Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Licensing Officer Report


On August 13, 2013 a provider file review was completed for two contracted family day homes that were visited on August 9, 2013. As a result of the file review it was found that Hemel House Child Care Services Ltd. was in non-compliance with the following Provincial Family Day Home Standard:

Agency Standard 2: Caseloads and Monitoring: Agencies must monitor all active providers a minimum of six times per year with both scheduled and unscheduled visits using the Family Day Home Agency Home Visitor/Consultant Checklist.
- CFSA ‘Family Day Home Standards Manual’

  • Hemel House Child Care Services conducts day home visits 11 times per year exceeding the minimum requirement of 6 times per year set out by the Southwest Alberta Child and Family Service Authority. 
  • Our visits are 1 – 2+ hours long. The Child Care Consultants monitor day homes using the approved Family Day Home Agency Home Visitor/Consultant Checklist and the Hemel House Visit Report Form on a monthly rotation ensuring the CFSA form is used 6 times per year. 
  • During our file review on August 13, 2013 we were informed that the expectation is that the approved Family Day Home Agency Home Visitor/Consultant Checklist is used every other month. Even though Hemel House conducts visits every month (with exception of summer months and day home closures) and ensures the CFSA form is used 6 times per year the expectation was not met. Due to the exception of summer months and holidays coinciding with the rotation of the CFSA and Hemel House form being used, one day home received 2 visits in a row with the Hemel House form instead of the Licensing expectation of using the CFSA form every other month. 
  • To ensure we are in compliance at all times Hemel House has now changed polices and the Child Care Consultants will use the approved Family Day Home Agency Home Visitor/Consultant Checklist at each of the 11 visits per day home each year.
Following the recommendation of the Licensing Officer Hemel House also made alterations to all offsite programming consents and authorizations.





On August 9, 2013 a review was completed at 2 Family Day Homes, at which time it was identified that the homes were in non-compliance to the Provincial Family Day Home Standards as listed below.

Day Home #1
Provider Standard 10E: Medication: Providers may administer medications including prescription and non-prescription drugs, emergency medications and herbal remedies, when the:
  • provider has written consent of child’s parent(s);
  • medication is in its original container; and
  • medication is administered according to the label directions.

In all cases where medications are administered, the provider must record the name of the medication, the time and dose administered and sign or initial that they administered the medication.

At the time of the visit:
  • A medical form on file was not filled out completely by the parent and provider. 
  • The form currently being used does not evidence this standard being met.
The non-compliance was communicated to the agency on August 13th. On August 14th the agency created a new Medication Authorization form and submitted to the Licensing Officer for review. The new Medication Authorization form, once approved, was reviewed with the provider on August 16th as well as Standard 10E: Medication. On August 16th the new Medication Authorization form was also e-mailed to all Hemel House day home providers.


Day Home #2

Provider Standard 7: Child Care Program: The family day home provider plans and implements a daily program of activities that is consistent with the agency’s philosophy and is developmentally appropriate for the ages of the children.

The daily program, which includes both indoor and outdoor activities, should be made available to parent(s) and home visitor/consultants who ask to see it.

Children with special needs may require activities and experiences adapted to their needs and abilities.

The daily program ensures children’s developmental needs are met, including:
  • emotional; 
  • physical;
  • intellectual; and 
  • creative and social.
At the time of the visit documents regarding routine and weekly themes were provided but did not include outdoor activities.

Provider Standard 8: Supervision: children 20 months to 4 years:
  • not allowed to use outdoor play space without supervision 
  • must be within hearing distance of the provider at all times 
  • provider physically checks every 3-5 minutes 
  • when children are napping, an infant monitor may be used
The licensing officer noted that at the time of the visit a 3 children were napping in a downstairs room, the children were not within hearing distance and an infant monitor was not used. The provider was not observed to physically check on the children every 3-5 minutes.

Standard 10E: Medication: Providers may administer medications including prescription and non-prescription drugs, emergency medications and herbal remedies, when the:
  • provider has written consent of child’s parent(s);
  • medication is in its original container; and 
  • medication is administered according to the label directions.
In all cases where medications are administered, the provider must record the name of the medication, the time and dose administered and sign or initial that they administered the medication.

At the time of the visit a medication form was on file for a child no longer registered in the program. Written consent did not match what was administered by the provider. Where medication was administered to a child, the provider used ditto (“) marks as opposed to recording the name of the medication and the time and dose administered.

The agency submitted to the CFSA:
  • All contact notes between the agency and provider with regards to the Licensing visit
  • A copy of the Family Day Home Agency Visitor/Consultant Checklist for August 28/13 
  • A copy of Standard 7: Child Care Program signed and dated by the agency members and provider to evidence it has been reviewed by all parties 
  • A copy of Hemel House’s ‘Child Care Programming and Interactions’ and ‘Meeting Developmental Needs of Children’ policies signed and dated by the agency members and provider to evidence they have been reviewed by all parties 
  • A copy of the provider’s weekly themes and activities for August and September
  • A copy of the Medication Standard that is signed and dated by the agency members and provider to evidence it has been reviewed by all parties, and recorded discussion had 
  • An e-mail from the agency sent to all providers with the attached revised medication form
  • A copy of Standard 8: Supervision that is signed and dated by the agency members and provider to evidence it has been reviewed by all parties, as well as contact notes confirming an infant monitor is now being used while children are napping 
  • A copy of the Family Day Home Agency Visitor/Consultant Checklist for September 18th, 2013 
  • A copy of an e-mail confirming that the agency reviewed the correct completion of the Medication Authorization form including that ditto (“) marks cannot be used on the medication form

Make-it Topic: Things from trees


Imaginative:
  • Place out paper leaves, rakes, gloves, hats for pretending to rake leaves 
  • Place out a tree with apples have a pie making materials (paper or play dough play)
    Place out baskets and acorns for picking

Language: 
  • Sing the poem 5 little acorns
    • 5 little acorns, hanging from a tree
      High as can be.
      Along came a wind and blew one away
      4 little acorns left to sway.
      Repeat till 1 .
    • Down came a squirrel from high in the tree
      Searching for food as fast as can be
      He saw those acorns fat and round
      And hid them in a hole that he dug in the ground
  • Read “A leaf for teacher” 
  • Read “ Red leaf Yellow leaf” 
  • Read “Dot and Jabber and the great acorn mystery”

Art:

  • Tinfoil leaves place out foil and leaves encourage the children to place the foil over the leaves to get an imprint and glue onto a paper 
  • Make a leaf collage 
  • Paint with acorns or pinecones 
  • Do apple stamping 
  • Make torn leaf pictures 
  • Use tree leafs, acorns, apples, pinecones for rubbings

Water/Sand

  • Place out an apple washing station 
  • Place dried leaves in the sand 
  • Place acorns in the sand table with sifts 
  • Place leaves in the water table with strainers and colored water

Gross Motor

  • Make wands from paper towel tubes and long streamers have the children dance as leaves with the wands 
  • Place out acorn cut outs on the ground, have the children do different movements to each acorn 
  • Apple picking 
  • Go on a leaf hunt (Read the story Going on a Leaf Hunt)

Science/Curiosity

  • Place out leaves and magnifying glasses 
  • Place different types of apples on the table with a scale for weighing the apples 
  • Place out acorns for looking at


Blocks

  • Use paper tubes for building with 
  • Add a tree house and people to the blocks 
  • Place out fall colored blocks 
  • Place out tubes and baskets for building 
  • Add fake leaves, grass, rocks to the blocks



Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

  • Lacing leaves 
  • Sorting real or fake leaves 
  • Place out apples, acorns, pinecones and leaves for size classification 
  • Place out play dough with leaf cookie cutters 
  • Make puzzles with paper apples cut in half 
  • Place out pattern cards for things found on trees 
  • Place out tongs and acorns to pick up 
  • Put pinecones with play dough for imprinting 
  • Have different seeds from trees (pinecones, acorns etc.), magnifying glasses for exploring and bowls for sorting.


Music:

  • Make leaf shakers


Quiet

  • Place out the book “Ten apples on top” and apples for counting with 
  • Make sequence cards for the flannel board 
  • Place out some apple quiet time books


Cooking

  • Make fall baskets 
    • Ice cream cones flat bottoms, chopped red apples, 1 tbsp. apple sauce for each cone, homemade fruit leather or natural leather stip.
      Have the children place the apples into the cone, add the applesauce, place some more apples on top place the leather strip along the top for a handle and enjoy.
    • Chop up fruits that grow on trees (apples, plums, oranges, bananas etc. Allow children to spoon and mix their choice for a tree fruit salad.

Field trip

  • Go apple picking 
  • Go on a walk to collect leaves, acorns, pinecones, and apples

Extensions from the activities

  • Discuss apples and seeds 
  • Go to the bakery 
  • Show what happens as acorns grow


Friday, August 9, 2013

Make It Topic: Safari



Imaginative:

  • Set out a jeep and different animals binoculars and go on a safari 
  • Dress up in different animal costumes 
  • Make a village with different animals that visit the children

Language:

  • Read “Anansi the spider” 
  • Read “chimpansneese” 
  • Read “why do mosquitos buzz in peoples ears” 
  • Read “Way far away on a wild safari” 
  • Sing Elephants have wrinkles
    Elephant have wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles, everywhere.
    Wrinkles on their toes no one knows why.
    Elephant have wrinkles wrinkles, wrinkles everywhere (go through body parts)

Art:

  • Place out shapes of animals and rubbing plates to make designs 
  • Place out stamps of wild animals 
  • Place out butcher paper on the bottom of the wall allow the children to paint or color the savannah 
  • Make paper tube binoculars 
  • Use paper bags cut like a vest allow them to color and decorate their vests 
  • Place out zebra shapes and do marble painting 
  • Make macaroni lions 
  • Make animal masks

Water/Sand

  • Place out safari animals and jeeps in the sand table 
  • Have an elephant washing station 
  • Place out large bugs that are found in the savannah 
  • Plant grass in the sand/sift grass 
  • Have a crocodile pond

Gross Motor

  • Use a projector to enlarge elephants, giraffes, hippopotamus, crocodiles, tigers and more place them around the house/yard and go on a safari hunt 
  • Go on a lion hunt 
  • Banana bean bag toss 
  • Walk around like different animals

Science/Curiosity

  • Plant some grass in egg shells 
  • Place out different pictures of paw and hoof prints to match 
  • Place out different habitats

Blocks

  • Place out green blocks and animals 
  • Place cars, jeeps and safari animals and people 
  • Get little hay bales for the children to stack

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

  • Animal memory game 
  • Place out play dough for making animals 
  • Lacing animals 
  • Make African necklaces 
  • Have a file folder game of animals crossing the alligator swamp 
  • Animal print match up 
  • Safari bingo 
  • Place out animals and have the children add the stripes to zebra, or spots on giraffes 
  • Matching animals 
  • Matching animals to the prints of the animals

Music:

  • Sing “Going on a lion hunt” 
  • Sing “One elephant went out to play” tape a spider web to the floor and dance around

Quiet

  • Place out flannel stories with African animals 
  • Place out large pillows and blankets for nests

Cooking

  • Have animal crackers and yogurt as a snack 
  • Make Safari bars:Stir together 1/3 Cup flour, 1 Cup quick oats, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp. baking soda, dash of salt, and ½ cup raisins in large bowl. Add a mixture of 1 cup mashed banana, ¼ cup milk, 2 egg whites, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour batter into a 9X13 cake pan and bake35-40 minutes. When cool cut into bars or use cookie cutters to make animal shapes

Field trip

  • Go to the zoo for a visit 
  • Go to a field of tall grass to walk through


Extensions from the activities

  • Talk about large animal vets 
  • Zoo keepers