Regulation 19 in Laois
Health, Welfare and Development of Child: 4 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.
19 March 2026
Darling Buds Montessori & Daycare, Portlaoise · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- 1. The individual sleep needs for children under 2 years of age were not facilitated. Children who were notably tired and in need of a sleep were observed having to wait until a cot became free before being placed for a nap. There were 11 children in the Wobbler room aged 1-2 years occupying the five available cots in the sleep room located in the Wobbler room. It is acknowledged there were other cots available in the service however, staff did not use these. 2. The basic care needs of the children in the Wobbler room were not met as follows; • Two children were observed to return to the care room from outdoor play with wet clothing. Their bottoms and top were wet. Despite staff interacting with them throughout the inspection including changing their nappy, the clothes were never changed. • There were a number of children attending the Wobbler room with large amounts of mucus running from their noses. Despite interactions from staff which included a nappy change their noses were not wiped in a timely manner. On one occasion the inspector requested that the staff member clean a child’s nose. Mucus was first observed by the inspector at 10.46am, their noses or faces were not cleaned until after dinner at 12.10pm. • Children were put asleep with all their outer clothing on, they were not provided with a blanket when they were put into bed at 12.25pm. Children were heard laughing and shouting from the cot room. Staff went in and out intermittently and told the children to ‘lie down’. This resulted in only two children being asleep at 1.00pm. • The children in the Wobbler room were given unsuitable cups to drink from at dinnertime. The children who were all aged one year were given cups with no lids. This resulted in water being spilled over the tables and floors and their clothes becoming wet. There was no staff supervision observed when the children were drinking from the cups. 3. The environment did not support the pre-school children in initiating play activities. The Wobbler and Toddler room layout did not adequately meet the needs of the children present due to a lack of clearly defined interest areas and a lack of available play materials. Equipment such as toy dinosaurs, blocks and other play materials in were all stored together in the one container. It was observed that, due to room layout, the activities were mainly adult led, with minimal opportunity for child-initiated activity. A child in the Toddler room was observed to take a puzzle to play with, with no puzzle pieces. A second puzzle board also had no pieces. Staff acknowledged that the child could not play with the puzzle and searched in a toy box to locate the remaining pieces. In ECCE 1, the dress-up costumes available were not hung on the dress up rail and were thrown randomly in a pile which reduced the opportunity for children to see what was available and select a costume of their choosing. 4. The physical environment in the Wobbler room was not purposefully structured to develop young children’s curiosity and desire for exploration. Play opportunities were not easily accessible as play equipment was stored in baskets out of the reach of children. 5. Children in the Toddler room were observed to drink diluted black currant drink with their hot meal. No milk or water was available or offered to the children. Sugary drinks are not recommended for children aged between 2-3 years
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. Children who present tired will be offered a sleep during the day. If cots are occupied in the Wobbler room, cots in the baby room will be used. Staff have been spoken to regarding the importance of being more vigilant and aware of children who maybe showing signs of tiredness. Also spoke about the importance of communicating with parents when a child is being dropped off that they ask how the child slept throughout the night and what time the woke that morning. 2. All children’s clothes checked and changed after returning from outdoor play. The registered provider has spoken to staff regarding the importance of checking and acting, if necessary, when children return from outdoor play. Checklist has been given to all staff. • Children’s noses and faces will be checked and cleaned on a more regular basis by staff. • Cellular Blankets are now provided for all children who sleep. A staff member will stay with children in the sleep room until all children are sleeping. • Children will only drink from closed cups/beakers and all children will be supervised when drinking. 3. The lay out of the Wobbler and Toddler room has been restructured. New materials have been provided to ensure they adequately meet the children’s needs. ECCE 1 room has been provided with hangers for their dress up area. Staff have been retrained in environment layouts and spoken to regarding the importance of how a layout of a child’s room impacts their overall development. Also spoken about the importance of all materials being accessible for children to encourage meaningful play. 4. The Wobbler room physical environment has been restructured with easy access to materials for all children. Staff will ensure the children have space to purposefully play in a well-structured environment and all materials are accessible to them at all times. 5. Only water and milk will be offered to children during mealtimes going forward. Staff provided with and spoken to about the importance of healthy eating
9 March 2026
The Maples Creche, Portlaoise · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- 1. The care practices and interactions observed in the Chicklets room on the morning of the inspection were inadequate to meet the needs of the age and stage of development of the children evidenced as follows: • A child aged 1 year was observed to cry for a prolonged period of time without any comfort offered by staff. From 12.04pm until 12.21pm a child was crying and looking for comfort, the staff member placed the child at a table with toys and sang a song to try to distract them and stated, ‘you’re fine there’s nothing wrong with you’. • On numerous occasions a staff member was observed to use language such as ‘ah, ah’ don’t do that’ and ‘get down you’ when managing behaviour in the care room. This is at variance with the service behaviour management policy which states positive behaviour management strategies should be used. • A number of children were observed with runny noses and required their noses to be wiped throughout the morning. The staff member was observed to use blue paper roll on the children’s noses which is harsh to a child’s skin. There were tissues observed in other care rooms in the service. • The sleep practice for children age 1-2 was inadequate for their developmental needs. There was no designated sleep time or plans in place should a child become tired and require sleep. Staff stated the children in the Chicklets room do not go to sleep at all during full day care. At 12.25pm a child aged one year was observed to fall asleep on the staff member’s lap the staff member did not move them to a cot until the inspector requested, they do so. Later that day another child was put to sleep from the Chicklets room when they became tired. Staff were not aware of the children’s individual sleep needs, which can affect the care they receive when in the service. • Despite there being a designated sleep room with cots and floor bed, no child from the Chicks room, where the children are aged between 2-3 years, had a sleep during their full day at the service. There was no set sleep routine to accommodate children when they displayed signs of tiredness. • Throughout the morning of the inspection in the Chicklets room, activities were adult led. At times children were engaged in tabletop activities such as arts and crafts, the staff member was observed to remove activities after a short period and replace it with a different activity, despite the children appearing engaged and enjoying the activity. The children did not get an opportunity to direct their own learning and have freedom of choice. • There were no bibs put on the children in the Chicklets and Chicks rooms during dinnertime resulting in their clothes becoming soiled. 2. The rest areas required further development for children to rest or relax in all care rooms. The rest areas were inadequate for children who attended on a full day care basis to take appropriate rest from activities throughout the day. There were a small sofa and a mat in the Chicks and Chicklet rooms. There was no rest area in the Caterpillar room. 3. At 12:00pm, a staff member was observed in the outdoor play area with 7 children aged between 2-3 years. One child was observed sitting on a trike that was too big for them. The child was crying; however, the staff member present was busy with another child. The child could not place their feet on the ground or reach the pedals on the trike and required the assistance of a staff member to use the trike or to get off. A second staff member arrived to support the staff member in the outdoor play area at 12:08pm. 4. Caterpillar and Butterfly room Children from the Caterpillar and Butterfly rooms merge together in one room for lunch and for the afternoon. During lunch time, there were 23 children sitting at three tables. The room was extremely loud from 12.25pm – 12.45pm. The staff did not support the children to use calm indoor voices or redirect the children with a story or songs while wating for their meal. Signs were displayed in the rooms stating, ‘indoor voices need to be used’. It was difficult for children to hear and communicate with each other. After lunch a staff member attempted to read a story to the children. Two children were observed trying to hear the story however, 17 children were in the area where the story was being read and playing energetically with a variety of toys, making it very difficult for the children to hear the story
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. A staff training session was held with staff in relation to interactions with children, how to soothe a crying child and using positive language with the children. All staff have been issued with a copy of the services Behaviour Management Policy and have signed off on it to ensure they understand it. New staff will have induction training prior to commencement in the service in relation to behaviour management, sleep routines, and child management. • The staff member who mistakenly wiped a child’s nose with blue roll has been spoken to and understands that it is not acceptable to use blue roll as a tissue. A staff member has been allocated to checking each room has a box of tissues each morning. • Sleep plans are in place for each individual child. Parents had been requesting that their child not sleep during the day. This has been addressed with the parents who request that their child does not sleep during the day. Parents and staff have been issued with a copy of the sleep policy. It has been explained to all parents that the service is child led service and all children are offered sleep time during the day. • The staff have attended training on Aistear The National Curriculum Framework delivered by Laois county childcare committee to ensure they fully understand that children must direct their own learning and have freedom of choice. • Bibs have now been supplied to all of the younger children’s rooms. 2. Rest areas have received a revamp to ensure children can rest and relax in an appropriate manner. 3. Staff members have been retrained in relation to ratios and now understand how important it is to maintain these ratios at all times. Staff understand if they are stepping out for any reason to call for a staff member to replace them. Training will be provided to new staff in relation to understanding the importance of maintaining ratios at all times. The management team will carry our spot checks to ensure the whole team is very clear on the importance of ensuring ratios are always met. 4. The caterpillar and butterfly rooms no longer merge together for lunch. Staff members will sit with the children during meals and engage them in conversation
24 February 2026
Portlaoise Nursery and Montessori School, Portlaoise · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- (1) (a) The door to the sanitary accommodation off the Ladybird room was left open, while two children were inside. The inspectors, staff and other children had full visibility of one child using the toilet. A second child was washing their hands, while standing beside the child who was using the toilet. The child’s privacy and dignity were not respected while using the toilet
Provider's corrective action:
- After inspection the staff were advised to ensure that only one child is attending to the toilet at one time. Supervision will be provided when children are using the sanitary accommodation attending the toilets
6 November 2025
Just 4 Kids Creche, Portarlington · Regulation 19 — Health, welfare and development of child
- 1. A number of lunch boxes provided from home in the Saturn room were observed to have crisps, chocolate and jellies. Staff were observed to pour the crisps out onto a plate for a child to eat. This was in variance with the services healthy food policy which promoted healthy eating. 2. The children in the Sun room attending on a full day basis were not provided with an opportunity for outdoor play throughout the day. Outdoor play provides children with a space for gross motor development such as running, climbing and using equipment such as scooters/trikes. Children’s emotional wellbeing and regulation is promoted by spending time out in fresh air for periods during the day
Provider's corrective action:
- 1. Staff have been debriefed on the Healthy Eating policy and will no longer be serving foods that are not permitted. Any food that is not in line with the Healthy Eating policy will be returned home in lunch boxes. Parents have been notified regarding foods that are not permitted in the service. A “Healthy Lunchbox Guide” has been sent to parents and posters have been displayed at the entrance to the service. Daily monitoring of lunchboxes has been added to the room leader duties. 2. A daily outdoor schedule has been implemented in the service ensuring children have two outdoor sessions per day. Staff have been briefed on the importance of outdoor play for children’s development. Outdoor time is being recorded in the room logbook and monitored weekly