Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori Center

AAC R9-5-512.F.8.9. F. A licensee shall ensure that: 8. Plumbing fixtures are maintained in a clean and working condition; and 9. Chipped or cracked sinks and toilets are replaced or repaired.

“Findings: Based on the Compliance Officer's observations, the following was noted regarding the bathrooms: *Owl room- The toilet was unflushed and contained urine; *Eagle room- The toilet was unflushed and contained urine. There was wet urine on the toilet seat; and *Hummingbird room- There was dried yellow urine on the back of the toilet behind the seat and dried urine sprinklers on the seat.”

AAC R9-5-516.B.3. B. If prescription or nonprescription medications are administered, a licensee shall ensure that: 3. A facility director, or a staff member designated in writing by the facility director, does not administer a medication to an enrolled child unless the facility receives written authorization signed by the enrolled child’s parent or health care provider that includes the: a. Name of the enrolled child; b. Type of the medication; c. Prescription number, if any; d. Instructions for administration specifying the: i. Dosage and route of administration; ii. If indicated, starting and ending dates of the dosage period; and iii. Times and frequency of administration; e. Reason for the medication; and f. Date of authorization; and

“Findings: Based on the Compliance Officer's review of the children's medications and forms and on a discussion with the Director, a child’s allergy medication form only stated "mild allergic symptoms related to allergic reaction" under the reason for medication. The form did not list the symptoms that the child would manifest so that the staff would know when to administer the child's allergy medication versus the child's Epipen that the parent had provided. The Director acknowledged not knowing what symptoms the child may manifest to know when to give the allergy medication versus the Epipen.”

AAC R9-5-401.1. A licensee shall ensure that staff members meet the following qualifications for employment or volunteer service at a facility: 1. A facility director is 21 years of age or older and provides the licensee with documentation of one of the following: a. At least 24 months of child care experience, a high school or high school equivalency diploma, and: i. Six credit hours or more in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field from an accredited college or university; or ii. At least 60 actual hours of instruction, provided in conferences, seminars, lectures, or workshops in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field, and an additional 12 hours of instruction, provided in conferences, seminars, lectures, or workshops in the area of program administration, planning, development, or management; b. At least 18 months of child care experience and: i. An N.A.C., C.D.A., or C.C.P. credential; or ii. At least 24 credit hours from an accredited college or university, including at least six credit hours in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field; c. At least six months of child care experience and an associate degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field; or d. At least three months of child care experience and a bachelor degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field;

“Findings: Based on the Compliance Officer's review of Staff #1's file (the Director-DOE 1/28/99) and on a discussion with the Director, the file contained documentation of foreign education and the Director acknowledged the education's equivalency had not been verified to be equivalent to at least a high school diploma.”

AAC R9-5-401.3. A licensee shall ensure that staff members meet the following qualifications for employment or volunteer service at a facility: 3. A child educator is 18 years of age or older and provides the licensee with documentation of one of the following: a. Six months of child care experience if working with enrolled children five years old and younger, or three months of child care experience if working with school-aged children; and: i. A high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma; or ii. At least 12 credit hours from an accredited college or university, including at least six credit hours in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field; b. Associate or bachelor degree from an accredited college or university in early childhood, child development, or a closely-related field; or c. N.A.C., C.D.A., or C.C.P. credential;

“Findings: Based on discussion with the Director and the Compliance Officer's review of Staff #2's (DOE 10/8/07) and Staff #3's (DOE 12/5/12) files (both staff are Child Educators), the files contained documentation of foreign education. The Director acknowledged the education's equivalency had not been verified for either staff to be equivalent to at least a high school diploma.”

AAC R9-5-501.C.1. C. A licensee shall ensure that a staff member: 1. Supervises each enrolled child at all times;

“Findings: Based on the Compliance Officer's observations, 2 separate times the Compliance Officer observed a preschool-aged child unsupervised in the bathroom that is located near the outdoor activity area. In both incidents, the bathroom door was closed completely and the staff was across the patio area. In the first incident, the staff was updating the roster and in the second incident, a different staff was across the patio and had their back to the bathroom door, when a different child was using the bathroom. In both incidents, the preschool-age child was unsupervised while using the bathroom, since a staff member was not in sight or sound of the child who was using the bathroom and the door was closed.”

AAC R9-5-503.A.1. A. A licensee shall ensure that each diaper changing area required in R9-5-601(4) contains:1. A nonabsorbent, sanitizable diaper changing surface that is: a. Seamless and smooth, and b. Kept clear of items not required for diaper changing;

“Findings: Based on the Compliance Officer's observation, a clipboard, a pen and a highlighter were placed on the diapering counter in the hummingbird room.”

AAC R9-5-514. F.2. F. If while attending a facility an enrolled child has an accident, injury, or emergency that, based on an evaluation by a staff member, requires medical treatment by a health care provider, a licensee shall ensure that a staff member:2. Documents: a. A description of the accident, injury, or emergency, including the date, time, and location of the accident, injury, or emergency; b. The method used to notify the enrolled child’s parent; and c. The time the enrolled child’s parent was notified; and

“Findings: Based on the Compliance Officer's review of the accident/injury form, the form lacked the method of notifying the parent of the injury or accident.”

AAC R9-5-306.B. B. A licensee shall: 1. Develop, document, and implement policies and procedures to ensure that a staff member maintains daily documentation of the presence of an enrolled child in an activity area that includes a method to account for any temporary absences of the enrolled child from the activity area, and 2. Maintain the documentation of the presence of enrolled children in an activity area required in subsection (B)(1) on facility premises for 12 months after the date of the documentation.

“Findings: Based on the Compliance Officer's observation, 34 children were present in the outdoor playground area, but the roster had the names of only 32 children listed as present.”

AAC R9-5-203.E. E. If a staff member possesses a fingerprint clearance card that was issued before the staff member became a staff member at the facility, a licensee shall:1. Contact the Department of Public Safety before the individual becomes a staff member to determine whether the fingerprint clearance card is valid; and 2. Document this determination, including the name of the staff member, the date of contact with the Department of Public Safety, and whether the fingerprint clearance card is valid.

“Findings: Based on the Compliance Officer's review of Staff #2's file (DOE 7/25/24) the validity of Staff #2's fingerprint clearance card was not verified through DPS until 7/30/24, rather than prior to the staff's date of employment.”

AAC R9-5-603.C. C. Except as provided in subsection (D), a licensee shall ensure that an outdoor activity area: 1. Is enclosed by a fence: a. A minimum of 4 feet high; b. Secured to the ground; and c. With either vertical or horizontal open spaces on the fence or gate that do not exceed 4.0 inches; 2. Is maintained free from hazards, such as exposed concrete footings and broken toys; and 3. Has gates that are kept closed while an enrolled child is in the outdoor activity area

“Findings: Based on the CO's observation, in the outdoor activity area, the following hazards were accessible to enrolled children: *There was peeling laminate and exposed rust on the cabinet doors located on the South side of the patio. *There was peeling paint at the base of the concrete block fence located on the North side.”

AAC R9-5-501.C.4. C. A licensee shall ensure that a staff member: 4. Except as provided in subsection (D), prepares and posts in each indoor activity area, a current schedule of children’s age-appropriate activities, including the times the following are provided: a. Meals and snacks; b. Naps; c. Indoor activities; d. Outdoor or large muscle development activities; e. Quiet and active activities; f. Teacher-directed activities; g. Self-directed activities; h. Activities for individuals, groups of five or fewer children, and groups of six or more children; and i. Activities that develop small muscles;

“Findings: Based on the CO's observation, the activity schedule was not posted in the Hummingbird classroom.”

AAC R9-5-306.B. B. A licensee shall: 1. Develop, document, and implement policies and procedures to ensure that a staff member maintains daily documentation of the presence of an enrolled child in an activity area that includes a method to account for any temporary absences of the enrolled child from the activity area, and 2. Maintain the documentation of the presence of enrolled children in an activity area required in subsection (B)(1) on facility premises for 12 months after the date of the documentation.

“Findings: Based on facility documentation and the Compliance Officer’s (CO) observation, it was determined that the roster in the Hummingbird classroom did not reflect the number of children present (8 children present, 7 children listed on the roster). In the Outdoor activity area, there were 4 children present with no roster.”