A Cambridge daycare is now operating under a provisional license.
According to the Ministry of Education the daycare failed to meet several requirements under the Day Nurseries Act.
The move comes after concerns from parents ranging from poor communication with parents to children not being supervised properly.
There was no indication that any children were seriously hurt, but the Ministry conducted a thorough investigation.
Eight reasons were given as to why the centre is operating under a provisional license. Four of the reasons are:
The operator has not kept up to date records for each child that include the parents signed written instruction concerning any special requirements for diet, rest or exercise. In one case, a 14-month-old child did not get a bottle as instructed.
Not all the children in the child care program have been supervised by an adult at all times. Paperwork states that one child was left in the preschool room for a few minutes without an adult and the former centre’s director confirmed she talked on a cell phone while she was supervising children during the months of March and April.
The child care program has not ensured that a child who seems sick is taken home by a parent and/or when a parent is unavailable, or in an emergency, is examined by a medical doctor or registered nurse. The Ministry of Education identified two instances in the spring where parents were not informed their child was ill.
Lastly, the operator has not kept a daily written record of any incident affecting the health, safety or well-being of any child or staff member and/or kept the record for a period of two years and has no record of accidents or incidents that took place on four separate days.
The Ministry of Education says they received ten complaints between March and May of 2015.
Inspections were conducted in April and May which flagged issues related to supervision, maintenance for equipment, sanitary practices, potential food choking hazards, insufficient staffing, incomplete playground safety inspections, inadequate record keeping for children’s records and attendance and incident logs.
The daycare operator assured the Ministry of Education they were addressing all concerns.
Following the last inspection, a provisional license was issued on May 26th with requirements and timelines specified for the operator.
One of the Ministry’s terms prevents the daycare from currently enrolling children less than eighteen months old.
Some families that chose to stay tell CTV News they are pleased with the marked improvements.
There are now boards posted in rooms showing which children have dietary restrictions or food allergies. There is also a notebook for each child so parents and caregivers can communicate accordingly.
The centre blames many of the problems this past spring on the previous director who they let go in May.
In a statement the centre’s co-owner says: “We would like to… reassure all the families in the community that all non-compliances that have been previously identified by the Ministry have been addressed…and we are very proud of our staff for doing such a great job in ensuring compliance with all Ministry regulations. We have been very transparent with all the families who come to visit our centers as we are confident that our daycares are one of the best in the Region and we invite and encourage all families to come tour our centers and speak with our director and area manager to clarify any concerns which they may have.”
They also said they are confident that a full license will be issued to Dino & Kidz in September. The Operator’s full statement can be viewed here.
The Dino & Kidz provisional license will be in place until September 25th.
If all requirements are met at that time, the Ministry may issue a regular license.
A Ministry of Education Monitoring Visit on July 8th revealed all areas were in full compliance.
There are also Dino & Kidz locations in Guelph and Brampton. Both have regular licenses, according to the Ministry of Education database.
