Dynamic After School Care

No violations recorded at this inspection.

• C3.1 - Does the facility have sufficient employees who possess adequate training and experience to meet the care, supervision, and needs of the children?Non-critical

  Observation. All staff files were reviewed and are complete with the required information with the exception of obtaining character references.

• C7.1 - Is the facility safe, sanitary, free from hazards, in good repair, and appropriate for the age and development of children?Non-critical

  Observation. C7.1G - An unmounted chain link gate in the outdoor play area, leaning against the metal fence poses a risk of injury if a child pulled it on top of themselves. C7.1O - The water temperature at hand washing sinks exceeds 49°C.

• C7.2 - Is there adequate and appropriate indoor and outdoor space, materials, and equipment?Critical

  Observation. C7.2 A - Due to the decrease in floor space (noted above), 3.7m2 of useable floor area is not provided for the maximum capacity of children permitted on the Community Care Facility Licence.

• Has the drinking water for the facility been tested for lead content?Critical

  Observation. The Licensee has not tested the facility's drinking water for lead content.

• C1.1 - Does the licensee continually inform licensing of any significant changes to the structure or operation of the facility?Critical

  Observation. At the time of the inspection it is apparent that the following changes have been made without notification to Licensing: C1.1A: The 'games room' which has a maximum capacity of 8 children is no longer being used for child care. It appears that Room B no longer uses the adjacent space in the hallway. These changes have reduced the total useable floor space upstairs. In order to ensure a minimum of 3.7 m2 of useable floor space is provided for each child, an amendment is required to reduce the maximum capacity on the Community Care Facility Licence. The back portion of the outdoor play area has been fenced off to keep the electrical box and transformer inaccessible to children. It is estimated that this change has reduced the size of the outdoor play area by approximately half. Written notification, including an updated site plan showing the location and dimensions of the outdoor play is required to determine the maximum number of children permitted in the outdoor play area. The property use appears to have changed from the original licensing application as two people are living on the premises; therefore, evidence of landlord and municipal approvals is required.

• C4.1 - Are facility records current and complete?Non-critical

  Observation. Based on a review of children's records, the following deficiencies were noted: C4.1E - Children's records do not contain the date on which the child stops attending the facility. C4.1J - Children's records did not contain other information that can be used to readily identify the child in an emergency (I.e. hair color, eye color, birthmarks etc.) C4.1O - The manager keeps a digital photo of each child on their cell phone, however other employees do not have access to this information in the manager's absence. C4.1T - A log of all play space inspections, maintenance and repairs is not currently being kept.

• C3.1 - Does the facility have sufficient employees who possess adequate training and experience to meet the care, supervision, and needs of the children?Non-critical

  Observation. Licensing reviewed 14 employee records at the time of inspection. The following deficiencies must be addressed immediately: C3.1C: - 8 employee records were missing Criminal Record Checks from the Criminal Records Review Program. - 9 employee records did not contain a record of the person's work history or character references. - 6 employee records did not contain copies of training certificates as evidence that the person is qualified. - 9 employee records did not contain evidence that the person has complied with the Province's immunization and tuberculosis control programs. - 1 employee did not have an employee record containing any of the required documents. C3.1H - 1 person living on the premises does not have a Criminal Record Check on file. C3.1M - Licensing was only able to confirm that 3 out of 14 employees have a valid first aid certificate. It appears that during transportation, children may not at all times, have immediate access to an employee who holds a valid first aid and CPR certificate. C3.1T - Employees who transport children did not have evidence of a valid driver's licence in their employee file.

• C2.1 - Are written policies and procedures in place to guide employees in all matters regarding the care and supervision of children?Non-critical

  Observation. C2.1F - The manager stated that all employees practiced implementing the facility's emergency plan last year, however a record was not kept to verify this.

• C7.1 - Is the facility safe, sanitary, free from hazards, in good repair, and appropriate for the age and development of children?Non-critical

  Observation. C7.1A - The 'games room' and bathroom marked 'private' that are currently being used by a person living on the premises contain items that are to be kept out of reach of children. These rooms were accessible to children at the time of inspection, presenting a health and safety risk.

• C10.2 - Are children supervised, and are employee to children ratios maintained?Critical

  Observation. It was alleged that the Licensee has provided care to children in the Group Child Care (School Age) program who do not attend school. Section 2 (1) (d) defines Group Child Care (School Age) as a program that provides, before or after school hours or on a day of school closure, care to children who attend school, including kindergarten. C10.2B - SUBSTANTIATED - The Licensee has provided care to children who will not be attending kindergarten until September 2023. It was alleged that children are not being actively supervised by employees; and employees have been observed supervising children through the hallway windows and doors rather than being physically present to supervise children. UNABLE TO SUBSTANTIATE - At the time of the inspection, children were being directly supervised by qualified employees in each child care room and outdoors. At times, there was an employee in the hallway supervising children while they were retrieving their lunch kits and/or using the washroom. The facility has a system in place to ensure that employees can communicate with each other between program rooms in the event they need assistance with supervision.

• C7.1 - Is the facility safe, sanitary, free from hazards, in good repair, and appropriate for the age and development of children?Non-critical

  Observation. It was alleged that children may have access to hazardous equipment in the outdoor play area. C7.1L-SUBSTANTIATED: HVAC Unit - The Licensee has installed a 3' 2" metal fence around the HVAC unit, however the fence is only a few inches away from the unit and the pickets are wide enough for a child to reach the unit's controls and filter access door. The unit is approximately 7 feet tall and the fence only covers the bottom portion of the HVAC unit which poses a risk that a child could reach the exhaust vent which contains a heat warning label. There are tires stacked up beside the fence that a child could potentially climb on that would enable them to climb onto the unit or into the fenced area around it. The fencing around the HVAC unit is insufficient to prevent children from accessing the unit. The Licensee relies on employee supervision in this area. Electrical Transformer box - The transformer access door is secured with a padlock so a child cannot access the internal controls, however, there is a tall stool type chair pushed up beside the box that a child could use to climb onto the transformer posing a risk of injury. There is a space approximately one foot deep behind the transformer box where a child could hide. Unrelated to the complaint: C7.1A - It was observed that the emergency exit on the lower level has a pile of debris (tarps, hoses, a broom, equipment, chairs, ladder) outside the door in the landing area that is encroaching on the emergency exit which needs to be kept free and clear. There are also toys on the stairs that pose a tripping hazard. C7.1A - The hexagon climber in the outdoor play area is approximately 5 feet tall and is installed over synthetic grass. The Director of Licensing Standard of Practice - Safe Play Spaces recommends that equipment 5 feet in height has 6 inches of loose fill resilient surfacing underneath and around it to prevent injuries. The manager stated there is rubber matting underneath the synthetic grass, however it is unknown if the matting is sufficient as resilient surfacing for equipment of this height.

• C2.1 - Are written policies and procedures in place to guide employees in all matters regarding the care and supervision of children?Non-critical

  Observation. It was alleged that employees are allowing verbal consent to release a child to someone other than a parent but are not obtaining the required written consent or checking the identification of a person they had not met prior to releasing a child. C2.1M-The Licensee has a policy for the safe release of children in compliance with the Child Care Licensing Regulation; however, it appears that the policy hasn't been consistently implemented by employees in all circumstances.

• C4.1 - Are facility records current and complete?Non-critical

  Observation. C4.1E- Unrelated to the complaint, one child record was observed to be incomplete at the time of inspection. C4.1G - Consent from a parent to release a child to someone other than the parent was received verbally, however this consent must be obtained in writing.