rooms have been redone to ensure more accurate areas of interest and ensuring appropriate toys are in the co ordinating areas with no lids on boxes restricting access for children. The supervisor will check these weekly to ensure this is kept in place. 6.Outdoor equipment now in garden and additional equipment to be brought in in the coming months especially as outdoor play will continue to increase. Staff advised outdoor area is available to all children, younger children can use sand area / smaller climbing frames and swings. Ongoing monitoring will be done to ensure it continues. Signage removed to ensure access is for all age groups/ room groups in outdoor area. Supporting Relationships around children 7. Family wall pics have been moved down the wall to offer easier access for children to take pics off. Continuous checks ensuring family walls stay lower on wall to offer easier access to children. All staff have been made aware of this, and all rooms are now compliant on this issue. Programme of Activities 8. Additional equipment purchased for the rooms, ensuring more choice of textures / sensory in all rooms. Continuous checks in the room to monitor equipment is readily available to all children and any replacements required can be sourced and implemented 2 December 2025 ##### [Marbles Creche & Montessori](/creche/marbles-creche-montessori-swords.md), Swords · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. The children in the Toddler room and Small Montessori room did not have their water bottles available to them to take a drink as desired throughout the day. In the Toddler room the children’s water bottles were stored in the fridge out of sight of the children and in the Small Montessori room the children’s water bottles were stored in their bags. The children should have water available to them to take as needed throughout the day. Physical and material environment: 2. There were no family photographs displayed or available to the children in any of the care rooms. The lack of family photographs prevented the children from using photographs as a means of maintaining links with and bridging the gap between the service and home. 3. There were no interest areas developed in the Wobbler room or the Toddler room for the children. Furthermore, there was a lack of sensory or natural materials available for the children in the Wobbler room or the Toddler room to use. There was no book/cosy area for rest and relaxation in the Diamond room or for the children to freely access or to choose a book as they wished. 4. The rest area in the Toddler room was not appropriately resourced. A blanket was placed directly on the floor with some cushions provided, this area was not encouraging to the children or comfortable to use if the children chose to take a break from activities during the day. 5. There were no supporting play materials available for the 2 wooden play kitchens in the outdoor play area to enable the children to extend their play - Corrective Action Basic needs: 1. Water bottles station created in Toddler & Small Montessori room for easy access for the children. Physical and material environment: 2. All rooms have redone the family photo book and are easily accessible for the children. 3. New materials have been bought, set up and rooms rearranged in the Wobbler room and Toddler room. 4. The cosy area in the Toddler room has been redone and new materials bought and set up. 5. Kitchens have been restocked with play sand and new outdoor equipment bought and distributed. Preventive Action Basic needs: 1. Staff reminded that water stations are to be used always, daily checks to be done to ensure compliance. Physical and material environment: 2. Weekly checks to be done on rooms to ensure compliance. Management reviews to measure progress. 3&4. Management reviews to measure progress. 5. Management reminded staff about the importance of setting up the garden before use and keeping materials topped up. Management to monitor progress 12 November 2025 ##### [Charlie's Childcare Rush](/creche/charlie-s-childcare-rush-rush.md), Rush · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. In the Toddler room, the transition from dinner time at 11.36am and to sleep time at 12.00pm was not managed calmly or in an organised manner with staff not providing the children with clear and concise instructions. For example: o The alternative meal of tomato pasta was not presented to the children until 11.40am when the children had all finished eating and moved to the rest area. As a result of this delay it caused upset and disorganisation in the room which resulted in children running around the room, throwing balls and one child upturning a full box of toys onto the floor. o At 11.56am, two children were jumping on the made-up beds and running back and forth towards the wall. Physical Environment: 2. The layout and materials available in the Wobbler room did not promote a child led, engaging and explorative environment for the children. For example: o The table and chairs in the care room were not made available for tabletop activities between meals. o Play materials and equipment were stored in eight large clear plastic boxes, which were visually good but too large for a 1- to 2-year-old to physically lift or move to access the toys present independently. o storage of jigsaws in a large box with loose jigsaw pieces 3. The layout and materials available in the Preschool room did not promote a child led, engaging and explorative environment for the children. For example: o Supportive equipment for dolls house and additional play props for a boat and car were not stored close by for easy access for play. o Home corner play equipment was not stored together in one area in the care room o An area for art and crafts was not identifiable; it is acknowledged that an art trolley was present in the room but in a standalone position - Basic Needs: 1. Alternative meal to be brought out with all meals at the designated time. Dinner time to be brought forward to 11:15am this will give a smoother and longer transition from dinner time to sleep time. The service has changed the mealtimes to ensure children have more time before sleep. A relaxed and controlled routine around bedtime with a smooth transition. Physical Environment: The Service have implemented the following changes to enhance the children's learning environment and daily routine: 2. Tables and chairs have been made accessible to children throughout the whole day. "Top table" activities are now introduced daily between mealtimes. The service replaced the large clear storage boxes with small, easily accessible baskets for the wobbler age group. Jigsaws were removed from their boxes and are now stored neatly in a drawer. The manager will be responsible for ensuring and promoting "top table" activities and ensuring that all staff members are fully aware of these activities throughout the daily routine 3. All supportive equipment now in the one area and assessable for children for easy access play. The home corner was moved, and everything is in the one Dedicated area. Art Trolley has been relocated and is now positioned next to the childrens table and chairs. Managers will ensure that areas are kept accessible and stored together for the children to ensure easy access play 12 November 2025 ##### [Little Gems Childcare](/creche/little-gems-childcare-dublin-22.md), Dublin 22 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - During the inspection, it was observed that at 12.10pm, during the transition from the outdoor area to the care room, three children had their outer clothing removed and were left wearing only their vests. The external door to the care room remained for the duration of this period. Children were seated at tables positioned next to the open doorway, which was not closed until 12. 18pm.This practice compromised the health and wellbeing of the children - The care room has been rearranged, and the tables are no longer positioned near the doors or windows. Children will remain fully dressed for mealtimes going forward. The temperature of the room will be considered when removing children’s outer clothing in preparation for sleep. In addition, a meeting was held with staff to discuss transitions from outdoors to indoors, mealtimes, sleep time preparation, and Tusla guidance on keeping children safe and comfortable indoors and outdoors in all weathers 10 November 2025 ##### [Learn 2 Grow](/creche/learn-2-grow-lusk.md), Lusk · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. The practice of offering children more food at mealtimes was not observed in the Toddler and Butterfly rooms. For example. • The children in the Toddler room were not offered more food at lunch time. • At 12:20pm three children in the Butterfly room communicated to staff they were still hungry. The staff member informed the children that any extra food had been served, and they would have to wait until 3.00pm for afternoon tea. On the intervention of the inspector more food was provided to the children to meet their nutritional needs at 12.25pm. 2. The children in the Wobbler room did not receive meals at regular intervals throughout the day to ensure their nutritional needs were met. For example. Breakfast was served from 7:30-8:30am and consisted of cereal and milk, a morning snack at 9:30am of sliced fruits, a lunch time meal of vegetable pasta at 11am followed by an afternoon tea of toasted sandwiches of cheese and ham at 3pm. Children require to be offered food every three hours to ensure that their nutritional needs are met while attending the service. 3. Children in the Wobbler room did not have their care needs for comfort and attention met in a timely manner between 11:25-1:12pm. For example: • Five children that were placed in their cots at 11:20am had no available adult to settle them to sleep. As a result, two children didn’t sleep until 12.31pm and one child that had intermittent episodes of crying and upset was removed from their cot awake at 12.28pm. • One child placed in a cot at 11.20am, was unsettled due to a soiled nappy and was not changed until 12.00pm. • From 12:08 to 1:12pm the staff member left 3 children unsupervised intermittently to carry out sleep checks in the cot room. This resulted in a child that was new to the service becoming upset and crying when the staff member left the room - 1. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated that they have reviewed and updated their food-portioning procedures. The cook has been instructed to prepare additional quantities of each meal daily, ensuring that extra servings are always available. The cook will serve the initial portion of dinner to each child and the educator will serve any additional portions to children who require more. The service will maintain a supply of extra fruits and alternative snacks each day, this remains standard practice and is now being reinforced with staff to ensure that children must be actively offered more food if they appear hungry or request additional portions. 2. The service has re-aligned this 4-hour gap so snacks and meals occur no more than three hours apart, in line with best practice. We have now added a snack (fruit, rice-cake, crackers) to accompany the 1pm milk. 3. Ratios have been reviewed and improved to ensure a second staff member is always available for settling children if needed and supervise the children who are awake when sleep checks are being carried out 5 November 2025 ##### [Little Harvard Child Care Ltd](/creche/little-harvard-child-care-ltd-dublin-18.md), Dublin 18 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs 1. It was observed in the Wobbler 1 and 2 rooms that children were not encouraged or prompted to remove their soothers before and after sleeping and mealtime despite appearing settled in the care room. Overuse of soothers can limit a child’s oral and speech development. 2. The position of the family tree displays in the Wobbler 1 and 2 rooms were not visually available to the children to support them to create a positive sense of belonging. Physical and Material environment 3. Cause and effect toys in the Wobbler 3 room and outdoor area were not working, removing the play and developmental purpose of the toy from the children - In response to the non-compliances the service has stated the following. 1. A staff meeting was held on the 11.11.2025 and during this meeting staff have been reminded that children should be encouraged to remove their soothers before and after sleeping when they appear to be settled in the room. Local and Senior Management will do spot checks to ensure compliance with all aspects of regulation 19. 2. The family tree displays in Wobbler 1 and Wobbler 2 rooms were moved lower to the child’s level to support their sense of belonging. Local and Senior Management will do spot checks to ensure compliance with all aspects of regulation 19. 3. Cause and effect toys from Wobbler 3 room and outdoor area that were not working due to batteries have been removed and placed in the storage to be used on the rotation basis to be sure that batteries are always in full operation. Management will monitor batteries usage. Local and Senior Management will do spot checks to ensure compliance with all aspects of regulation 19 4 November 2025 ##### [Koala Childcare Ltd](/creche/koala-childcare-ltd-dun-laoghaire.md), Dun Laoghaire · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. There was no adult sized seating available in the Wobbler room to provide staff with a comfortable place to sit, hold, comfort and feed children. An adult was observed comforting a child who was upset at 10:19hrs squatting on the floor When staff were settling children down to sleep a chair was brought to the room at 11:55 and one adult sat on the chair to give a child a bottle before putting him back in his cot in the cot room. There were three children in cots in the care room at this time, waiting to have their bottles prior to sleep. The lack of seating available for an adult to sit down with a child to provide comfort or meet their care needs was identified as a noncompliance previously on inspection on 08 February 2024. The measures taken at that time did not prevent the reoccurrence of the noncompliance - An adult sized chair was put into the Wobbler room to be used when comforting a child or giving a bottle 4 November 2025 ##### [Once upon a time](/creche/once-upon-a-time-dublin-24-3.md), Dublin 24 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 19 (1)(b) Sleep practices were observed on the first day of inspection. The practices did not provide for the individual sleep needs of children to be met as outlined below. 1. Two children in the Toddler 2 room who did not show any signs of tiredness were required to sleep at the service’s designated sleep period. The children were observed attempting to resist this for an hour whilst a staff member made repeated efforts to have the children lie down and sleep. This was contrary to the service’s safe sleep policy which stated “…a child should never be forced to sleep if they do not wish to.” 2. When the inspector arrived at the Toddler 3 room in the afternoon, a child was observed lying under a table asleep. The adult in the room proceeded to take the child out from under the table but did not make any efforts to accommodate the child to sleep. The child tried to lie back down on the floor, but the adult took him up and asked him if he’d like to read a book. When questioned regarding this, the adult reported she did “not know if he was allowed to sleep”. When another adult entered the room, a discussion was had about the child, and the child was placed to sleep in the Pre-Montessori room. However, the child was woken by staff after approximately 40 minutes when the designated sleep period ended. The child immediately started to cry, and the inspector observed the child crying and rubbing his eyes for an hour afterwards. Failure to facilitate children to sleep according to their needs can lead to increased irritability and can impact negatively on their emotional and physical development. Practices and procedures relating to this were found to be non-compliant on the last two inspections dated 9 December 2024 and 4 March 2025. The actions submitted by the registered provider following those inspections had not corrected or prevented the issue - 1. All educators were instructed to immediately stop requiring children to lie down or sleep when they do not show signs of tiredness. Educators were reminded verbally of the service’s safe sleep policy: “A child should never be forced to sleep if they do not wish to.” Alternative rest options (quiet play, books, puzzles, drawing, calm corner) are provided for children who are not tired. Families were invited to review or update their child’s sleep routines and preferences. The two children involved had updated sleep/rest preference documentation completed and placed in their room’s planning folder. 2. A reflective discussion was held with the educator who was unsure of whether the child “was allowed to sleep.” Clear expectations were set that all staff must know and follow the safe sleep policy at all times. All staff were instructed that children must be supported to sleep whenever they display tiredness cues, regardless of the scheduled routine. All staff participated in a refresher training session covering: • Safe sleep policy and regulatory requirements • Responding to individual sleep cues • Respectful interactions during rest periods Plans will be reviewed at least every three months or as children’s needs change. Manager will conduct weekly audits to ensure: • Staff awareness of sleep requirements • Individual needs are being met • No child is being forced to sleep due to parents’ request • That children must never be prevented from sleeping or woken unnecessarily • Correct accommodation of sleep needs 22 October 2025 ##### [The Stables Montessori](/creche/the-stables-montessori-portmarnock.md), Portmarnock · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. The children did not experience outdoor play during the inspection. The registered provider confirmed that there is no outdoor play area for this service. Physical and Material Environment: 2. No cosy area present in the Upstairs Room, to offer a quiet comfortable area for children to rest and relax during the day - 1. The service is now taking the children out to the nearby green and on nature walks. Weather permitted, small groups are taken out at different stages to ensure safety and that ratios are met at all times. 2. A cosy area of a soft mat and cushions has been put in place in the Upstairs room 8 October 2025 ##### [Charlies Childcare Tigin](/creche/charlies-childcare-tigin-swords.md), Swords · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. There were limited play resources in the outdoor area to extend children’s play as observed by the following: ➢ There was no supportive play equipment available at the play kitchen in the outdoor play areas at both sides of the service to enable the children to extend their play. ➢ There were minimal supporting materials in the sand pit for the children to use to support their play experiences - Corrective Action Physical and material environment: 1. A selection of new toys have been purchased for all garden areas in the centre. Preventive Action Physical and material environment: 1. Toys will be updated regularly and replaced when lost or broken. Manager and P erson in Charge to monitor resource levels. This was discussed at the staff meeting 18 September 2025 ##### [Kids Care Limited](/creche/kids-care-limited-swords.md), Swords · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. There were no supportive materials available at the outdoor mark making area to provide opportunities for creativity and mark making. 2. In Room 1 a shelving unit was observed to be turned away from the children and stored against the wall which prevented the children from accessing the play resources contained within, which included tabletop materials. This practice restricts children’s freely chosen play, through reducing their access to play materials and resources. It is acknowledged that a staff member turned the shelf around at 11.40am when the inspector brought this to the attention of staff - Corrective Action Physical and material environment: 1. To provide different opportunities for all children for creativity in the outdoor area, paint sticks and washable markers are at the outdoor board at all times. The children can freely access these at any time. 2. The registered provider will ensure that the children will have free access to all the play resources and materials in their service to encourage each child’s development. Preventive Action 1. One staff member is now responsible for ensuring that there are always art supplies in the garden, these can be stored overnight in Zoe’s Den. 2. Staff members who set up Room 1 and Room 2 each morning are now aware that all shelving must be facing the children, this is regardless of the children going to their outdoor area at the start of the session instead of when they return. This will include the tabletop materials 18 September 2025 ##### [Tadpoles Childcare](/creche/tadpoles-childcare-rush.md), Rush · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. Two children in the Baby/Wobbler room were not facilitated by staff to sit at a table for lunch, they were instead fed their meal while sitting on the floor. This is at variance with the service policy on mealtimes and did not create a sociable and inclusive environment for the children. Physical Environment: 2. In the Baby/Wobbler room there were no additional resources such as play crockery and household items located alongside the home area for the children to extend their play and develop their skills - 1. In response to the non-compliance the service has stated that training was completed with all staff to reiterate service policy and procedure regarding mealtimes to highlight that all children are to be seated at a table or low chair during all snack and mealtimes. This training occurred at a staff meeting on the 16/10/25 and policy on mealtime practices will be displayed in each care room and will appear on the agenda at each bimonthly staff meeting. 2. To address the non-compliance a wide variety of play crockery and household items have now been purchased and are in the home area. All room resources will be checked monthly by the room leader who will list if any additional resources are required in a copy book. Manager will check monthly and purchase if required 10 September 2025 ##### [Really Cool Afterschool & Montessori School](/creche/really-cool-afterschool-montessori-school-balbriggan-2.md), Balbriggan · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The service does not have access to an outdoor space to enable the children to explore and exercise while attending the service - 1. In response to the non-compliance the service has stated that they do not have a garden space as they opened prior the regulation requirement for one. Building management have been contacted regarding access to an outdoor space, but unfortunately there none on the premises. The service combats this by introducing more sensory and movement activities such as yoga and dance into daily sessions. The service plans to bring the class on outdoor walks when children are settled and following risk assessment of group 8 September 2025 ##### [The Toddler Inn](/creche/the-toddler-inn-dublin-7.md), Dublin 7 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1) (a) 1. The registered provider did not ensure that a child who was settling into the service after a period of absence was facilitated with a resettling in period, this was at variance from the service Settling-In Policy, which states a settling in period has no time limit and may need to be repeated. The following was observed. • Between 10:04am and 11:26am a child in the Wobbler room was observed to be upset, crying and sobbing, there was no plan or contact made with parents to inform them of this child’s difficulty with readjusting back into the service. It is acknowledged that staff provided physical comfort, warmth and distraction to the child throughout this time. 2. The books in the Toddler room were in poor condition with pages missing and torn edges. This can potentially limit a child’s enjoyment and engagement in the early literacy development period - 1. The registered provider has stated that staff have been made aware of the updated settling in policy after a child has a break from the service. The policy has been updated to include a resettling in period after a holiday break. 2. The registered provider has stated that the books have been replaced. Staff have been reminded that there is an abundance of books in the store cupboard to replace the books that are in poor condition 4 September 2025 ##### [Tir na Nog Hartstown](/creche/tir-na-nog-hartstown-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1) The following care practice was observed not to meet the needs of children: (b) The interaction strategies used by a staff member were observed to be negative and demonstrated an unrealistic expectation of the stage of behaviour development of the children in the care room. This was not in line with the service policy on Behaviour Management. Children require positive, strengths-based interaction strategies modelled by staff to facilitate them to develop their own appropriate age and stage- based behaviour strategies - (1) (b) A training and mentoring programme was implemented by management in agreement with the staff member. This is ongoing with monitoring of progress 2 September 2025 ##### [Links Childcare Foxrock](/creche/links-childcare-foxrock-foxrock.md), Foxrock · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (a) On the day of inspection, it was observed that while some play resources were available in the outdoor area, there was insufficient amounts to extend learning and development for the age range and number of children attending the Starfish room. (b) At 12:20, two children arrived at the service. On arrival, both children were guided to the Dolphin room, where the younger child was offered her dinner. This took place in a dark room with the blinds down as other children were sleeping but this child did not have sufficient light to see the food she was eating. When asked by the inspector if this was the normal routine, the manager requested the educator in the room to open one blind so that the child could see her food. Once this child had settled, the older child was moved to the Seahorse room for dinner at 12:30. These transitions do not support the social and basic needs of the children and were not effectively managed on the day of inspection - The creche has recently received additional play resources intended for the garden area. At the time of inspection, these items were stored in the storeroom as the management team was awaiting the delivery of a suitable outdoor storage box. This storage solution has since been received, and the resources have now been made available in the garden area for children’s use. In addition, staff have been encouraged to extend the indoor curriculum to the outdoor environment by incorporating toys and equipment into outdoor play, thereby promoting greater use of the garden space and supporting holistic learning through outdoor experiences - If a child arrives late to the Dolphin Room after dinner time and when other children are sleeping, they will be provided their dinner in either the Seahorse Room or the Starfish Room. The management team has discussed the routine for children arriving late with all staff in the Dolphin Room 24 July 2025 ##### [Safari Childcare](/creche/safari-childcare-dublin-7.md), Dublin 7 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. A child who had woken from sleep at 12.20pm remained in a darkened cot room till 1.25pm despite demonstrating their wakefulness and a staff member being present in the adjoining care room who could have provided supervision and an activity while the child’s peers continued to sleep. When the inspector entered the cot room at 12.50pm the child was observed fully awake sitting upright and interacting with the staff member present. At 12.55pm the child clearly indicated they were no longer sleepy and sought to be out of the cot through verbal cues and movement. It is acknowledged the staff member lifted the child and placed them on their lap. Service policy refers to the use of rooms as a dual-purpose space accommodating both sleeping children and children who are awake and playing. It also references the availability of quiet activities in another section of the room for children who are not sleeping or resting. This practice was not observed on the day. 2. Chairs were not available on the morning of the inspection to children in the Wobbler room outside of mealtimes. The chairs were stacked away from the tables. A child who asked for a chair was not provided with one and was instead told by staff they are not eating now. Children should have access to chairs throughout the day to support their engagement in tabletop activities and encourage the practice of gross motor skills such as sitting and standing independently - 1. A meeting was held with staff to discuss responding to individual child’s needs and service sleep/rest policy. The service will ensure quiet play materials are always available and easy to access in sleep spaces if a child wakes early. All educators have completed a refresher session on service sleep/rest policy. Room leaders will support staff during rest periods to make sure children who are awake are engaged in line with their needs. Management will check in monthly to monitor how rest periods are managed and make sure this doesn’t happen again. 2. Chairs were unstacked and made available immediately after the inspection. Staff have been reminded of the importance of allowing children access to furniture and resources that support independent learning and development. Management will monitor the arrangement during routine observations to ensure ongoing compliance 22 July 2025 ##### [Little Tots Creche & Montessori](/creche/little-tots-creche-montessori-dublin-12.md), Dublin 12 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - - A suitable rest area was not in place in the care rooms during the inspection to provide comfort for children to rest or take a break from activities if required - The registered providers submitted the following response: Corrective and Preventive Action A suitable rest area was not evident on the day of inspection. A suitable rest area is provided now at all times for children to rest or take a break at any time throughout their day. Signs are in place at the rest areas to always have them be made available 10 July 2025 ##### [Magic Little Kids Limited](/creche/magic-little-kids-limited-dublin-5.md), Dublin 5 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The storage of equipment did not support independent play in the Tweenie Room. The storage boxes were not labelled and were opaque, therefore children could not easily observe what is in each box to promote independent play - 1. The registered provider has stated they replaced the storage boxes with see through plastic boxes with new labels to show the children what is in each box 4 July 2025 ##### [Little Rugrats](/creche/little-rugrats-skerries.md), Skerries · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. There were no water bottles accessible to the children in the care rooms for children to access independently. Physical and material environment: 2. There was a lack of natural and sensory materials in the Toddler room in order to facilitate sensorial play experiences. For example, sensory type materials such as sand, rice or pasta trays were not available to the children in this room. This did not provide opportunities for children to engage in play experiences that enhanced their sensorial development, stimulating senses in active play experiences; combining the senses of touch, vision, hearing, taste and smell. 3. In the Montessori room, a shelving unit was observed to be turned away from the children and stored against the wall, which prevented the children from accessing the play resources contained within, which included Montessori materials. This practice restricts children’s freely chosen play through reducing their access to play materials and resources. It is acknowledged that a staff member turned the shelf around at 12.15pm when children asked to use the materials. A non-compliance identified under regulation 19 under point 1 was identified at the last inspection on the 13 July 2022. The corrective actions submitted following that inspection failed to prevent recurrence of this non- compliance - Corrective Action Basic needs: 1. While staff always give children a drink when they ask and at meal/snack times, staff have now set into the schedule that jugs of fresh water are placed in each room during the day with cups so that it is available. Physical and material environment: 2. More sensory toys and natural materials have been introduced into the toddler room. A sensory play schedule has been implemented in this room to prompt and assist in more sensory play. 3. The staff acknowledge this has been a practice over the years to turn the shelves to protect the Montessori equipment. The registered providers accept this is not necessary now and children should not be restricted from using these items. During the staff meeting after the inspection this was agreed between all staff members that shelves will remain outward facing going forward. Preventive Action Basic needs: 1. Access to jugs of fresh water and cups for children has now been integrated into the daily routine. Physical and material environment: 2. The registered providers have committed to making sure that the sensory materials in this room are monitored to ensure they are available to the toddlers at all times and replaced regularly especially food based sensory items. The manager will ensure this is assessed during weekly room inspections. 3. It will not be normal practice to turn shelves going forward so will not long arise as an issue 3 July 2025 ##### [Bloomfield Childcare](/creche/bloomfield-childcare-dublin-4.md), Dublin 4 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. In the welly boot room, the transition from lunch to sleep time was observed to be unsettled. Children were asked to remain partly lying down on a soft cubed seating area from 12:10-12.17, while waiting to go to the sleeping area, children’s feet remained on the floor as the space available was not sufficient to allow all children lie down fully. A child’s comfort toy was withheld until he lay down in a way directed by staff. Children attempted to leave the area but were asked to lie back down. 2. Although it was recognised that the service had ample toys and equipment in the shed in the outdoor area to provide a range of play experiences, many of the materials were inaccessible to children. Children were observed to ask for equipment from the shed but were refused. Equipment available in the garden on the day of inspection included 5 hula hoops, 3 toy shopping trolleys and 3 plastic funnels. 18 children were present in the outdoor area. Children were observed to argue over the 3 toy shopping trolleys available during outdoor play - The registered provider has stated: 1. Transitions have been addressed with the staff , staff have been made aware that children can choose activities at a time that suits them, also, children will be supported with transitions. Ongoing training will be scheduled for all staff to support their understanding of how transitions should be managed. 2. A monthly review of the outdoor equipment will take place; the outdoors will be included in the class schedules 1 July 2025 ##### [Safari Childcare](/creche/safari-childcare-dublin-8.md), Dublin 8 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The registered provider did not ensure that each child’s learning, development and wellbeing was being facilitated within the outdoor area on the day of inspection through the lack of materials and equipment for the age range of children attending, this is at variance from the service policy on outdoor play. The following was observed: • There were no alternative play opportunities for children wishing to engage in quieter activities. Two children who did not want to participate in gross motor play were observed to sit quietly on a picnic bench without activities. Later three boys were observed to sit on the windowsills during a group activity. This limits children choice in play and learning. • Fourteen children observed in the outdoor area had access to 5 scooters, one of which the foot pedal was broken, 2 deflated balls and two goal posts. It is acknowledged that staff attempted to engage the children in group play but there was a lack of choice or materials for all the children using the area - (a) The registered provider has stated that a section of the garden wall has been converted into a chalk board for children to use. A new mud kitchen has been added to the garden toys. An activity trolly has also been added to the garden toys, comprising of story books, sensory toys, colouring pencils, colouring pages and table games for quieter activities. New outdoor toys have been acquired to enrich children’s learning, development and wellbeing and bikes that were stored away are made available for play. The broken scooter has been replaced and the balls inflated. The registered provider has said that they will inspect the outdoor area more regularly and replace broken toys when needed 30 June 2025 ##### [Charlies Childcare (Donabate)](/creche/charlies-childcare-donabate-donabate.md), Donabate · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. Children’s water was not readily available to them in either the Baby room or the Pre-school room 2. In the Baby room the water was stored in a drawer which the children could not easily access and in the Preschool room 2 the children’s water was stored in a cupboard with the door closed. This prevented the children in the Baby room from indicating that they wanted their water and the older children from retrieving their water bottles easily when they were thirsty - Corrective Action Basic needs: 1. Beakers /Cups are now readily available and accessible in both rooms. Preventive Action 1. Management have reminded staff of the importance of easy access to drinking water throughout the day 30 June 2025 ##### [Popcorn Childcare](/creche/popcorn-childcare-skerries.md), Skerries · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. The sleep needs of three children in the Montessori room were not met. At 3.05pm, the inspector observed three children in the Montessori room at the table with their heads on the table and sleeping. Staff confirmed they had been asleep since 2.50pm when relaxation time in the room began. On discussion with staff, they explained parents had asked for the children to not sleep. However, children’s needs must be met. The service did not engage with the parents to discuss ways in which they could meet their parental requests but also the needs of the children who evidently still required rest. 2. When a child was moved at sleep time from the Toddler room to the Baby room, staff were not aware of the individual needs of this child who required assistance with using the toilet and did not accompany them to the toilet and as a result of going to the toilet alone, the child required a full change of clothing. 3. In the Baby room at dinner time, additional food was not made available or routinely offered to children that showed signs of hunger or interest in eating more food. Physical and material environment: 4. Cause and effect toys in the Baby and Toddler room were not operating and therefore removing the learning and developmental functionality of the toy - 1. In response to the non-compliances the registered provider has stated that the following actions have been taken. • Sleep and rest policy in the Montessori room reviewed and updated. • Suitable mats are now available at all times to respond to our children’s sleep requirements. • All staff have been reminded of the importance of providing appropriate rest facilities for children at all times throughout the day. • Staff will ensure that parents wishes are considered while also prioritising the development and well- being needs of the children. • Staff have received refresher training in responsive care and the importance of rest to the children’s holistic development. These were conducted verbally. 2. In response the registered provider has stated that a new handover procedure has been introduced for all children transitioning between rooms. These were conducted verbally. This includes a verbal update of the child’s needs. This revised process will ensure that the non-compliance is not repeated. 3. To address the non-compliance the registered provider has stated that the Food and nutrition policy has been revised to ensure that additional portions are always available to children who show signs of hunger or intent in eating. Snacks will always be available should a child show signs of additional food needs. 4. In response all toys, learning resources and materials in the Baby and Toddler rooms have been checked to ensure they are in good working order 24 June 2025 ##### [Giraffe Childcare Milltown](/creche/giraffe-childcare-milltown-dublin-6.md), Dublin 6 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Some care practices observed on the day of inspections were not suitable as follows: • The designated sleep time in place in the service did not provide any flexibility to accommodate the individual sleep needs of some children attending the Toddler Serengeti room. At 12.02pm children began getting ready for bed. At 12.07pm the lights were turned off and the room was made conducive with sleep. Children began jumping on beds and running around the room. At 12.17pm one child was asleep whilst the other nine were awake. The children were playing with toys shouting and jumping on beds. This behaviour continued with minimal intervention from staff. This behaviour continued for a further hour at times children were observed climbing on the sleeping child. By 1.21pm three children remained awake. • In the Baby Botswana room, at 12.10pm a baby was observed making hand gestures which staff had advised meant the child was looking for a bottle. At 1:00pm the child was given a bottle. The individual care needs of this child were not met - • The provider acknowledges the anomalies in practices during this period of sleep time observed by the inspector on the day of inspection. The staff team has been provided with further training in assessing and understanding each child’s requirement of need for rest and sleep, including how important it is to meet all children’s individual needs for rest and sleep along with providing a needs lead approach to support children who wish not to rest at prescribed times, along with how to identify rest patterns for all children present in their group. As part of the training staff explored how play opportunities and activities should be presented to the children at correct intervals within the rest periods of their routines. The staff have been guided on how and when is the right time to intervene to ensure rest and sleep is a smooth transitional phase for the children. Ongoing training and supports will be provided to all staff throughout the setting to ensure rest and sleep provisions are correct, also that the children’s individual sleep needs are accommodated in line with company policies and practices. The management team will carry out observational sleep checks on all rooms and provide further training as required. • The staff team have received additional training and guidance regarding recognising children’s cues, and gestures. Along with understanding the importance of responding and meeting the needs of the child in the first instance. We acknowledge this non-identity of a child’s cues went unnoticed by the team members. Therefore, we provided additional supports for the team by budding/teaming up with more experienced members of the group who will lead by good example and role model to support their growth and confidence in understanding the care practices needed and required within the early years sector. To provide ongoing training with the staff team, with opportunities to learn methods that include non-verbal communication in children. The team will be encouraged to observe and write down notes on gestures identified in practices or one to one care times used by the children and invite parents to share their knowledge and awareness they have regarding their child’s expression of communication 23 June 2025 ##### [Cherryorchard Community Childcare Service Ltd](/creche/cherryorchard-community-childcare-service-ltd-dublin-10.md), Dublin 10 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Although bibs were used during dinner time, two children were observed to be put to sleep with soiled and wet clothes. Staff did not remove or change these prior to sleep. 2. Throughout the morning of the inspection in the baby room 4 children were observed to have a soother in their mouth from 10.54am until after sleep. They did not appear distressed and when asked staff stated there was no reason for them to have them at all times. Prolonged use of soothers may inhibit language and oral motor development and prevent children from interacting with their peers. 3. There was no adult chair present in the room for adults to provide one to one care to children when bottle feeding. The children in the room were aged 1 year with some requiring bottle feeding at times throughout the day - 1. We met with the staff in the baby room and went through the Tusla non-compliances. We updated the Food health, safety and nutrition policy. We had a staff meeting on Friday the 15th of August and went through all of the non-compliances and policy updates with the full staff team. We had a team meeting on the 15th of August 2025 and went through the Tusla report and the food health, safety & nutrition policy and all staff signed off on the policy. 2. We met with the staff in the baby room and went through the Tusla non-compliances. We also spoke with parents of the baby room about the use of soothers. We shared some information with them about soother use and weaning children away from soothers. 3. The baby room environment was redesigned for the new school year on the 15th of August 2025. There is now designated feeding areas along with adult chairs and a separate cosy area 19 June 2025 ##### [Little Apples Ltd](/creche/little-apples-ltd-swords.md), Swords · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The registered provider did not ensure that all children were afforded with sufficient privacy whilst attending the service. The inspector observed a sample of nappy changes. At each of the nappy changes observed one child was waiting whilst their peer had their nappy changed. During one of these changes a child made a comment about their peer’s nappy being changed. This did not afford the child having their nappy changed appropriate privacy and dignity whilst the process occurred - 1. The registered provider stated that they had updated the nappy policy which clearly states that all children get changed one at a time, this is clearly displayed on the Nappy Changing wall and has been shared and signed by all staff members. As a preventive action the registered provider has stated that this is included in induction and regularly at staff meetings 19 June 2025 ##### [Saint Ultans Childcare Project](/creche/saint-ultans-childcare-project-dublin-10.md), Dublin 10 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - In the Palm room the transition from lunch to sleep time was observed to be unsettled and disorganised. 1. At approximately 12:33 two children were placed into their cots to rest by staff. The children were left unattended to self-settle. During this time, both children were observed jumping in their cots. Although staff entered the cot room briefly, they did not remain present with the children during the settling period. 2. Another child displaying signs of tiredness, at 12:30 did not have his needs met in a timely manner, as he was not offered an opportunity to sleep. Upon discussion, staff indicated they intended to wait until two other children had settled before placing him to rest. The child was eventually placed at 13:14 to sleep following prompting by the inspector - 1. The registered provider has stated an additional member of staff has been scheduled to support staff in the palm room during transitions. The staff member will also stay with the children in the cot room to help them settle to sleep. A staff meeting was held where all staff had the opportunity to discuss transitions. 2. The registered provider has stated that through discussion with staff, a plan has been developed to ensure all children’s needs are met, the additional staff member scheduled to support the room will ensure this plan is effective 17 June 2025 ##### [Charlies Childcare (Seamount)](/creche/charlies-childcare-seamount-malahide.md), Malahide · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. There were limited interest areas in the Wobbler/Toddler Room to enable children to freely choose activities to support child led play. 2. There were no supporting play materials available for the playhouse or the play kitchen in the outdoor area to enable the children to extend their play. 3. There was no adult sized chair in the Wobbler/Toddler Room for staff to sit with the children at mealtimes or during activities - Corrective Action Physical and material environment: 1. Additional toys have been purchased. 2. Kitchen equipment was purchased for the outdoor area. Outdoor toys such as dolls, sensory mats and a cot have been introduced into the playhouse. 3. Adult sized chairs were in the sleep room and office on the day of inspection. Adults sized chairs are now in the Wobbler/Toddler room. Preventive Action Physical and material environment: 1.2. Managers and staff have been reminded to do weekly toy audits. 3. Staff reminded not to remove the chairs from the room 16 June 2025 ##### [Ballymun East Community Centre](/creche/ballymun-east-community-centre-dublin-9.md), Dublin 9 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. Although it is acknowledged the Jumping Jacks room was sectioned off into defined areas of interest, the role play area containing the shop, playhouse and kitchen had a limited supply of linked resources available directly adjacent to the play area. Limited props or not having them placed directly adjacent to play equipment can restrict a child’s ability to extend the play experience and engage at the level of play engagement required to facilitate learning - 1. The service has reviewed the environment and purchased additional props and equipment which is now accessible I the role play area. staff were reminded to ensure they let management know if toys are broken or need to be repaired or if children are showing different interests that they can be accommodated 11 June 2025 ##### [The Nest Charlestown](/creche/the-nest-charlestown-charlestown.md), Charlestown · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. It was observed in the Tweenie room that children were not encouraged or prompted to remove their soothers before and after sleeping and when appearing settled in the care room. Overuse of soothers can limit a child’s oral and speech development. Supporting Relationships: 2. In the Tweenie room, while it is acknowledged that staff reported they gave a verbal account of each child’s day to their parent on collection, the additional care provided to a child during the day was not recorded or documented by staff to ensure that a consistent approach to the child’s care needs was maintained. 3. The transition of four children from the Toddler room that didn’t sleep into the Tweenie room at 11.22am was not managed in a co-ordinated and smooth manner. For example. • The children from the Tweenie room who were still eating when the children arrived did not have the full attention and assistance from staff during this time. • The atmosphere in the care room during this time became busy and chaotic with the children from the Toddler room emptying boxes of toys and games. Physical and material environment: 4. The Tweenie room lacked well equipped age -appropriate defined areas of interest to enable the children to explore and develop their skills. For example. • Areas of interest such as play kitchens and home areas were poorly resourced with supporting equipment to enhance and assist with the development of the children’s play opportunities. • Cause and effect battery toys and books were not operational which was observed causing frustration and disappointment for the children while they played - 1. In response the service has stated that staff in Tweenie room re-read The Soothers Policy as a reminder to encourage children to limit or remove their soothers. A team meeting between Toddler staff and Tweenie staff has been planned to discuss the complications of overusing the soothers and how important it is to encourage children to use it for sleep time and as a comfort if needed only. 2. The Tweenie room main carer contacted parents and informed them about their child’s condition on the day of inspection. A planned team meeting with discuss with staff the importance of sharing information with the parents daily. 3. In response management now supervise the transitions between the rooms to make sure that they are smooth for all children. A team meeting is planned with all staff to help review the sleep time routine and encourage staff to collaborate with each other and make sure that the Tweenies are ready to accommodate Toddlers who do not sleep on the day. 4. To address all broken toys were removed and the designated corners in the room were reorganised to make the room for more interesting and inviting play. We put the new batteries in the toys. We purchased multiple toys and kitchen/shop playset, baby dolls and accessories to equip home corner. We bought a tuff tray and sensory toys to equip sensory corner. We also bought big cushions to make the cosy corner more welcoming. Management will continue to give more guidance and advice to staff in the Tweenie room on how to create nurturing and inviting to play environments by sharing the links and materials with the resources about the environment as a third teacher. The management carries out regular checks to make sure the Tweenie room always provides inviting and nurturing environment for children 10 June 2025 ##### [Child's Play](/creche/child-s-play-dublin-8.md), Dublin 8 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. In the arts and crafts room there were limited interest areas developed with accessible resources for the children to initiate or sustain child led play experiences. Due to the room layouts, there was minimal opportunity for child-initiated activities and opportunities for children to engage with a range of materials in the environment based on children’s choices, interests and preferences which resulted in the activities being predominantly adult led. 2. The books in the toddler room and arts and crafts room were placed on a bookshelf that was out of the children’s reach. This did not enable children to freely choose a book. 3. The family wall that was on display in the Toddler room was positioned at too high a level for the children to view. This does not enable the children to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness in the service and to maintain links with family and home. 4. The play kitchen in the outdoor play area was insufficiently resourced to facilitate meaningful play experiences as there was no supportive play materials provided alongside the kitchen for the children to use - Corrective Action Physical and material environment: 1. New furniture was purchased for the arts and crafts room which allows the toys to be fully accessible to children at all times. Interest areas were created in the room and sensory materials were made available. 2. Books were made available in the cosy corner in the toddler room and the arts and crafts room so that children could independently chose a book. 3. The family wall in the toddler room was moved and is now at a height where the toddlers can clearly see the photographs. 4. New play food was distributed to the outdoor kitchen areas. The play kitchen utensils were collated into a box and stored next to the play kitchens to encourage and support meaningful play. Preventive Action 1. Every quarter, a collaborative session will be arranged for educators to provide creative ideas and suggestions for any of the care rooms. Self-evaluation tools from the National Curriculum and Quality Frameworks will be used as a guide to prompt reflection on the learning environment in the room. 2. Staff were reminded that toys and books should be available at the children’s level to enable child-led play and learning. 3. Staff were reminded that nothing in the toddler room should be at a level where the children cannot interact with it. 4. The boxes for the play food and play utensils were labelled so that the children know where to tidy away the kitchen toys to prevent them from getting lost in the general garden 10 June 2025 ##### [Rathfarnham Daycare](/creche/rathfarnham-daycare-dublin-14.md), Dublin 14 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. A child aged over 1 who was observed by a staff member to wake from their sleep remained in a cot room visibly and audibly upset for ten minutes following their sleep. It is acknowledged that when a different staff member entered the cot room, they lifted the upset child. Children’s transition from sleep should be responded to in an appropriate and timely manner to reduce potential upset and frustration. Physical and material environment: 2. The layout and limited availability of supporting resources in themed areas reduced children’s opportunity to engage in extended play opportunities for children in Toddler room 3 in building 2. • Areas of imaginative play such as the kitchen area, toy washing machine and work bench did not have sufficient supporting resources available for children to engage in meaningful play. • Books were stored in a closed woven basket and were not laid out in an inviting manner to encourage use. 3. In Toddler rooms 3 and 4 in building 2 chairs were stacked and unavailable to children outside of mealtimes. Chairs should be accessible throughout the day to support children engaging comfortably in tabletop activities - 1. All staff have been retrained on service sleep policy. Any staff member covering the sleep rooms has been instructed that if a child is upset or not sleeping, the child must be attended to and lifted in a timely and appropriate manner. The management team will carry out regular spot checks in the sleep rooms and will discuss children's sleep routines during weekly team leader meetings. This will help ensure that all children are supported appropriately and in a timely manner. 2. Following the inspection, the management team and the team leader conducted a review of the toddler room 3. A new room layout was implemented, and additional toys were added to enhance the learning and play areas. The book storage was also reorganised to ensure that books are always accessible to the children. Management provides a toy inventory list to each room on a monthly basis. This allows the service to identify when new resources are needed and assess whether the room layout should be updated to reflect the children's evolving needs. 3. Immediately after the inspection the stacked chairs were unstacked and placed around the children’s tables. Staff were informed not to stack the chairs. The daily room risk assessment has been updated to ensure that all resources are accessible to children throughout the day 5 June 2025 ##### [Once upon a time](/creche/once-upon-a-time-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material Environment: 1. The layout and limited availability of supporting resources in themed areas reduced children’s opportunity to engage in extended play opportunities. This was evidenced by the following: • The play kitchen in Toddler 2 did not have supporting resources available in the area. In another section of the room a small number of kitchen resources were placed in trays on a shelf. • There were no supporting props adjacent to the kitchen in Wobbler 4. Kitchen resources were placed in another area of the room. • The toy washing machine in Toddler 2 did not have any supporting resources available to encourage use and play. Themed areas with grouped resources support engagement and play for children - 1. Areas were enhanced with storage units moved closer and the purchase of more materials and equipment. The areas were also rearranged to make the materials more accessible and inviting for the children. The staff have been retrained on the layouts of the classroom ensuring each interest area is clearly defined with the correct materials and equipment. A full review of all role play areas and toys throughout the setting has been completed to ensure each resource is adequately supported. The manager will ensure more materials will be purchased as needed. A monthly checklist has been introduced to monitor that all toys are accompanied by the necessary materials to support quality play experiences 4 June 2025 ##### [Really Cool Afterschool & Montessori School](/creche/really-cool-afterschool-montessori-school-balbriggan.md), Balbriggan · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. There was a lack of natural, sensory and open-ended materials in the Bunnies room or the Squirrels room in order to facilitate sensorial play experiences or encourage the children’s creativity and imagination. For example, sensory type materials such as sand, rice or pasta trays were not available to the children in these care rooms. Furthermore, there were no sensory opportunities provided in the outdoor area on the day of inspection. 2. There were no play resources available to support the children to use the play kitchen in the outdoor play area. 3. Family walls were either not available in the care rooms or where they were available for example in the Owls room were poorly resourced, this does not support the children in bridging the connection between the service and home. 4. There were limited resources in the Cosy area in the Squirrels room to provide a comfortable area for children to freely access throughout the day as required for children’s rest and relaxation. 5. The children in the Foxes room were observed eating dinner consisting of pasta from small plastic bowls and plastic spoons. The cutlery used at mealtimes were not suitable for the children’s ages and stage of development - Corrective Action Physical and material environment: 1. The Squirrels and Bunnies rooms have been provided with more sensory, natural and open-end play materials. They have set up pasta and rice trays, boxes with balls of yarn, fabrics, pinecones etc. They have also included wooden blocks, playdough, sensory bottles and construction toys (magnets) for the children to play with. The outdoor area has been fitted with a wood chip, water, dishes to allow imaginary play in the kitchen. they took out construction toys, cymbals, chalk boards, and a water basin to remind the staff the important value of sensory play and to use it regularly. 2. The outdoor kitchen has been provided with wood chips, water and kitchen utensils to support child use. 3. The family wall in the Squirrels and Bunnies rooms have been set up. The family walls in the Foxes and Owls rooms are currently poorly equipped as many of the children have left for the summer or have recently graduated. The walls will be updated with the beginning of the school year. 4. Mirrors, infinity mirror, bookshelves, pillows, blankets and mats have been placed in the Cosy area. 5. They have purchased more forks for the children. Preventive Action Physical and material environment: 1. Staff reminded of the importance of including materials that are natural, sensory and open-ended for the children to play with. They will perform regular checks. 2. Regular checks to be carried out ensuring the kitchen is well equipped at all times. 3. Regular checks will be performed, and the walls will be updated when needed. 4. Staff has been reminded of the importance that the children need adequate resources for rest and relaxation. They will be performing checks on the Cosy area. 5. Kitchen staff reminded to provide the children with age-appropriate cutlery during meals 27 May 2025 ##### [ButterFlies Creche & Montessori](/creche/butterflies-creche-montessori-lusk.md), Lusk · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. There was limited interest areas developed for the children to initiate or sustain child led play experiences in the Wobbler room, Toddler room, Busy Bees room 1. Due to the room layouts, there was minimal opportunity for child-initiated activities and opportunities for children to engage with a range of materials in the environment based on children’s choices, interests and preferences this resulted in the activities being predominantly adult led. 2. There was a lack of sensory or wooden materials available for the children to use, there was no sand, water or other materials provided for the children to enjoy hands on sensory play experiences in the Wobbler room, Toddler room or Busy Bees room 1 or in the outdoor area of the service. Therefore, this did not provide opportunities for children to engage with materials that stimulated children’s senses and or to enhance children’s learning and development experiences. 3. The play resources in the Toddler room were not easily accessible to the children which did not support child led play, for example the dress up materials were stored in a box which was difficult for the children to retrieve, and the children’s books were stored in a box on a shelf which were not easily accessible to the children - Corrective Action Physical and material environment: 1. The physical and material environments in the Wobbler Room, Toddler Room, and Busy Bees Room 1 have been thoroughly reviewed and restructured to support child-led learning and development. Dedicated interest areas have been developed in each room to encourage self-initiated play experiences based on children’s individual interests and emerging preferences. Staff have been trained and reminded to maintain child-accessibility standards daily and to rotate resources based on observation of children’s interests. 2. Open-ended, natural and sensory materials including wooden toys, sand and water trays, and textured sensory boards and boxes have been introduced across all three rooms and the outdoor area. 3. In the Toddler Room, all play resources, including dress-up clothes and books, are now stored at child- friendly heights and in open shelving units or shallow trays that allow for independent access. Staff have been trained and reminded to maintain child-accessibility standards daily and to rotate resources based on observation of children’s interests. Preventive Action 1.2.3. Ongoing audits will be conducted monthly to ensure that materials remain accessible, appropriate, and reflective of the children’s interests. All room leaders are now responsible for documenting interest areas and sensory provision in their weekly planning. Regular photographic evidence will be collected to monitor compliance 21 May 2025 ##### [Lámha Beag](/creche/lamha-beag-swords.md), Swords · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Following the previous inspection in May 2024 there was no evidence that sensory play was provided on a regular basis to support children’s learning and development. Whilst it is acknowledged that the children in the Baby room painted rocks in the morning, a staff member informed the inspector that painting was the only sensory activity offered to Babies. Water play could be provided to older children and the inspector was informed this was outdoors in buckets. The daily schedule available in the service did not demonstrate opportunities for sensory play were provided on a regular basis - 1. The registered provider stated that sensory play takes place on a daily basis. The registered provider submitted a picture of an indoor sand tray for the children to play with. The registered provider submitted an updated daily schedule to include sensory play and will continue to evolve sensory play 15 May 2025 ##### [First Steps Academy Creche & Montessori Limited](/creche/first-steps-academy-creche-montessori-limited-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The transitions in the service were observed to be disorganised and unplanned and did not support the children to move between activities. The following was observed: • In the Snuggle Bear room the transition to sleep was not appropriately managed and timely. The transition to sleep commenced at 11:48am. At 11:50am two children are placed into cots, and one was observed lying on a floor mat while the others continued to eat. The transition continued until 12:14pm when the room was finally dimmed and the children ready for sleep. • In the Boo Boo Bear room, the transition to mealtime and sleep times were not appropriately managed and timely. Children were observed to be placed one by one into highchairs for mealtime at 11:29, three children were served food at 11:40, the last child was served food at 11:45. During this time one staff member facilitated mealtime while another cleaned up and prepared cots. The transition to sleep commenced at 12:01pm with one child being placed into a cot within the brightly lit care room, at this time three children remained in highchairs nearby finishing their meals. At 12:12 two children were placed in cots within a brightly lit care room. Co-ordinated transitions foster children’s sense of familiarity, set expectation and prepares them for change. 2. On the day of inspection, the sleep needs of two children in the Boo Boo room, aged between 16-21 months were not met in a timely manner. The following was observed: • At 10:45 a child aged between 16-17 months was observed to place their head on the table and close their eyes. At 11:56 this child was observed to fall asleep whilst chewing food, in their highchair during mealtime. Staff were observed to note them sleeping but did not pick up on their cues for sleep in a timely manner. The is also a potential risk to aspiration whilst eating when not fully awake. • Between 11:48 and 12:12 a child was observed to show signs of tiredness by crying, rubbing their eyes and star vacantly and refuse food. During this time this child was placed into a highchair to eat lunch, which was refused, they were placed last to sleep. Staff did not pick up their signs of tiredness and need for rest. Staff should be aware of children’s sleep cues and ensure their sleep needs are met in a timely manner. This was a non-compliance noted in December 2024. The corrective and preventative actions submitted by the registered provider have been insufficient to prevent this non- compliance from reoccurring. 3. The schedule of activities planned for both the Boo Boo bear room and Snuggle Bear rooms were not appropriate for the age and development of the children within these care rooms, for example. • In the Boo Boo bear room children were aged between 16-21 months were observed to be given magnetic tiles and cars with finger pinch points and books to play or read from 10:35 to 11:25. During this time children were observed to be disengaged and despondent. Three children showed an interest in water play with books but were redirected back to tabletop reading. It is acknowledged that the children had access to a ball pit and low-level toys, however there was no guidance or development of play by staff. • In the Snuggle Bear Room children were aged between 20 to 31 months were observed to be given small buttons and sponges to play with. This is a choking hazard for this age group. 4. Children were not provided with props to extend their play experiences for example: props were not available in the kitchen area of the Outdoor environment; props allow children to develop the play experience and extends their learning. This was a non-compliance in December 2024.The corrective and preventative actions submitted by the registered provider have been insufficient to prevent this non-compliance from reoccurring. 5. Positive mealtime experiences were not observed on the day of inspection, for example; • Children who were developmentally able to navigate low level chairs were placed in highchairs for mealtimes. Children were observed show a preference for low level chairs by gesturing and rocking them prior to being placed in highchairs. • During mealtime highchairs were positioned in a semi-circle with children facing away from each other. Staff were not observed to sit with children during this time. There was no opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and little socialisation when eating. This is not in line with the service Health and Nutrition Policy which states that meal and snack times are treated as social occasions, where tables are set up for children. 6. Staff were not consistent in their approach to children during mealtimes for example staff did not adequately encourage children to eat the hot meal provided for example a child who refused the meal was given a brioche roll. Other children then refused their meals showing a preference for the brioche roll provided to the other child. A third child who was showing signs of hunger and wanting a brioche roll was repeatedly moved away from the children before being given the roll. Children should be encouraged to eat the meal provided before alternatives are offered and a consistent approach should be employed to ensure fairness - 1. The service has created a Transition SOP, staff were coached on leading smooth, predictable transitions with the daily room leader checklist which includes monitoring of transition practices. Monthly audits will be undertaken along with ongoing mentoring for new staff; transitions will be reviewed at staff meetings. 2. Staff have received a refresher training on recognising and responding to sleep cues, children’s tiredness are now discussed during handovers and logged. Children are immediately put to sleep as soon as the signs of tiredness are observed. All staff will complete sleep policy training every term. Spot checks on room routines will be carried out weekly. A sleep room checklist has been created and implemented already. 3. All materials were reviewed and unsafe items removed. Weekly activity plans were updated with the support of an external support agency. Weekly plans are signed off weekly by the manager, room leaders to review materials and adjust them accordingly. Regular meetings with an external support agency to support developmental appropriateness of materials. 4. New props were added to the indoor and outdoor areas with storage being reorganised to make props more accessible for staff and children. Staff were reminded of the importance of enhancing play through open- ended resources. Weekly review of the rooms with a monthly budget allocated for replenishing and updating props. Ongoing training in play-based learning with an external support agency. 5. Children are now seated according to developmental stage in low chairs were possible, staff are to sit with children during meals to encourage conversation, room layout has been changed to support better mealtime interactions. Monthly observation of mealtimes by the manager. Policy reminders are discussed during team meetings. Daily mealtime set-up included in the room leader checklist. 6. Staff retrained to follow a consistent policy, children are encouraged to eat a hot meal before any alternative is offered. Nutritious balanced alternatives (not brioche or crackers) are now prepared in advance. Random mealtime spot checks by management and room leaders with food choices recorded daily and reviewed weekly 15 May 2025 ##### [The Little Childrens Centre](/creche/the-little-childrens-centre-dublin-24.md), Dublin 24 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. On the day of inspection at dinner time at 12:10 in the toddler room, two children expressed a desire for more food but there was no additional food available. 2. In the wobbler and toddler rooms there was no rest area available for children to take a break from activities or to rest - 1. The staff have been advised to use the phone in the care room to request extra helpings, and the cook has been advised to leave extra food in the care rooms in the event of children looking for second helpings. 2. A rest area has now been created in both the wobbler and toddler rooms 14 May 2025 ##### [The Children's Village](/creche/the-children-s-village-balbriggan.md), Balbriggan · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. There was no supportive equipment available at the play kitchens in the outdoor play areas at both sides of the service to enable the children to extend their play. 2. In Bright Spark 2 room a shelving unit was observed to be turned away from the children and stored against the wall after 12pm which prevented the children from accessing the play resources contained within, which included Montessori materials. This practice restricts children’s freely chosen play through reducing their access to play materials and resources. 3. There were no family wall photographs displayed in Bright Sparks 2 room or Treasure Island room. This prevented children from using family wall photographs as a means of maintaining links with and bridging the gap between the service and home - Physical and material environment: Corrective Action 1. They have placed an order for outdoor equipment. They have hired maintenance man to build a sensory wall alongside their outdoor kitchen area. This will be completed over the summer months. The gardener has ordered soil to re-plan the garden / soil areas for children to be able to engage in messy outdoor play. 2. They have addressed this matter with all staff. They have highlighted the importance of freedom of choice. they have been resourcing courses/ workshops for staff to complete over the super to refresh training skills, importance of play. staff completing the new training also provided by the local Childcare Committee. 3. They have arranged for parents to provide family pictures on their parent’s day. This will take place in the first week of July when families meet teacher and class. They fill out the necessary document and all about me form and provide pics for staff to have ready on the first week of term. Preventive Action 1. Management will regularly walk the outdoor area to assess what maintenance is required and place an order at the end of each term, they also have discussed with staff the children’s interests and needs and reached out to them for feedback on what they feel would be beneficial. They will do a survey each term going forward and have set a budget to spend. 2. The management team will do unscheduled classroom checks to observe the layout of rooms, equipment being used, spot checks of cleanliness and documentation. 3. All staff will have this set up on first week of term. Staff have been reminded of the importance and benefits. For families that can not print staff has asked them to email, and they will provide the printing service. They understand the importance of having it at child level and all staff have been instructed to have it displayed in a clear space for all children to see throughout the day. Management will also check this at the start of each year and watch to make sure it maintained 13 May 2025 ##### [The Nest Ranelagh](/creche/the-nest-ranelagh-dublin-6.md), Dublin 6 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. At dinner time, a child in the Toddler room was observed to ask the staff members for more food. Additional portions of dinner were not available to the child when requested. The inspector observed the staff members telling the child that there was no more food. Extra servings of food should be available to the children in the event that they are still hungry at mealtimes. 2. Resources in the Tweenie room were inaccessible to the children, limiting their choice and opportunities for play. Evidenced by the following: o A selection of books were stored on high level shelving and the windowsill in the care room. o A selection of soft, plush toys were stored in baskets, on top of a shelving unit. o Foam blocks used to develop gross motor skills were stacked on top of one another in the corner of the care room. 3. Children in the Tweenie room were observed to play in the big outdoor area on the morning of the inspection. During this time, the children did not have access to age and developmentally appropriate toys and equipment which were stored in the small garden to the rear of the premises - 1. The chef has been instructed to prepare extra food, so additional portions are available if needed. Additional dry food is also available in case any child remains hungry after receiving extra portions. 2. Resources are available with visual markers to clearly indicate where each toy box belongs on the shelves at the children’s level. Management will regularly monitor the rooms to ensure this practice is being followed. 3. Children in the Tweenie room will use the small garden during the day. If the Tweenie room wishes to use the large garden, appropriate equipment and materials will be relocated to support their play 9 May 2025 ##### [Rivervalley Early Learning Centre](/creche/rivervalley-early-learning-centre-swords.md), Swords · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The outdoor play area was poorly equipped for outdoor play therefore limited play activities were available to the children - 1. Purchase of equipment/materials to enhance fine and gross motor skills. Improvement of play area for greater enjoyment of activities. A regular budget will be provided for the upkeep and improvement of the area 7 May 2025 ##### [Bunny Hops Creche and Montessori LTD](/creche/bunny-hops-creche-and-montessori-ltd-dublin-5.md), Dublin 5 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Transitions in the ECCE 2 room were observed to be adult led and did not support children to move between activities in a child centred manner. For example: • Children were observed to sit at the table from 10:48am until 11:11am, when lunch was served. During this time children were observed to become restless and were not given an activity, frequently requested by the adult to remain seated. There was one adult caring for 12 children during this period. Well planned transitions provide children with a sense of comfort and reassurance. 2. There was a lack of consistency within the service promoting positive mealtimes. Mealtimes were observed to be functional in nature. In one care room, it was observed that one adult stood supervising the children’s mealtime, children were prevented from talking with each other during this period of time or engaging in peer-to-peer interactions. Mealtimes provide an opportunity for adults to demonstrate pro-socialisation skills, while also giving opportunities to explore self-regulation in an informal manner. 3. The registered provider did not ensure that the sleep needs of individual children in the Playgroup room were prioritised within the service. At 1:56 pm it was observed that children were sitting at the table staring vacantly, place their heads on the table with their eyes closed, children were observed to frequently yawn and rub their eyes, whilst staff prepared them for outdoor play. When queried about sleep times staff stated that children are woken from sleep for snack time then outdoors to play, which follows the service daily planner. A flexible child led sleep schedule is necessary to ensure each child’s need for rest is prioritised in order to maintain wellbeing. 4. The registered provider did not ensure that individualised sleep care plans were completed in conjunction with parents for each child, outlining the developmental rationale for a shortening of sleep times. This potentially prevents children becoming regulated in their sleep patterns. 5. A child in the Playgroup room was not supported in their toilet training journey, for example: • At 10:45 a child was observed asking to go to the toilet during scheduled free play time, with staff stating she had a nappy on, staff did not act upon this child’s request to use the toilet or change her nappy. The daily routine shows that nappy changing occurs between 09:00/09:30am and 12/12:30 pm. This child’s bulky nappy was observed to be changed at 12:23pm. It is acknowledged that the service has had conversation with this child’s parents around toilet training however the plan was vague. Children should be supported when showing awareness, an interest and being developmentally ready to establish positive toileting habits - 1. The registered provider has stated that mealtimes are done in a child centred manner and children will continue to do activities until meals are served making transitions to mealtime more fluid. 2. The registered provider has stated that more training has been given with particular emphasis on the importance of social interaction during mealtimes. A one-to-one discussion was held with all staff to reiterate the importance of child led transitions to mealtimes and social interaction. 3. The registered provider has stated that some parents don’t want their children to have a nap during the day and the service has been given strict instructions about this. The registered provider has had discussions with the parents with reference to the value of a daytime nap, they have agreed to a one-hour nap for their child, with ongoing discussions being held. The schedule has been changed to allow for this. 4. The registered provider has stated that they will continue to have on-going discussion with parents in relation to their individual sleep plan. 5. The registered provider has stated that they have had a conversation with staff to resolve this issue and that children will be brought to the toilet when needed and have nappies changed when needed 1 May 2025 ##### [Corduff Childcare Service Ltd.](/creche/corduff-childcare-service-ltd-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The registered provider did not ensure that adequate sleep equipment in line with the ‘Guidance for the Early Learning and Care sector on sleep provision for children under 24 months’ was used for one child aged under two years on the day of inspection. The following was observed. • One child aged 16 months was observed to sleep on a floor mat which did not provide adequate support or comfort for a child this age. • There was no written individual sleep care plan composed in conjunction with the children’s parents, which outlined in detail the developmental rational for the age and stage of the child’s sleep needs, to include preferred sleep environment and sleep equipment - 1. The registered provider has stated that sleep plans are now completed for each child. Children under the age of 2 years will have a signed sleep plan with parental consent given 1 May 2025 ##### [Little Footsteps Creche and Montessori](/creche/little-footsteps-creche-and-montessori-swords.md), Swords · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. There was no designated area for rest and relaxation in the Toddler room or Montessori room for the children to freely access throughout the day as required for children’s rest and relaxation. 2. The books in the Toddler room were placed on bookshelves that were out of the children’s reach. This did not enable children to freely choose a book - Corrective action: 1. Cushions that were in the staff room have been put into rest areas in the Toddler room and Montessori room. 2. The books in the Toddler room have been distributed between the high shelf, which the staff use for story time, and a low window shelf for the children to choose as they wish. Summary Comment The inspector has reviewed the actions submitted. The non-compliances under Regulation 19 have been addressed 30 April 2025 ##### [Charlies Childcare](/creche/charlies-childcare-swords.md), Swords · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: 1. The sleep needs of one of the children attending Baby room 2 were not met in a timely manner. The child was observed showing signs of tiredness including irritability, crying and eye rubbing at 10:05 am and was eventually placed to sleep at 10:35am. Children must be facilitated to sleep when they exhibit signs of tiredness - Basic needs: Corrective Action: 1. Staff within the baby room have undergone refresher childcare training within the company from a member of the services’ training team, focusing on the areas of sleep and how to recognise signs of tiredness. Preventive Action: 1. The person in charge will be assigned to cover sleep room and care rooms and will assist staff with doing naps times where needed 24 April 2025 ##### [LYCS Early Years Education Service](/creche/lycs-early-years-education-service-dublin-1.md), Dublin 1 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. In the Toddler room children’s drinks were not supplied in developmentally appropriate drinkware. A child aged over 1.5 years were observed to self-pour their drink into a small play cup and prefer the toy cup over their bottle to drink from during a mealtime. Staff did not respond adequately to the child’s cues demonstrating a level of ability and want for age-appropriate drinkware. This was not in line with service policy that advises independence in children is encouraged and scaffolded as they are ready - 1. The management team spoke with staff and explained why each child must have their own age- appropriate bottle, beaker or cup. The team immediately put this system in place on a shelf with all items labelled and in full access to the children. Management also used the example mentioned in the report that picking up on the children’s cues is imperative to providing what the children need. Management will continue to monitor the use of the drink station that is in place in the toddler room, ensuring the team maintain an accessible area for the children and that the children are able to drink from their own bottle/beaker/cup freely 10 April 2025 ##### [Cocoon Childcare- Artane](/creche/cocoon-childcare-artane-dublin-5.md), Dublin 5 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The provision of additional hot food portions was not made available in the Baby room. One child indicated their hunger and requested more food having eaten their portion of hot food provided. Staff advised that there were no additional portions of food available. This child was observed to be become upset. This poses a risk to children not being adequately sated. It is acknowledged that additional hot food portions were available in other rooms sampled. 2. Water was not accessible and freely available to children who were mobile in the Baby room. Posing a risk to children self-regulating thirst cues. It is acknowledged that it is supplied regularly throughout the day on a scheduled basis or when the children indicate it - 1. Extra portions are always available from the kitchen, extra portions will be sent into the baby room at mealtime to eliminate staff having to request them. The centre manager will monitor additional portions at mealtimes. 2. Water is regularly offered throughout the day. The placement of a water station will be reviewed on an ongoing basis 9 April 2025 ##### [Mrs Giggles](/creche/mrs-giggles-dublin-22.md), Dublin 22 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Care practice was observed which may negatively impact the health and wellbeing of the children in attendance as follows: • At 11:17am a child attending the ECCE room had a soiled nappy and required changing. A staff member attempted on three occasions to change the child’s nappy, however the only nappy changing area available in the service was occupied by the Playgroup room. The child remained in the soiled nappy playing outdoors until 11:39am when the changing area became available and they were changed - A new nappy changing unit was ordered for the ECCE room, this will prevent children from the ECCE room waiting for the changing room to become available 8 April 2025 ##### [Safari Childcare](/creche/safari-childcare-dublin-2.md), Dublin 2 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. An alternative hot meal with equal nutritional value to that of the hot meal listed on the menu on the day of inspection was not available to the children. It is acknowledged that alternative food is available if required, but the options are not sufficient substitutes. This is at variance with the service’s healthy eating policy. 2. Children in the Unicorn room did not have access to chairs during the day except at mealtimes. The low-level chairs were stored outside of the care room, restricting the children’s access to sit down and take part in tabletop activities, if they so wished. 3. Practices that restricted opportunities for imaginative and spontaneous play experiences were observed as follows: o A child in the Jungle Crew room was observed to show interest in materials that were inaccessible to them due to the placement of a wooden shop. o Two play kitchens located in the outdoor play area did not have supporting play equipment - 1. A new menu has been introduced listing dinner and teatime meals as well as suitable vegetarian alternative meals of adequate nutritional value. Management have updated all staff on this through a staff meeting and will ensure suitable alternatives are always offered. Management will carry out regular checks to ensure all hot meals with equal nutritional value is offered in line with the service’s healthy eating policy. 2. Management will ensure a set of chairs is kept inside the room and is available to the children throughout the day to support their freedom of choice and encourage participation in a variety of activities in line with our child-led approach. Staff have been reminded of the importance of providing flexible seating options to support child choice and engagement. Management will monitor the arrangement during routine observations to ensure ongoing compliance. 3. Equipment has been repositioned to allow easier access to surrounding materials. A variety of supporting play equipment has been added to the outdoor play kitchens. Staff have been reminded to observe children’s interests closely and adjust the environment to support and encourage their natural curiosity and creativity. Regular checks will be conducted by management 27 March 2025 ##### [Giraffe Childcare Rathfarnham](/creche/giraffe-childcare-rathfarnham-dublin-16.md), Dublin 16 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material Environment: 1. The toy wooden work bench in the toddler Baringo room did not include a suitable variety of supporting resources to encourage children’s play. Themed resources help promote extended play opportunities and exploration for children. 2. Four of six battery operated toys were not working in the wobbler Namibia room. This prevented the toys from being used as intended by the children - 1. The toy wooden work bench in the toddler Baringo room has been replenished with a variety of equipment enabling children to explore and extend their play opportunities in this area within the room. Management and staff will ensure that all areas are fully equipped with suitable materials in each room and will make them available for children to play with providing opportunities for play and learning. 2. Following the inspection the batteries in the four of the toys were replaced. Management and staff will ensure that battery operated toys are checked and replaced when required within the Namibia room 13 March 2025 ##### [Hyde & Seek Childcare](/creche/hyde-seek-childcare-dublin-9.md), Dublin 9 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - The registered provider did not ensure the following: 1. A nappy change in one of the care rooms was not observed to happen in a timely manner. The staff in the room reported they were aware there was a dirty nappy and that they were waiting for cover to come to the room to commence changing. Nappy changing should be timely to meet the child’s need for comfort and to help prevent nappy rash occurring - 1. The child’s nappy was changed promptly when cover arrived to the room. The service report staff were reminded to call an alternative phone line if the manager is not available to provide cover and report the manager will ensure the phone is passed to the Deputy Manager if she is likely to be engaged elsewhere for an extended period. The service reports a training exercise was completed and this was signed by staff stating they understand the procedures to call for relief staff to cover for nappy changes 27 February 2025 ##### [RTE Childcare ( managed by Wee Care Day Nurseries)](/creche/rte-childcare-managed-by-wee-care-day-nurseries-dublin-4.md), Dublin 4 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Drinking water was not accessible to the children at all times in the care rooms on the day of inspection. Drinks of water were only observed to be offered to the children at mealtimes - The service submitted the following response: Corrective and Preventive Action Management had one to one meetings with all staff, and they are now continually and regularly offering water to all children outside mealtimes. The service have put child friendly signage on all water stations. Staff members are encouraging children to point at water signs if words are not available. A unit leader meeting was held, and management emphasized the importance of giving water to the children outside of mealtime and regularly throughout the day. Minutes of meeting were given to all staff. Regular room checks by management to make sure signs are visible to children and fluids given throughout the day will occur 24 February 2025 ##### [School St & Thomas Court Bawn FRC L](/creche/school-st-thomas-court-bawn-frc-l-dublin-8.md), Dublin 8 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material Environment 1. In the Wobbler room the condition of the books accessible to children were poor. Of five books present one book had missing pages and only the covers of two books were present - 1. Books in the wobbler room have been replenished. In the staff meetings held every 6 weeks, staff are asked if materials need to be replenished during each meeting. Each room has been appointed a “Room librarian” to ensure book stocks are not depleted 29 January 2025 ##### [Cocoon Childcare Santry](/creche/cocoon-childcare-santry-dublin-9.md), Dublin 9 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The registered provider did not ensure that the care practices around sleep for younger children were suitable for their individual needs, and practices varied from the service Policy on Sleep, for example. • Staff in Wobbler room 1 did not respond in a timely manner to children’s sleep cues; Between 11:03am and 11:53am two children were observed crying, rubbing their eyes and appeared tired. One child refused to eat dinner during this time. Staff acknowledged the children were tired however they did not respond appropriately, and the children were not put to bed until 11:59am. A delay in recognising and responding to children’s sleep cues can cause upset for young children. • A child who had been placed to sleep was awoken and brought to the care room to receive prescribed medication as it was not administered prior to the sleep routine having commenced. This did not adequately ensure the sleep needs of the child were met while also posing a risk of a potential medication error or missed dose. 2. Staff did not adequately manage transitions in the service, for example. • Children in Wobbler 1 were observed to sit at the tables in preparation for dinner at 11.22am. The meal arrived in the room at 11:29am and was not served to the children until 11:35am. During this time children were observed to show an interest in the food, getting off their chairs, pointing to the food and becoming vocal. Transitions should be managed appropriately to prevent long periods of waiting for children. • A child was observed to arrive in the service during the transition from dinnertime to sleep. Due to the busyness of the room at that time, the child did not have adequate support to settle into the service and was observed to become upset. Although the service followed its settling in policy the timing of the arrival during a busy period was no conductive to ensuring a relaxed transition into the care room - 1. The registered provider has ensured that management will provide support and monitor transition times daily. Communication boards have been commenced within the care room. 2. The registered provider has stated that a team meeting was held to re-educate staff on quality care practices to include transitions and daily care needs within the centre. The manager will continue to review settling in times for new families in a partnership approach. Communication boards have been commenced within the care room and a revision of policies undertaken 28 January 2025 ##### [Whitefriars Childcare Ltd](/creche/whitefriars-childcare-ltd-dublin-8-2.md), Dublin 8 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1) (b) The children did not have access to outdoor play on the day of the inspection. A review of documentation on outings to the outdoor play area for the Toddler room showed the children in that room had access to outdoor play on only three occasions in January, no occasions in December and five occasions in November. Appropriate care practice should include daily access to outdoor play. This was identified as a non-compliance on the previous inspection held on the 22 June 2022 and actions put in place failed to prevent a recurrence - The service ensure that all children have had more access to the outdoors by including it in our daily activities. The service commits to continue to ensure children have access to the outdoors each day 9 January 2025 ##### [Charlies Childcare](/creche/charlies-childcare-dublin-17.md), Dublin 17 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. There was a lack of emphasis on the importance of promoting a sense of belonging and connectedness in the Baby/Toddler room and the Toddler room. Materials to reflect the children’s important relationships were absent such as pictures or references to family and home life. 2. There was evidence the staff did not follow their own ‘Healthy Food’ policy. Evidenced by the following. o Five children in the preschool room were observed to drink cordial fruit juice in bottles brought into the service from home. o Three children aged over 2 years were observed to cordial drink juice from a baby bottle. HSE guidelines recommend replacing all bottles with a cup or beaker for children over one years of age. o One child’s snack box did not include any nutritious food items and there were two non-nutritious food items which contained a chocolate biscuit, and a waffle observed in the lunch box. This is at variance with the service’s ‘Healthy Food’ policy which states ‘that there will be no juice in the service’. In addition, the Nutrition Standards for Early Learning and Care Services recommend that sweets, chocolate, biscuits and cakes should not be part of a child's daily diet - Corrective Actions 1. Family walls have been implemented into all rooms, at the child’s level. 2. A notice was emailed to parents on January 10, as a reminder to send children with water only and not juice. A reminder of the Healthy Eating Policy with policy issued in paper copy to parents on Tuesday 14 January 2025. Included in the email sent on January 10, Parents were requested to assist staff in encouraging the children to transition from bottles to beakers/cups. Preventive Actions 1. The theme of identity and belonging was discussed in staff meeting and identity and belonging posters hung up in care rooms for reference. Identify and belonging training arranged for staff. 2. Staff meeting held on January 16 to discuss and clarify all staff’s understanding of policy and procedure regarding healthy eating and bottles. Parents issued with emails and paperback policies for future reference. Staff issued with copy of healthy eating policy 9 December 2024 ##### [Woodlands Creche](/creche/woodlands-creche-dublin-10.md), Dublin 10 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - In the pre-wobbler and toddler rooms, drinking water was not freely available to the children. Water was only brought from the kitchen at mealtimes - The registered provider submitted the following response: Corrective and Preventive Action During the staff meeting it was explained that water should be available at all times and not only for meals. Spot checks are conducted daily and access to water is available at all times 5 December 2024 ##### [Happyways Greenfields](/creche/happyways-greenfields-dublin-9.md), Dublin 9 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. There was no documentation available in the care room detailing important information on the care, supervision and strategies required for children who had additional care needs attending the service. This information should be readily available in order to provide and plan for children’s safe care and development. 2. The children were not observed to use the outdoor area on the day of inspection. This practice is at variance with the service’s outdoor play policy, which states outdoor time is an extension of indoor activities and part of the service’s daily curriculum - Corrective Action (1 ) This was an unfortunate oversight as previously this documentation was done in line with a quality support agency. Staff have now completed this documentation for the child who required it. (2 ) Management have implemented a visual timetable in the classroom to ensure adherence to the daily schedule, including outdoor play. Management have conducted a staff meeting to reinforce the importance of outdoor play. Preventive Action (1) This documentation will be completed prior to the child attending the service and updated with any changes throughout the year. This has now been added to the reopening plan and checklist so that management and staff have the information in place prior to a child starting in the service. (2) Management will conduct routine checks to ensure compliance, establish a feedback mechanism for reporting disruptions 4 December 2024 ##### [Buttons Community Playgroup](/creche/buttons-community-playgroup-dublin-7.md), Dublin 7 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. A rest area was not available in the care room to enable the children to take time away from the group as desired. Physical and Material Environment: 2. The care room was not laid out with areas of interest to encourage the children to explore and develop their own interests and abilities. Materials were stored in locked cupboards and shelving units were not accessible. As a result, activities and materials available to the children were structured and planned by the adults. This did not support the children’s independence and choice - Basic Needs and Physical and Material Environment: 1 and 2. To address the non complinace the service has stated that the room has been rearranged following the inspection with toys open and available for the children to take freely, a cosy corner is now available with a mat placed down for the children to sit on. A bookshelf is beside the mat. Contact has been made with a quality development agency to request support for the service 3 December 2024 ##### [Acorns Montessori](/creche/acorns-montessori-rush.md), Rush · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Some play materials and equipment including building blocks, jigsaws, shape sorters and interconnecting toys were stored in 6 zipped canvas boxes fitted into wooden cubby-style shelving units. Storing the play materials within the enclosed boxes which were snugly fitted into shelving units resulted in the contents not being easily visible and did not readily capture the children’s interest. Furthermore, the contents were not easily accessible to the children as the standard nylon zips were fitted with small pull tabs making them difficult for a child to open - The registered provider stated the following corrective actions and preventive actions have been undertaken: Corrective Action 1. Toys are taken out from the zipped boxes out every morning now and they are put back after end of class. Also the toys behind the curtain are always accessible. Preventive Action 1. Keep reviewing the play areas and access to toys. The service has a lot of materials for the children so it goes against the energy of the classroom to have them ALL out and accessible every day. Summary Comment The inspector reviewed the corrective action submitted by the registered provider after the inspection in relation to Regulation 19(1)(a). Assurances given by the registered provider have been accepted and this will be reviewed at the next inspection 3 December 2024 ##### [Chestnut Daycare](/creche/chestnut-daycare-dublin-12.md), Dublin 12 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - On the day of inspection, some practices were observed which do not positively promote children’s learning and development in addition to their health and wellbeing. • In the Montessori room, the rest area for the children was inadequate. There was only one small child size armchair available. One child on two occasions at 11:10am and 11:45am showed visible signs of a need to rest. These cues were not responded to. The staff member present stated during discussions with the inspector that cushions are available on a high shelf which can be taken down. A cosy, relaxing area was not readily available to the children during inspection to facilitate their need to rest - The registered provider submitted the following response: Corrective and Preventive Action On the afternoon of the inspection, the staff rearranged the classroom to make sure the cushions were accessible to all children. The service have added the rest area to the list of checks for the Montessori room and have had a chat to all the staff regarding rest areas in the room. It has also been added to the agenda for the next staff meeting 22 November 2024 ##### [Learn and Play Preschool and Afterschool CLG](/creche/learn-and-play-preschool-and-afterschool-clg-dublin-17.md), Dublin 17 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - There was evidence the staff did not follow their own ‘healthy food’ policy. Evidenced by the following. o Children were observed to drink juice and eat food items that would not be considered healthy for example chocolate spread. This is at variance with the service’s ‘healthy food’ policy which states “Juices and fizzy drinks have a high sugar content and are not permitted in Learn and Play Afterschool”, and healthy eating is encouraged - Corrective Actions Staff were re-issued with the Healthy Eating Policy and asked to become familiar with it again. A letter was sent to all parents advising them of our healthy eating policy and asking them to adhere to it. Staff now check children’s lunch prior to children putting it in the fridge and any non-healthy items i.e. juice, chocolate spread sandwiches, unhealthy bars are removed before the children take their lunch out of their bags. Water is left out for children to access throughout the morning. Preventive Actions Staff are more vigilant and are enforcing the healthy food policy. The policy is included in our Parent’s Pack given to parents/guardians before children commence in the service. Management will ensure that the policy is adhered to 12 November 2024 ##### [Baggot Tots](/creche/baggot-tots-dublin-7.md), Dublin 7 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material environment: 1. On inspection it was observed that some materials and equipment were inaccessible to the children. For example, the dress up clothes were hanging from the window which was too high for the children to reach. This limited the children’s opportunity to engage in imaginative play. 2. While it is acknowledged that the children had access to a sand tray in the classroom. The outdoor sand tray remained covered and inaccessible to the children throughout the session. This was observed to be a previous non-compliance on the last inspection held on the 16 September 2022 - Corrective Action 1. The dress up clothes rack only recently broke. The clothes are now at a level more suitable to the children. 2. The outdoor sand box is covered when not in use to prevent soiling by birds/cats. The lid is light and not fixed in position and it can be easily removed by the children themselves. Preventive Action 1. Staff discussed the best option to replace the clothes rack, as it gets a lot of use and previous dress up racks have broken. A more permanent rail attached to the wall maybe our best option which will be installed shortly. 2. Staff will remove the sand cover on entering the outdoor area. Summary Comment The corrective and preventive actions taken by the registered provider have addressed the non-compliances identified on inspection 11 November 2024 ##### [Little Fingers](/creche/little-fingers-dublin-24.md), Dublin 24 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1) (a) 1. The preschool room available to the children did not have adequate space for the 11 children who are registered to attend, see regulation 30 for further information. The size of the room impacted on children’s ability to move freely about the room. There were no designated interest areas and there no area where children could rest or take a break from activities. 2. The registered provider did not ensure the privacy and dignity of the children was considered, during a scheduled toilet time the door of the toilet was observed to be left open with children using the toilet while others washed their hands in close proximity. Children were also observed standing in the hallway outside the toilet door waiting to use the toilet - 1. The registered provider stated that she has changed the main care room from the room at the front of the house to the room at the back of the house. This will provide adequate space for the 11 children registered to attend. 2. The register provider stated that she will ensure that only one child uses the bathroom at any time, the door will be closed enough to ensure children’s privacy and dignity is considered 29 October 2024 ##### [The Kilns Creche & Montessori LTD](/creche/the-kilns-creche-montessori-ltd-portmarnock.md), Portmarnock · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: 1. The play kitchen in the Tweenie Room was insufficiently resourced to facilitate meaningful play as evidenced in the small amount of supportive play materials provided in the room, consisting mainly of plastic food, which were stored separately from the kitchen. There was a lack of real-life everyday objects such as food packaging to support the children to engage in role play. 2. There was a lack of natural and sensory materials in the Tweenie and Toddler room in order to facilitate sensorial play experiences or encourage the children’s creativity and imagination. For example, sensory type materials such as sand, water, rice or pasta trays were not available to the children to enjoy sensory experiences. 3. Family photographs were not displayed in the Tweenie room and the Toddler room. The lack of family photographs prevented children from using photographs as a means of maintaining links with and bridging the gap between the service and home - Corrective Action Physical and material environment: 1. The service has since purchased more kitchen items and staff are working on creating a home corner with more meaningful materials and relatable materials to this area. 2. The service has since bought and introduced more sensory toys to the Tweenie room and a treasure basket also with lots of different textures and sensory items. Staff are working on introducing mini tuff trays to the shelves with rice, pasta, sand. And a rota has been set up to encourage more water play and messy play activities. Staff have also been encouraged to use the large tuff tray to introduce more sensory options to the children. 3. Staff have updated all family trees and have moved the Tweenie family tree into the room so they can see and make reference to their family. Staff are also compiling Toddler Room family tree is also. Staff have begun on working on children’s picture books for their library within the class, this is where the parents are encouraged to share photos from home, and these can be available to each child. Staff will also be beginning to create class photo albums within the class. Management has discussed the importance of inclusion and connection between family and service. Preventive Action 1. Management have discussed with all staff to review of all toys on a more regular basis will and any items broken or need of more supplies this will be rectified in a more timely manner, and notified to a member of management. Staff will work with their better start mentor to help support the team and improve in this area. 2. Staff have been notified to make management aware of the need of more craft, sensory or ingredient materials or supplies in a timely manner so that sensory play can still continue. Management will monitor and mentor the staff to ensure they are creating a rich environment for discovery and play for the children. Staff will work with their better start mentor to help support the team and improve in this area. 3. Management will discuss the importance of inclusion and the benefits it has. Management will follow up with staff to ensure all family trees are updated when needed and display is clear and displayed at a low level so children can access and observe 23 October 2024 ##### [Mead Day Care Centre](/creche/mead-day-care-centre-dublin-13.md), Dublin 13 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. A cosy area for children was not available to the children in two of the three care rooms. Children need an area for rest and relaxation if required throughout the day - Corrective Action 1. A third cosy area has been created within the care rooms. This was created less than 24 hours of inspection. Ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the three cosy areas within the three care rooms and staff awareness. Preventive Action 1. Ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the three cosy areas within the three care rooms and staff awareness 21 October 2024 ##### [AVS Montessori t/a Daisy Montessori](/creche/avs-montessori-t-a-daisy-montessori-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Supporting relationships around children: 1. The care needs of a child from Room 2, were not being met. The inspectors observed the following. o A child displayed signs of being upset over the course of the morning. At 10.11am, when the room 2 children moved to room 1 for lunch break a child was observed crying. At 10,25 am when lunch was over the child was still upset when the staff member was cleaning up after lunch. It is acknowledged that during outdoor play, between 10.30and 10.50am the child was playing and not upset. However, on return to Room 2, the child continued to be upset and was not comforted until they were collected at 11.50am. 2. On collection of the upset child at 11.50am, no verbal update was provided to the authorised person of collection about the child’s morning and no mention was made of the child being upset during the morning session, this does not support relationships between the parent and the service. 3. During the lunch times of room 2 from 10.00am to 10.30pm and of Room 1 from 10.42am to 11.05am, interactions between the children and staff were limited and there were long silences while children ate. The atmosphere during mealtimes should be a pleasant social interaction among the children and adults. Physical Environment and Materials 4. Materials and equipment were not displayed and available to the children to enable them to explore and investigate their care room independently. For example, • In Room 1, o There was no supporting equipment for the play kitchen accessible to the children. o A suitable rest area was not available to enable a child to rest and take a break from activities throughout the day. • In Room 2, o There was no supporting equipment for the play kitchen, dolls house, two plastic playhouses, and fire station accessible to the children. o There were no construction toys accessible to children to play with. o The windowsill in the care room contained a mix of toys for example, two small houses, a fire station, two workbench construction toys, parts of a train track, a battery toy and three pumpkins not accessible to the children. o In the cosy area two cushions had no covers on them. It is acknowledged covers were put on the cushions after the morning session at 12.00pm. • In the Outdoor play area, o There was no supporting equipment for the outdoor mud kitchen and shop accessible to the children. o The basketball net was broken with no hoop attached - 1. The Service will work on better communication with parents. Meetings with parents take place to discuss different approach regarding their children and their setting time. Children coming back after being sick will need different approach, shorter time and more hugs will be given. 2. Parents will be informed by the door if child is not having a good day or is upset. Parents are always welcome to call and have a chat with staff. 3. During Snack time children will be listening to relaxing music or a story, to make snack time more social, relaxing music or a story will be playing in the background. Teacher will interact with children, sitting next to them have a conversation with them about their snack, friends, family. The teacher will encourage children to share some stories. 4. In room 1, o supporting equipment for the play kitchen and a suitable rest area was added to the room. In room 2, o supporting equipment was added for the play kitchen, dolls house, two plastic playhouses, and fire station, o construction toys were made accessible to the children. o The window still was cleared of toys. o The cosy area cushions will have covers present and will be made ready for the children. o The supporting equipment was made available for the outdoor mud kitchen The registered provider will make sure to have the environment ready for the children 16 October 2024 ##### [Seven Dwarfs Playgroup](/creche/seven-dwarfs-playgroup-dublin-7.md), Dublin 7 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - A suitable rest area was not adequately available to children in both rooms. During the inspection a child was noted to be sleepy, resting against a play kitchen, an adequate rest area was not available to this child to promote their comfort - Soft cushions and mats have been placed in each room to facilitate rest 14 October 2024 ##### [Tyrrelstown Little Stars @Gaelscoil](/creche/tyrrelstown-little-stars-gaelscoil-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1)(a) Programme of Activities: 1. During the inspection, the inspectors observed the children part take in adult led play activities with play equipment placed on tables for the children to part take in. Areas of interest and play equipment were not organised to promote independent choices of play for the children and for child led play. 2. During the outdoor play time, play and games were adult led through organising of running games, the outdoor play environment did not have play equipment to promote child led play, individual or group play choices and limited the free play and learning opportunities for children - (1)(a) Corrective and Preventive Action Programme of Activities: 1. Layout of the classroom was reorganised for children to be more interesting and always inviting to free play. Educators were informed to make sure layout of the room and areas are designated to promote all different aspects to child led play (invitation to play, role paly, provocation to play etc.). Educators make sure space is mindfully planned, that encourages discovery, engagement and exploration for children at all times. 2. Educators have been reminded to ensure they, take the ‘outdoor activity box’ every time they go out with children to play outside. Apart of physical activities like running and jumping, children have a choice to use resources from ‘outdoor activity box’ (balls, skipping ropes, hoopla-hoops, chalks etc.). Outdoor activity box has been set up for educators to bring outside at garden time 10 October 2024 ##### [Bo Peep's Montessori](/creche/bo-peep-s-montessori-dublin.md), Dublin · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. There was no sensorial play experiences for example sand or water play provided for the children in either the indoor play environment or the outdoor area of the service - Corrective Action 1. Lentils/Rice sensory table now offered as a substation for sand/water. Sand/water table was removed as it was causing great upset for the child receiving AIM, manager thought by removing it for a few weeks and slowly reintroducing it might work better. Preventive Action 1. Have options in place before removing fundamentals 8 October 2024 ##### [Belgrave Montessori School](/creche/belgrave-montessori-school-dublin-6-2.md), Dublin 6 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1)(b) During the course of the inspection the children did not access the outdoor area. A conversation with staff and management confirmed that children do not use the outdoor area regularly. This limits the children’s learning and play opportunities. Time in the outdoors provides for fundamental movements, exploration and experiences exclusive to the outdoor environment - Corrective Action The service has changed our timetable to allow for a more definitive outdoor play schedule. Preventive Action A meeting with all staff took place on the 11th of October to ensure they are all aware that the children must have outdoor play on a daily basis 26 September 2024 ##### [Little Acorns Montessori](/creche/little-acorns-montessori-dublin-3.md), Dublin 3 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1)(a) One child was observed to have their soother in their mouth from time of arrival at 9.25 am to 10am and another child had their soother in their mouth from time of arrival at 9.25 am to lunch time at 10.45 am. Soothers use limits the opportunity for language development and should only be used as a source of comfort if a child requires them - The Service is highly experienced and very aware of the importance of encouraging the policy of not bringing soothers to the class or where applicable the early removal of soothers in the class. On the day of inspection, the service was dealing with children who were going through challenges with sleeping through the night and the service were working in co-operation with the parent in regard to the use of soothers. The policy for soothers use is in the class and, staff have an awareness of this policy 18 September 2024 ##### [Eco Kidz Sportsco](/creche/eco-kidz-sportsco-dublin-4.md), Dublin 4 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1)(b) There was evidence to show that the staff did not attend to the children’s needs promptly and adequately during the inspection. The following was observed: 1. A child aged 2-3 years was observed to have a wet top after water play at 10.50am. There were no aprons offered during water play time and the child was observed to go home after 12pm with the wet top unchanged. Wet clothes can cause a child to feel discomfort. 2. During snack time at 10.15am a child aged 3-4 years who did not bring a snack from home was left waiting for an alternative snack. The child was observed to ask staff numerous times for their snack. It was only when the child asked the person in charge at 10.29am that the child was served a snack at 10.31am. 3. At going home time at 12.02pm a child was observed in a physical alternation with another child; the child became upset and while the staff comforted the child who was upset, they did not address the behaviour of the other child. The child continued to be physical with the other children, throwing balls at them. Children should be supported by giving them strategies that can help them to control their own behaviour and limit the impact on other children as per service policy. 4. There was evidence the staff did not follow their own ‘Healthy Food’ policy. A child was observed to drink a fizzy drink brought into the service from home. This is at variance with the service’s ‘Healthy Food’ policy which states ‘we do not allow fizzy drinks in the service’ - Corrective Action 1. The manager had a meeting with the team, and one of the topics was “wet clothes.” To reinforce that children, need to wear aprons when playing with water and change their clothes if they get wet. 2. The manager had a meeting with the team, and one of the topics was “lunchtime.” To reinforce that when a child does not bring food, we provide something to that child. In our kitchen, we have fruits, crackers, breadsticks, and rice cakes 3. Management created a behaviour management plan for the child and shared it with the family and since then we have been working on this plan. Management also had a meeting with the team to talk about children's behaviour and how it is important to observe and act on any negative changes in children’s behaviour. 4. Management sent an email to all parents to reinforce all kinds of food that children are not allowed to bring to school. Management also talked with all teachers about it, how to proceed in this case, by giving the child another option and send that food or drink back to home and talk to the parents. Preventive Action 1. Management will talk about the above topic during the first team meeting before the start of the new school year. Any new team members joining this year will have this as part of their initial training. 2. Management will talk about the above topic during the first team meeting before the start of the new school year. Any new team members joining this year will have this as part of their initial training. 3. Management will e xplain to the team how the behaviour management plan works before starting the new school year to make sure that they are aware of all the procedures that we follow in situations of alternating behaviour. 4. Management will send the Healthy Food policy to all parents before the school year starts and also an email to explain to them what kind of food they are not allowed to bring 16 September 2024 ##### [Linda's Creche & Montessori School](/creche/linda-s-creche-montessori-school-donabate.md), Donabate · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and material environment: • Opportunities for sensory play were not provided in either the Wobbler room or Toddler room or in the specific outdoor play areas used by the children attending these 2 care rooms - Corrective Action Physical and material environment: • Registered Provider has introduced new sensory materials to the Wobbler and Toddler room. This equipment is easily accessible to the children and can be used at any time of the day. Preventive Action • Each month manager will assess the room and check that there is ample and diverse equipment to enhance the Childs holistic development. Staff will discuss equipment for each room at their monthly staff meetings 15 August 2024 ##### [Juniors Playschool and Montessori](/creche/juniors-playschool-and-montessori-dublin-15.md), Dublin 15 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The children had morning snack at 11am, the registered provider and staff confirmed that dinner was not provided to the children until 2.30pm in the summer months and 3pm from September to June. As per the food and nutrition guidelines, mealtimes should be no longer than 3 hours apart. This was a previous non-compliance which was found on the last inspection 2021, the corrective and preventive action has not been sustained - 1. The service has adjusted the food timetable, a fruit break has been added at 9.30am, morning snack at 11.30 and dinner at 2.30pm. As Parents supply the food from home the parents now bring a separate fruit tub for each child’s 9.30am break. Summary Comment The non-compliance outlined above under Regulation 19 has been addressed 21 June 2024 ##### [Dundrum Montessori School](/creche/dundrum-montessori-school-dublin-14.md), Dublin 14 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Children were observed seated for a prolonged period of time in the Montessori 1 room from 11:30am to 12:29pm in an adult led circle time. During this time children were observed to become disinterested and move around in their chairs standing up and asking to use the bathroom. Staff members were observed repeatedly asking the children to sit down during this time. This may negatively impact on the wellbeing of a child. 2. A designated rest area was not available in the Montessori 4 room on the day of inspection for children to lie down, rest, or take time away from the group if desired. Although materials were available to make a rest area in the Montessori 1 room, these materials were not laid out in a designated rest area and were stored in a basket in the care room - 1. On 3/7/2024 the manager conducted a team meeting with M1. The feedback from the Tusla inspection was shared, reflected on and discussed. An article on child led environment was read and discussed as to how this should be implemented in the daily Montessori School routine. The duration of circle time was discussed, and how alternative activities should always be available to children which are age and stage appropriate. The service discussed how this should be implemented. Teachers were reminded to be alert and tuned into the children’s level of engagement and interest. Internal Audits to be carried out on a term basis on class daily routines by the management team to guarantee that routines have a balance between child led and adult led activities, to guarantee that teachers offer the children choices and/or offer alternative activities which are appropriate to the child’s age and stage of development at all times. 2. Rest areas will be in place when school recommences in September 2024. New materials have been purchased including rugs, cushions and nap/rest mats and blankets. Designated rest areas will now be permanent areas in each room. The practice of removing them will no longer be acceptable. Rest areas will be permanently laid out in a designated area in each room fully accessible to all children at all times 23 April 2024 ##### [Little Feat](/creche/little-feat-dublin-14.md), Dublin 14 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Some practices were observed which may negatively impact children’s learning and development, and did not promote the positive health and wellbeing of the children in attendance as follows; 1. The individual sleep needs of a child aged 1 year attending the Caterpillar room were not met on the first day of inspection. A child was observed at 14:25pm asleep in the care room on a staff members shoulder. Staff stated the child had not been offered a sleep that day despite the routine displayed in the care room stating they sleep at 14:00pm. Staff stated during discussions with the inspector that there was no cot available for the child at 14:00, and a cot was still not available. The child remained asleep until 14:50pm in the staff members arms. This is at variance with the safe sleep policy in place in the service. 2. Drinking water was not made available to the children at all times in the 4 care rooms on either day of inspection. Water and cups were taken into care rooms and offered to the children after mealtimes. This non-compliance was identified on the last inspection of the service. The corrective and preventive actions submitted by the registered provider did not prevent the re-occurrence of the non-compliance. 3. Privacy was not afforded to a number of children whilst using the toilet and having their nappy changed as follows; There was no door available on one of the toilet cubicles and the nappy changing unit was not self- contained. Groups of children were taken to the sanitary area at the same time during the inspection. Children having their nappies changed and children who did not require toileting assistance were in view of other children and staff who were washing hands or waiting their turn. 4. Some practices were observed in the Montessori room at mealtimes which were inappropriate and at variance with the healthy eating and behaviour management policies in place in the service as follows; - For a 40-minute period, staff told children who repeatedly expressed they disliked the dinner to remain seated and try it. No alternative food was offered to the children as required. - Fruit and yogurt were offered to some children after dinner. Children who did not eat the food after expressing they disliked it were not offered this. Staff members informed children if they did not eat the dinner they could not have the fruit or yoghurt. - A child expressed they did not want to participate in a numbers lesson prior to snack time. A staff member was observed taking the child’s snack plate from them as they would not participate, resulting in the child becoming upset and distressed prior to an inspector intervening. 5. A child was denied access to the toilet when they informed staff members they required it posing a risk of a toileting accident which could negatively impact the well-being of the child. At 12:18pm in the Montessori room, a child asked staff members if they could use the toilet. During this time the child was observed showing signs of discomfort. The child was informed they had to wait until after circle time, which finished 42minutes later at 1pm. 6. Children in the caterpillar room were provided with small bibs during snack and dinner time. One child’s clothing became heavily soiled with milk and food residue. The child was not changed during the inspection and was placed to sleep in the soiled clothing. 7. There was no opportunity for self-feeding for a child aged 1 year in the Caterpillar room. A staff member was observed holding the bowl and spoon away from the child spoon feeding during dinner. 8. In the small Caterpillar room, two of the chairs’ children sat on to eat were too big and not at an appropriate height for the table. This resulted in children’s knees being at table height and children finding it difficult to eat, having to lean down uncomfortably to the table to eat. 9. The water in the children’s bathroom was not warm to provide comfort to children and allow for effective handwashing. The water was recorded to be 12.7°Celsius during the inspection. The corrective and preventive actions submitted by the registered provider following the last inspection of the service 11th January 2023 did not prevent the re-occurrence of the non-compliances identified under point 2 - The registered provider submitted the following response: Corrective and Preventive Action 1. The service accept that a cot should have been made available by us. To this end, staff in caterpillar room have been asked to be more conscious of scheduling sleep times and ensuring all children can nap when required. Copy of safe sleep policy to be issued to all staff. Staff to be more conscious of scheduling naps and ensure child is put down prior to falling asleep in a staff member’s arms. 2. Labelled personal re-fillable water bottles have been requested and received for the two older groups. Cups are now available beside the sink for the butterfly and caterpillar rooms. The service will ensure each morning that clean cups are available and remind children that water is there should they need a drink outside of mealtimes. 3. One child to have their nappy changed at a time with one staff member when bathroom empty and no Montessori children using toilet. Montessori children may use bathroom two at a time when no nappies are being changed. When a staff member is changing a baby, they will place a “Busy” cone outside the bathroom door visible to the Montessori children. There will be two toilet flags placed in the Montessori room and each child may place their flag in relevant pocket when they need to use bathroom. This ensures only two children may go to bathroom at any one time. The service are allowing two children per visit which leaves the small “training toilet” free should a child training or who has had an accident need the bathroom. Montessori circle time has focused on how the new rules will apply and the importance of toilet hygiene. - children loved the idea of the “busy cone”. 4. Staff have been asked to limit the time children have their meal in front of them and the service have increased our weekly grocery shop to ensure that additional fruit/yogurt may be offered to those who do not like their meal. It was noted that a child’s snack was taken away from them, which was seen as a punishment. Staff have been spoken to in relation to this incident and re-issued with the service behavior policy. The healthy eating policy has been re-issued to all staff. 5. Staff spoken to in relation to a child’s request to use the bathroom and it was explained that irrelevant to the time of day, all children should be given permission to use the bathroom. 6. Staff in caterpillar room were spoken to in relation to mealtimes and ensuring all children have a suitable bib. However, if a child is soiled/wet after mealtime or throughout the day their clothes should be changed, placed in bag for parents and replenishment requested. 7. It was also discussed that children should be encouraged to eat by themselves. 8. At the time of inspection, the wrong chairs for the children to have at mealtime were in the front baby room. This has been amended and suitable height chairs are now stored in babyroom. 9. Thermostat in bathroom has been raised to ensure warm water available for handwashing. The service will purchase larger bibs to ensure less chance of children’s clothes getting soiled. The service will keep lower chairs out in baby room, stored safely at all times 22 April 2024 ##### [Ronanstown Community Childcare Centre](/creche/ronanstown-community-childcare-centre-dublin-22.md), Dublin 22 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. At 12:00, during dinnertime in the Wobbler room, a child was observed to throw another child’s dinner on to the floor before the child had sat down at the table. An additional serving of dinner was not offered to this child who was attending the service on a full-time basis. This non-compliance was present on the last inspection on 24 April 2023. The corrective and preventive actions as stated by the registered provider did not prevent recurrence of this non-compliance. 2. Contrary to the service policy on supporting children with additional needs there was no documented individual education and care plan to support staff to meet the needs of a child in the ECCE Preschool room. Staff confirmed that this child required additional supports and that there was no documentation regarding this child’s individual personal needs and preferences - 1. I spoke to staff about their responsibility to the children in their care. Any child who does not eat the food on our menu must still be offered what is on the menu every day, and if it gets knocked to the ground, they must be offered another one even if they think they will not eat it, they are still entitled to be offered the same as any other child. If they do not eat the food on the menu, we have a picky menu for the children to choose from. In toddler room we now have a sign on the press for extra food from the picky menu for children who might not eat from the menu. 2. A documented individual care plan has been written up for the child in our preschool room, it has been put on the wall in the room, so any staff member who enters the preschool room to look after the children they will know the child better and how to support them in their own learning and know what to do to support the child. All staff have been made aware of this and asked to be responsible, staff are asked to check if they are covering in another room for any care plan to know the needs of all the children they are caring for 6 March 2024 ##### [Bo-Peep Crèche & Montessori](/creche/bo-peep-creche-montessori-swords.md), Swords · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic needs: The children’s water bottles were not freely available to them to take a drink as they choose. The water bottles were stored in the children’s individual bags and were available to them at mealtimes only - Basic needs: Corrective Action A table has now been set up where the water bottles are placed each morning for the children to access when wanted. Preventive Action The water bottles have always been historically stored in children’s bags that are always accessible to the children throughout the day. Now the bottles will be displayed for the children to see. Summary Comment The evidence submitted by the registered provider in relation to regulation 19 - Health, welfare and development of child has been reviewed and accepted 28 February 2024 ##### [Daisy Days Childcare Ltd](/creche/daisy-days-childcare-ltd-dublin-3.md), Dublin 3 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Defined play areas were not present in the Wobbler room and a lack of materials and equipment was observed for example the play kitchen was placed in the corner of the room away from all other play items and had limited supporting equipment available and a large doll house was filled with large dolls and no small figures were provided in the room appropriate to the doll house. Children were observed to wander around the room and engage in minor altercations. A selection of toys and equipment which are readily available and grouped appropriately supports children to engage in spontaneous play experiences. 2. The transition from the care room to the dining room for dinner and back to the care room for naptime was observed to be unstructured for the children for example, the children were not provided with advance warning that a transition would occur, the care room door was opened and children were told to go out to get dinner, one staff member had just left the room so was not available to support the transition. The children’s beakers were not brought to the dining room and children were finished eating before being provided with a drink. A significant amount of movement was happening in the dining room as the children ate, put their plates on the tray and get their faces cleaned; two children were observed to have minor accidents during this time caused by the amount of movement happening. Children should be given advance warning of a transition to allow them to prepare and finish their activity along with clear direction to prevent accidents. 3. Battery operated toys in the Baby room and Wobbler room were observed to not be working. This limits play value and does not support children’s sense of cause and effect - 1. Staff and parents have worked collaboratively to create defined areas in the Wobbler room. Smaller baskets and low shelving have been used to display toys at the childrens level in an accessible way. 2. Staff have discussed the transitions. Children are notified of the transition to dinner and all children will be given their beakers with their meal. 3. Battery operated toys which are not working have been removed from the rooms and will be replaced with non-battery operated toys or toys made from natural materials 23 February 2024 ##### [Ballybodens Children Centre](/creche/ballybodens-children-centre-dublin-16.md), Dublin 16 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Physical and Material Environment A review of the available risk assessments and discussion with staff members confirmed that children have not accessed the outdoor area since September 2023. This reduced children’s development and wellbeing, opportunities for exploration of their environment and gross motor movements - Corrective Action Garden cleaned, and power hosed. Hazards removed and new play equipment purchased. Preventive Action Schedule regular cleaning of the outdoor area 26 January 2024 ##### [Castle Creche](/creche/castle-creche-dublin-3.md), Dublin 3 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. The programme of activities and availability of toys and materials in the Toddler room was not adequate to support children’s learning and development for example; o No toys or play materials were accessible to the children in the care room; boxes of toys were observed to be stored in a large cupboard inaccessible to the children. o The daily routine showed allocated times for adult led activities for example on the day of inspection the activities were; Circle time 9am-10am, Lego, cars, garage, and construction tools 2pm-3pm and 4pm-5pm home corner, babies and buggies. Children were observed wandering around the room between care practices and were not observed to access any toys until 1:50pm when a staff member took out some ride on cars and buggies. Discussion with the staff showed that toys are kept out of reach to support “room management” however this was observed to instigate minor altercations among the children. o The table and chairs in the room was not accessible to the children between meals as the table was pushed against the wall and the chairs stacked; access to tabletop activities is important for building core strength. This was also observed in the playschool room. The service policy details having defined interest areas an accessibility of toys and equipment to the children to support and encourage learning and development. The structure of the daily programme of activities prevented children from making choices and engaging in spontaneous play experiences which are required for development - 1. A new weekly/daily routine has been implemented in the Toddler room. The routine provides choice and more options for the children as to what they would like to do. New shelves were purchased so toys are accessible to the children throughout the day; a kitchen corner and builders’ section have been created. The table and chairs will be left available at all times. This was discussed with staff at the staff meeting. A review of the room will be conducted monthly 22 January 2024 ##### [Early years service TU2015DY305](/creche/tu2015dy305.md), Dublin 8 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - (1)(b) The following were observed not to be appropriate or suitable care practices: Supportive strategies such a reading the child’s cue, following the child’s interest, careful timing of activities, the provision of age-appropriate and alternative activities was not observed, limiting the child’s choice and movement through their care environment. This could potentially hamper the child’s independent decision-making skills. The following care practices were observed: o Children in the Toddler room ranging in age from 1 year and 11 months to 2 years and 10 months were seated at the table for two activities: pegs and peg boards and chalkboards. Children were required to remain seated for these activities for a 30-minute period, from 10.20am to 10.50pm, with staff observed to repeatedly remind children to sit down and do their work. Staff were observed to continually direct the play during the peg-board activity by repeatedly telling the children not to mess with the pegs, to keep the pegs on the peg boards, and not to drop pegs on the floor. The children did not have access to free play, which was not reflective of the daily routine which was displayed in the room. o Children in the Montessori were not provided with an alternative activity to circle time and were not supported in their social interaction with their peers. Staff were observed to tell children who were not interested in the circle time conversation and were engaged in their own conversation to be quiet. A child who was engaged in a meaningful conversation with their friend was physically lifted away from their friend and placed on another chair in order to limit the interaction. These care practices were not in line with the service policy on behaviour management and curriculum which stated there would be developmentally appropriate expectations, and that freedom of movement and choice is supported - Corrective Action Staff were updated on management of behaviours and free movement of children in the rooms. Different activity stations and free play introduced. Children activities to last no more than 10 mins in duration. Routines to be based on a daily observation. Staff updated on policies and procedures regarding Managing Behaviour. Preventive Action The service commits that training for staff will be carried out annually (for new staff on induction week) or more often if needed, on dealing with behaviour management and interacting with children. Manager/Assistant manager will carry out daily, weekly checks in the rooms to ensure staff are following companies Behaviour management policy, Interaction policy, implementing best practice 12 January 2024 ##### [St John of God Liffey Early Services](/creche/st-john-of-god-liffey-early-services-dublin-8.md), Dublin 8 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - On the day of the inspection children were observed to drink fruit squash from bottles which is not in line with the service policy on healthy eating - Corrective Action The registered provider has submitted the St John of God Liffey Early Services Healthy Eating Protocol which has been updated to reflect the needs of the children that the service supports. Preventive Action The registered provider has sent in the St John of God Liffey Early Services Risk assessment in relation to this topic 10 January 2024 ##### [Really Cool Afterschool & Montessori School Ltd](/creche/really-cool-afterschool-montessori-school-ltd-balbriggan.md), Balbriggan · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - 1. Care plans were not available in the service to support staff members in the care of children who required additional support - Corrective Action 1. AIM support worker was contacted and a meeting was arranged to set up goals and care plans for the children in question. The meeting is set for the 28th of February. The support worker said that she didn’t get a chance to provide manager with goals yet due to work overload. Care plans now in place for all the children receiving AIM. Preventive Action 1. When AIM is approved the manager should make sure that the goals and care plans are clear and in place and communicated to the staff members. Summary Comment The evidence submitted by the registered provider in relation to regulation 19 - Health, welfare and development of child has been reviewed and accepted 6 September 2023 ##### [Mercy Family Centre](/creche/mercy-family-centre-dublin-8.md), Dublin 8 · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child - Basic Needs: 1. Three children that attended both the morning and afternoon session were provided with the same main meal of potatoes, broccoli, chicken, and gravy during both sessions. An alternative meal or choice was not provided or available. This reduces the children’s enjoyment and interest in meals and could potentially increase a child’s reluctance to eat meals while in the service. 2. It was observed that some children were not given the opportunity to enjoy their food at scheduled mealtimes and spend time conversing with their peers. This reduced the children’s overall nutritional intake and their social interactions with their friends. For example. • At 3.09pm, while one child sat and ate their dinner, a staff member interrupted the child to change their nappy. On returning to the care room the child didn’t return to the table but instead sat in the rest area. When offered their leftover meal they declined. The care room routine outlined that nappy changes took place between 3.30-4pm and that children were given from 3-3.30pm to eat their dinner. Supporting Relationships: 3. The transition from outdoor play to dinner time in the Toddler 1 room was observed to be disorganised. Children were not given clear instructions and guidance by staff which resulted in the children becoming upset and distressed. This did not create a calm a relaxed environment for the children to eat their meal in and to ensure an adequate nutritional intake. For example. • Children took turns coming to the staff member to collect their lunch, one child spilled their food as they returned to the table, this was then cleaned by staff which delayed the process and children became upset due to the wait. • A child that had to wait for their lunch began eating another’s child’s meal which caused the other child to become upset and cry. • After dinner staff placed fruit on the table, however, three children that had left the table after their main meal didn’t see the fruit and therefore didn’t eat it. • It was observed that one child did not eat a main meal or fruit at lunch time which was not verbally communicated to their parents on collection - 1. In response to the non-compliance the service has stated that staff will observe children at mealtimes attending for second service to ensure they are enjoying their food and/if or when they see the child not enjoying meals, they will confer with kitchen staff to provide alternative options if needed or if this is the issue. We have added an alternative meal option to be available for children coming to two sessions in one day if required. 2. The service stated that a revision of training was provided to staff to review the importance of giving children the opportunity to enjoy and eat their meals as per our Health and Nutrition Policy. Supervision of staff and revision of staffs and practices around mealtimes and routines in each room to ensure children can enjoy the experience of food and mealtimes as guided under our Health and Nutrition Policy. 3. The registered provider has responded that training was provided to staff to review Health and Nutrition Policy. Encourage an organised and relaxing transition from outdoor play to dinner time and to ensure staff do communicate clearly with the children to create a good environment around mealtime and good direction to the children and clear communication with parents at collection time about the children and their meals. Supervision of daily practices under our Health and Nutrition Policy and room routines and transition from one activity into mealtimes ensuring this is routed into our curriculum with all staffs in each room and good practice around mealtimes and communication with parents ### Regulation 19 in other counties - [Carlow](/regulation/19/carlow.md) - [Cavan](/regulation/19/cavan.md) - [Clare](/regulation/19/clare.md) - [Cork](/regulation/19/cork.md) - [Donegal](/regulation/19/donegal.md) - [Galway](/regulation/19/galway.md) - [Kerry](/regulation/19/kerry.md) - [Kildare](/regulation/19/kildare.md) - [Kilkenny](/regulation/19/kilkenny.md) - [Laois](/regulation/19/laois.md) - [Limerick](/regulation/19/limerick.md) - [Longford](/regulation/19/longford.md) - [Louth](/regulation/19/louth.md) - [Mayo](/regulation/19/mayo.md) - [Meath](/regulation/19/meath.md) - [Monaghan](/regulation/19/monaghan.md) - [Offaly](/regulation/19/offaly.md) - [Sligo](/regulation/19/sligo.md) - [Tipperary](/regulation/19/tipperary.md) - [Waterford](/regulation/19/waterford.md) - [Wexford](/regulation/19/wexford.md) - [Wicklow](/regulation/19/wicklow.md) --- Página: https://creche-inspection-reports.pages.dev/regulation/19/dublin/ Fonte: Tusla Early Years Inspectorate Recolha: 2026-09-11