Imperial's Child Care

AAC R9-3-507.A.1. A. A certificate holder shall ensure that a staff member changes diapers only on a nonabsorbent, sanitizable diaper changing surface that: 1. Is kept clear of items not required for diaper changing;

“Findings: The Primary Compliance Officer observed a child’s artwork on the diaper table.”

AAC R9-3-506.5. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 5. Each bathroom used by an enrolled child at the child care group home has the following within the reach of enrolled children: a. Mounted toilet tissue, b. Soap contained in a dispenser, and c. Singly dispensed paper towels;

“Findings: The Primary Compliance Officer observed paper towels on the counter in the bathroom without a dispenser.”

AAC R9-3-505.D.9. D. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 9. An enrolled child does not have access to the following on the premises: a. Lawn mowers, ladders, toilet brushes, plungers, and other equipment that may be a hazard to a child; b. An air conditioner, evaporative cooler, heat pump, or furnace; c. A hot tub or spa; d. A pond or fountain; e. An irrigation ditch, abandoned mine, or well; or f. A trampoline.

“Findings: The Primary Compliance Officer observed the following hazards in the outdoor area: an AC unit on a pallet, car parts, a can of paint, paint supplies, a bed frame leaning against the fence that could tip over, a wooden frame with a plastic drop cloth and boards that could tip over. The hazards were accessible to enrolled children.”

AAC R9-3-504.A.5. A. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 5. Each electrical outlet in an area of the child care group home approved for providing child care services is covered with a safety plug cover or insert when not in use;

“Findings: The Primary Compliance Officer observed two outlets that were not covered with a safety plug.”

AAC R9-3-504.A.3. A. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 3. Each smoke detector required under subsection (A)(2): a. Is maintained in an operable condition; and b. Is either battery operated or, if hard-wired into the electrical system of the child care group home’s residence, has a back-up battery;

“Findings: The Compliance Officers observed that there was a smoke detector that was beeping and not operable.”

AAC R9-3-502.C.2.a. C. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 2. If a child can fall more than 48 inches from a climbing structure, swing, or slide in an outdoor activity area to the ground below, the climbing structure, swing, or slide: a. Has one of the following covering the fall zone of the climbing structure, swing, or slide: i. At least 6 inches of fine loose sand, pea gravel, wood fiber product, or other resilient material; or ii. A shock-absorbing unitary surfacing material manufactured for such use in outdoor activity areas; and

“Findings: The Primary Compliance Officer observed a play structure with swings and a slide that did not have resilient surfacing under it.”

AAC R9-3-301.A.4.d. A. A certificate holder shall: 4. Ensure that the provider: d. Prepares a dated attendance record for each day and ensures that each staff member records on the attendance record the staff member’s start time and end time of providing child care services for the child care group home;

“Findings: Upon reviewing the documentation for staff sign in and out, the Primary Compliance Officer observed that Staff 1 was not signing in and out on a daily basis. The last sign in and out was January 15, 2026.”

AAC R9-3-402.A. A. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 1. Each enrolled child who naps or sleeps at the child care group home is furnished with a bed, cot, mat, or crib that accommodates the enrolled child’s height and weight; 2. The bed, cot, mat, or crib is not used by another individual while in use by the enrolled child; 3. The cot, mat, or bed’s mattress is covered with a clean sheet that is laundered when soiled, at least once every seven calendar days, and before use by a different enrolled child; 4. The crib mattress is covered with a clean fitted-sheet designed for the crib mattress size that is laundered when soiled, at least once every 24 hours, and before use by a different enrolled child; and 5. A clean blanket or sheet is provided to each enrolled child.

“Findings: The Primary Compliance Officer observed a child asleep on a mat without a sheet.”

AAC R9-3-408.C.1. C. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 1. Each motor vehicle used by an individual to transport an enrolled child: a. Is maintained in a mechanically safe condition; b. Is free from hazards; c. Is registered by the Arizona Department of Transportation as required by A.R.S. Title 28, Chapter 7; d. Has documentation of current motor vehicle insurance coverage maintained inside the motor vehicle that includes the legal name of the child care group home or certificate holder and, if transporting enrolled children and infants, liability information; e. Has an operational heating system; f. Has an operational air-conditioning system; and g. Is equipped with: i. A first-aid kit that meets the requirements in R9-3-310; and ii. Two large, clean towels or blankets;

“The Compliance Officer observed that the first aid kit in the vehicle was missing scissors and gauze rolls.”

AAC R9-3-401.C.4. A certificate holder shall ensure that a staff member: 4. Except as specified in subsection (C)(5), labels the personal items of an enrolled child with an identifier that is specific to the enrolled child and stores the personal items separately from the personal items of other enrolled children and residents;

“The Compliance Officer observed that the baby powder in the diapering area was not labeled with an identifier.”

AAC R9-3-310.A. A. A certificate holder shall ensure that a child care group home has a first-aid kit on the premises that contains at least the following items, in a quantity sufficient to meet the needs of the enrolled children at the child care group home: 1. Sterile bandages including: a. Adhesive bandages of assorted sizes, b. Sterile gauze pads, and c. Sterile gauze rolls, 2. Antiseptic solution or sealed antiseptic wipes, 3. Single-use non-porous gloves, 4. Reclosable plastic bags of at least one-gallon size, 5. Scissors, and 6. Adhesive or self-adhering tape.

“The Compliance Officer observed that the first aid kit was missing 1 gauze roll.”

AAC R9-3-309.H. A certificate holder shall ensure that a child care group home does not stock a supply of prescription or nonprescription medications for administration to enrolled children.

“The Compliance Officer observed that the first aid kit had non-aspirin pain reliever, burn cream, and antibiotic ointment.”

AAC R9-3-303.B. B. Except as required in A.R.S. § 36-309, before a child is enrolled at a child care group home, a certificate holder shall require the individual enrolling the child to complete a Department-provided Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record card containing: 1. The child’s name, home address, city, state, zip code, 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 child care group home or to be contacted if the child’s parent cannot be contacted; 5. The name and contact telephone number of the child’s physician, physician assistant, or registered nurse practitioner; 6. Written authorization for emergency medical care of the child; 7. The name of the individual to be contacted in case of injury or sudden illness of the child; 8. A written description provided by a child’s parent of the nutritional and dietary needs of the child; 9. A written description provided by the child’s parent noting the child’s susceptibility to illness, physical conditions of which a staff member should be aware, and any individual requirements for health maintenance; and 10. The dated signature of the individual completing the Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record card.

“The Compliance Officer Supervisor reviewed 6 Emergency Information and Immunizations Record cards and found that Child 1 and 2 did not have who to call first in case of injury or sudden illness.”

AAC R9-3-502.A. A. Except as provided in subsection (B), a certificate holder shall ensure that the child care group home has an outdoor activity area that: 1. Is on the premises; 2. Is at least 500 square feet in size; 3. Is adjacent to the residence; 4. Includes shaded areas large enough to accommodate all enrolled children occupying the outdoor activity area at any time; and 5. Except as provided in subsection (D), is enclosed by a fence that: a. Is at least 4 feet high; b. Is secured to the ground; c. Does not have any vertical or horizontal open space that exceeds 4 inches at any point, including any space on a gate; and d. Has a gate from which an individual may exit the outdoor activity area.

“The Compliance Officer observed that the gate in the outdoor area had a broken latch and could not be closed.”

AAC R9-3-505.D.5. D. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 5. Except as provided in R9-3-503(C)(4) and subsection (D)(6)(d), the following are stored in a labeled container separate from food storage areas and are inaccessible to an enrolled child: a. Materials and chemicals labeled as a toxic substance, and b. Substances that have a child warning label and may be a hazard to a child;

“The Compliance Officer observed the following items with a child warning label in the bathroom accessible to enrolled children: Head and Shoulders shampoo, Lysol wipes, and a plug in air freshener.”

AAC R9-3-304.A.1. A. A certificate holder shall not permit an enrolled child to receive child care services at a child care group home until the child care group home receives: 1. An immunization record for the enrolled child with the information required in 9 A.A.C. 6, Article 7, stating that the enrolled child has received all current, age-appropriate immunizations required under 9 A.A.C. 6, Article 7, that is: a. Provided by a physician, physician assistant, registered nurse practitioner, or another individual authorized by state law to administer immunizations; or b. Generated from the Arizona State Immunization Information System, which is the Department’s child immunization reporting system established in A.R.S. § 36-135; or

“Findings: Based on review of Emergency, Information and Immunization Record (EIIR) cards it was noted that an immunization record or exemption affidavit was not documented for Child 4 and Child 5.”

AAC R9-3-504.F.1. F. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 1. An unannounced fire and emergency evacuation drill are: a. At least once each month; and b. Each fire drill and emergency evacuation drill at a different time of day than the fire and emergency evacuation drill conducted in the previous month;

“Findings: Compliance Officers noted that fire and emergency evacuation drills were not conducted in the months of February and March of 2024.”

AAC R9-3-302.A. A. Within 10 calendar days after the starting date of employment or volunteer service, a certificate holder shall provide, and each staff member shall complete, training for new staff members that includes all of the following: 1. Names, ages, and developmental stages of enrolled children; 2. Health needs, nutritional requirements, any known allergies, and information about adaptive devices of enrolled children; 3. Guiding and disciplining children; 4. Hand washing techniques; 5. Diapering techniques and toileting, if any enrolled children are in diapers or require assistance in using the toilet; 6. Sudden infant death syndrome awareness, if child care services are provided to an infant or a one year-old child; 7. Preparing, serving, and storing food; 8. Preparing, handling, and storing infant formula and breast milk, if any enrolled children are fed infant formula or breast milk; 9. Recognizing signs of illness and infestation; 10. Detecting, preventing, and reporting child abuse or neglect; 11. Responding to accidents and emergencies; 12. Sun safety; 13. Procedures for trips away from the child care group home, if applicable; and 14. Staff responsibilities as required by A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 7.1, Article 4 and this Chapter.

“Findings: Compliance Officer 2 noted that Staff 1 and Staff 2 had not completed the New Staff training document that must be completed within 10 calendar days of starting. Staff 1's start date is 02/20/24, and Staff 2's start date is 03/13/24.”

AAC R9-3-303.B. B. Except as required in A.R.S. § 36-309, before a child is enrolled at a child care group home, a certificate holder shall require the individual enrolling the child to complete a Department-provided Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record card containing: 1. The child’s name, home address, city, state, zip code, 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 child care group home or to be contacted if the child’s parent cannot be contacted; 5. The name and contact telephone number of the child’s physician, physician assistant, or registered nurse practitioner; 6. Written authorization for emergency medical care of the child; 7. The name of the individual to be contacted in case of injury or sudden illness of the child; 8. A written description provided by a child’s parent of the nutritional and dietary needs of the child; 9. A written description provided by the child’s parent noting the child’s susceptibility to illness, physical conditions of which a staff member should be aware, and any individual requirements for health maintenance; and 10. The dated signature of the individual completing the Emergency, Information, and Immunization Record card.

“Findings: Based on review of Emergency, Information and Immunization Record (EIIR) cards the following was noted: -Child 1, 2, and 3's cards were missing a second emergency contact name and phone number. -Child 4 and 5's cards were missing a second emergency contact name and phone number, and the questions on the back side of the card were not answered. -Child 6's card did not document their date of enrollment, and the parent did not sign or date the card.”

AAC R9-3-505.D.9. D. A certificate holder shall ensure that: 9. An enrolled child does not have access to the following on the premises: a. Lawn mowers, ladders, toilet brushes, plungers, and other equipment that may be a hazard to a child; b. An air conditioner, evaporative cooler, heat pump, or furnace; c. A hot tub or spa; d. A pond or fountain; e. An irrigation ditch, abandoned mine, or well; or f. A trampoline.

“Findings: Compliance Officer 1 noted that a toilet brush and plunger were accessible next to the toilet in the restroom utilized by enrolled children.”