Gila Mountain Christian Academy

AAC R9-5-509.A. A. A licensee that prepares food for enrolled children on facility premises shall, if required by 9 A.A.C. 8, Article 1, and the local ordinances of the local health department where the facility is located, obtain a food establishment permit issued under 9 A.A.C. 8, Article 1, and: 1. Submit to the Department a written notice of the facility’s food establishment permit before the Department issues a license to the facility, 2. Maintain the facility’s current food establishment permit on the facility’s premises, and 3 Provide a written notice of the facility’s current food establishment permit to the Department upon request.

“Findings: The Primary Compliance Officer noted that the menu listed wheat bread and turkey being served. The Primary Compliance Officer asked the Director if staff prepare a sandwich with the bread and turkey and she reported that they do. The facility does not have a food establishment permit as required when serving prepared food.”

AAC R9-5-509.B. B. If a licensee contracts with a food establishment to prepare and deliver food to the facility, the licensee shall obtain and provide the Department with a copy of the food establishment’s permit, issued under 9 A.A.C. 8, Article 1, at the following times: 1. Before the Department issues a license to the facility, 2. Upon contracting with the food establishment, and 3. Every 12 months after the date the contract is entered into while the contract is in effect

“Findings: Based on facility documentation and the Compliance Officer's observation, the facility lacked documentation of a catering food permit for the contracted food establishment.”

AAC R9-5-605.B.6. B. A licensee shall ensure that: 6. Except for a room used only for an enrolled school-age child, each unused electrical outlet is covered with a safety plug cover or insert;

“Findings: Based on the Compliance Officer's observation, in the Preschool Room, there was a surge protector with three uncovered outlets on the floor next to the teacher's desk.”

AAC R9-5-304.B. B. Except as required in A.R.S. § 36-3009, before an enrolled child receives child care services, a licensee shall require the enrolled child’s parent to complete an Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record that is no more than a two-page written notice, and is signed by the enrolled child’s parent containing: 1. The child’s name, home address, sex, and date of birth; 2. The date of the child’s enrollment; 3. The name, home address, email address, and telephone number of each parent of the child; 4. The name and contact telephone number of at least two individuals authorized by the child’s parent to collect the child from the facility in case of emergency, or if the child’s parent cannot be contacted; 5. The name and contact telephone number of the child’s health care provider; 6. The written authorization for emergency medical care of the enrolled child when the parent cannot be contacted at the time of the emergency; 7. The name of the individual to be contacted in case of injury or sudden illness of the child; 8. The written instructions of a child’s parent or health care provider for the nutritional and dietary needs of the child including, if applicable, the request in R9-5-509(C)(14); and 9. A written record completed by the child’s parent or health care provider noting the child’s susceptibility to illness, physical conditions of which a staff member should be aware, and any individual requirements for health maintenance.

“Findings: Based on facility documentation and the Compliance Officers' observations, one of five Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record cards reviewed lacked the following information: Child #1: *The name and contact information for the second parent. *The name and contact information for the child's health care provider.”

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 Compliance Officer #2's observations and facility documentation, 3 of 3 staff files reviewed lacked the following: **Staff #1 DOE: 7/31/23, lacked proof of verification from the Licensee that the fingerprint clearance card was valid before the date of employment. **Staff #2 DOE: 7/22/22, lacked proof of verification from the Licensee that the fingerprint clearance card was valid before the date of employment. **Staff #3 DOE: 6/3/24, lacked proof of verification from the Licensee that the fingerprint clearance card was valid before the date of employment.”

AAC R9-5-305.B. B. A licensee shall attach an enrolled child’s written immunization record or exemption affidavit, required in subsection(A), to the enrolled child’s Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record card, required in R9-5 304(B).

“Findings: Based on Compliance Officer #1's observations and facility documentation, all enrolled children's immunization records were not attached to the Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record cards.”

AAC R9-5-304.B. B. Except as required in A.R.S. § 36-3009, before an enrolled child receives child care services, a licensee shall require the enrolled child’s parent to complete a Department-provided Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record card that is signed by the enrolled child’s parent containing: 1. The child’s name, home address, city, state, zip code, home telephone number, sex, and date of birth; 2. The date of the child’s enrollment; 3. The name, home address, city, state, zip code, and contact telephone number of each parent of the child; 4. The name and contact telephone number of at least two individuals authorized by the child’s parent to collect the child from the facility in case of emergency, or if the child’s parent cannot be contacted; 5. The name and contact telephone number of the child’s health care provider; 6. The written authorization for emergency medical care of the enrolled child when the parent cannot be contacted at the time of the emergency; 7. The name of the individual to be contacted in case of injury or sudden illness of the child; 8. The written instructions of a child’s parent or health care provider for nutritional and dietary needs of the child including, if applicable, the request in R9-5-509(C)(9); and 9. A written record completed by the child’s parent or health care provider noting the child’s susceptibility to illness, physical conditions of which a staff member should be aware, and any individual requirements for health maintenance.

“Findings: Based on Compliance Officer #1's observations and facility documentation, 3 of 10 Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record cards reviewed lacked the following: **Child #1: Parent #2 information, Emergency Contact #2 information **Child #2: Date of Enrollment **Child #4: Health Care Provider information, Person to contact for injury/illness”

AAC R9-5-303.A. A. A licensee shall post in a place that can be conspicuously viewed by individuals entering or leaving the facility or activity area, the:1. Facility’s license; 2. Name of the facility director; 3. Name of the individual designated to act on behalf of the facility director when the facility director is not present in the facility, as prescribed by R9-5-301(B)(1); 4. Schedule of child care services fees and policy for refunding fees as prescribed by A.R.S. § 36-882(P); 5. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack menus for each calendar week at the beginning of the calendar week; 6. Notice of the presence of any communicable disease or infestation listed in 9 A.A.C. 6, Article 2, Table 2, from the date of discovery through the incubation period of the communicable disease or infestation; 7. Notice of the Department’s intent to deny, revoke, or suspend as prescribed by A.R.S. § 36-888 at the expiration of time in the notice for the licensee to respond; 8. Notice of an intermediate sanction imposed as prescribed by A.R.S. § 36-891.01 within 10 calendar days after the licensee received notice of the intermediate sanction; 9. Notice of a legal injunction imposed as prescribed by A.R.S. § 36-886.01 when the licensee receives the legal injunction; and 10. Notice of the availability of facility inspection reports for public viewing at the facility premises.

“Findings: Based on Compliance Officer #2's observations and facility documentation, the Licensee lacked a posting of the child care service fees and policy for refunding fees and pesticides.”

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 Compliance Officer #1's observations, the following hazards were observed in the outdoor area accessible to enrolled children: **The North gate had a gap at the bottom of 6 inches **There was rough rust on North fence. **There was rust on bottom of right South shade pole. **There was peeling red paint on the play fire truck.”

AAC R9-5-403.B. B. A licensee shall ensure that:1. Each staff member who provides child care services completes 18 or more actual hours of training every 12 months after the effective date of this Chapter or the staff member’s starting date of employment or volunteer service in at least two topics listed in this subsection: a. Child growth and development, including: i. Infant growth and development, which may include sudden infant death syndrome prevention; ii. Developmental psychology; iii. Language development; iv. Observation and child assessment; v. Developmentally-appropriate activities; vi. Child guidance and methods of discipline which may include training on the appropriate techniques to prevent a child from harm or to prevent the child from harming others; and vii. Developmentally-appropriate activity areas; b. Health and safety issues, including: i. Accident and emergency procedures, including CPR and first aid for infants and children; ii. Recognition of signs of illness and infestation; iii. Nutrition and developmentally-appropriate eating habits; iv. Child abuse detection, reporting, and prevention; v. Safety of indoor and outdoor activity areas; and vi. Sun safety policies and procedures; c. Program administration, planning, development, or management; and d. Availability of community services and resources, including those available to children with special needs; and 2. As part of the required 18 hours of training in subsection (B)(1): a. A staff member who has less than 12 months of child care experience before the staff member’s starting date, completes at least 12 hours in one or more of the topics in subsection (B)(1)(a) in the staff member’s first 12 months at the facility; b. A staff member who has 12 months or more of child care experience, completes at least 6 hours in one or more of the topics in subsection (B)(1)(a) every 12 months after the staff member’s starting date; c. A staff member who provides child care services to an infant completes at least 6 hours in subsection (B)(1)(a)(i) every 12 months after the staff member’s starting date; and d. A facility director completes at least 6 hours in subsection (B)(1)(c) every 12 months after the facility director’s starting date.

“Findings: Based on Compliance Officer #2's observations and facility documentation, the file for Staff #2 lacked the complete 18 hours of annual training including the 6 hours of program administration, planning, development, or management as the facility director.”

AAC R9-5-301.B. B. A licensee shall ensure that a facility director: 1. Designates, in writing, an individual who meets the requirements of R9-5-401(2) to act on behalf of the facility director when the facility director is not present in the facility; 2. Supervises or assigns a teacher-caregiver to supervise each staff member who does not meet the qualifications of R9-5-401(3); 3. Prepares a dated attendance record for each day and ensures that each staff member documents on the attendance record the time of each arrival and departure of the staff member; and 4. Maintains on the facility premises, the dated attendance record required in subsection (B)(3) for 12 months after the date on the attendance record.

“Upon review of staff files, it was found that Staff 1 had a foreign diploma that was not evaluated to determine the equivalency in the United States and it cannot be determined if they meet the qualifications as a teacher. Staff 1 was alone with children and not supervised by a teacher.”

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 teacher-caregiver 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 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;

“Per allegation and upon review of staff files, it was found that Staff 1 had a foreign diploma that was not evaluated to determine the equivalency in the United States and it cannot be determined if they meet the qualifications as a teacher. Staff 1 was acting in the capacity of a teacher-caregiver when she was left alone with children for a period of time on 3/14/24.”