The owner of a Co Galway creche criticised by inspectors for providing "misleading" information to parents has strongly defended the service it provides and stressed that all issues highlighted by the HSE have since been addressed.
Marese Sheehy, owner of Kids Corner in Tuam, acknowledged that standards at the facility had dropped somewhat at the time of the inspection last May, but said this was due to her absence from the service for a period of several months due to ill-health.
She said the information referred to by the inspectors, which they said was misleading by stating that the service was fully compliant with child care regulations, took the form of a sign hanging on the door of the facility. She had since taken the sign down.
Inspectors also said childcare staff at the facility should not prepare, cook and serve meals and said Ms Sheehy should employ a designated cook and cleaner.
However, Ms Sheehy said the member of staff who was preparing food on the day of the inspection was doing so because the children for which she was responsible had finished for the day.
She added that new equipment and materials had been bought for the facility, and all other issues addressed.
"These people come in on a particular day and when they write their report it's based on these findings," she said. "I am fully compliant now."
Eileen Ryan, owner of the Naíonra Dhurlas Eile sessional service in Thurles said the fact that the inspection team gained unsupervised access to the service on the day of the inspection last May had made her more aware of the risks this posed. But she said the children and adults in the service were all outdoors at the time.
"The door is always manned," she said. "But we have put a bell on the door and put a latch up."
Linda Knight, who owns An Teach Beag, on Renmore Road in Galway said that following the inspection of her service last June, she no longer operates a full day service. This meant issues such as the storage of a bed in an outdoor shed were no longer relevant. The service now operates on a sessional basis and she had applied for funding for separate child toilet facilities, with work due to begin this week.
Lynn Shanahan of Day Dreams creche on Dooradoyle Road in Limerick said the water thermostat relating to the nappy changing area had been turned down while the inspectors were present. Any other issues highlighted in the report had since been resolved, she said.